WESTERLY — The Westerly Museum of American Impressionism has acquired a significant painting by one of the central figures in the American Impressionist movement — and once owned by a noted American broadcast journalist.

“Firelight,” which was painted by Frank Weston Benson in 1893 — the final canvas in his series of fireplace-themed paintings —  was once owned by newscaster Barbara Walters.

The acquisition of the painting, which received numerous awards following its completion and helped establish Benson as a master of luminous interiors, was made possible by a donation from art collectors and philanthropists Heidi and Tom McWilliams, according to the museum’s director Catherine Shotick.

Shotick said Benson was a member of the famed Boston School of artists which included painters like Edmund C. Tarbell and Philip Leslie Hale.

“He shaped a generation of of American artists,” said Shotick in a phone interview about the acquisition and its creator. 

“Firelight” is a study of Benson’s sister Georgianna “enjoying the warmth of a fire, with her dress and face bathed in color and light,” Shotick said. The painting helped establish Benson “as a master of luminous interiors,” she added.

“He was a master of light and shadow,” she added. “When I stand near it I can almost feel the heat coming from it.”

“It’s also a big painting,” Shotick said of “Firelight” which is nearly five feet tall.

While the museum has a gallery dedicated to the Boston School painters, she said, it lacked a work by Benson.

“We had a gap in our collection,” she said, until the McWilliams family’s generous donation, which was made in memory of Tom’s parents, Betty and Jamie McWilliams.

“We are proud to be a part of helping to shape the museum’s collection and thrilled that this exceptional work will now be available for the public to enjoy,” Tom McWilliams said in a statement from the museum.

The acquisition of “Firelight” further strengthens the museum’s already “impressive collection,” Shotick said.

“Firelight” will be unveiled this summer “in the height of the season,” Shotick added, and will serve as the centerpiece of the museum’s “Boston School Gallery.”

“We are deeply appreciative of the extraordinary generosity and partnership of Heidi and Tom McWilliams who made this unique acquisition possible,” said Dr. Thomas P. Sculco, who founded the museum with his wife Cynthia D. Sculco. “Frank Benson is truly one of the great American Impressionists.”

“The color and light emanating from the fireplace in this work fills the room in which the artist’s sister is seated,” he said. “This painting is an outstanding addition to the museum’s collection.”

In addition to his high profile within the Boston School, Benson was a member of “The Ten,” Shotick said.

The Ten was a group of American Impressionist artists from Boston and New York who “broke free from the Society of American Artists to create their own exhibition society modeled on the French Impressionist style.”

“The Westerly Museum of American Impressionism is believed to be the only museum in the country exclusively dedicated to American Impressionist art,” according to the statement from the museum. “The 150 American Impressionist paintings currently on view at the museum comprise roughly one half of the museum’s collection that has been acquired by the Sculcos over the past 40 years. As long-time Westerly residents, the couple support numerous cultural institutions in the area.”

“This acquisition reflects what we’re working toward as a museum,” said  Shotick. “It underscores our commitment to presenting American Impressionism at the highest level and gives our audiences the chance to experience a truly exceptional work in a thoughtful, focused setting.”

Located on Watch Hill Road, the museum spans 25,000 square feet, on a site overlooking the Pawcatuck River. It is designed for the exhibition, study and preservation of American Impressionist art from the 1880s to the 1920s. The museum opened in October of 2025. Its eleven curated galleries feature works from lesser-known artists such as Walter Griffin, Louise Upton Brumback and Charles H. Woodbury, as well as renowned artists such as Childe Hassam, John Singer Sargent, Lilla Cabot Perry, Jane Peterson and Edmund C. Tarbell. Many of the artists were part of coastal artist colonies that stretched from Cos Cob and Old Lyme, Connecticut, to Ogunquit, Maine.

The museum was built on the foundation of a former vacant physical rehabilitation structure on the property. Its design features nautical blue siding and gray metal roofs that blend into a natural landscape of meadow grasses and wildflowers. Skylights invite natural light into the galleries. Framed views of the surrounding land and water were incorporated in the design, to complement the Impressionist works on the walls.

Besides ongoing and visiting exhibits, the museum plans to introduce a visiting lecture series this year, establish partnerships with schools, create an internship program for college students, and collaborate with regional cultural institutions.

The museum is open to visitors Thursday through Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information on the Westerly Museum of American Impressionism, including tickets and memberships, visit: https://wmairi.org