An exhibit that open through June 28 at Indiana Landmarks will celebrate the works of Harry Davis, an Indianapolis painter who captured prominent Indiana buildings and monuments in the 1940s through the 1980s.Â
This exhibit is a chance to learn more about Indianapolis history through the landmarks Davis painted during the decades when he taught at Herron School of Art and Design. Davis died in 2006.
“He did so much to call attention to historic buildings,” Suzanne Stanis, vice president of education at Indiana Landmarks, said. “Some that had been preserved, but more commonly those that needed attention.”
The Rapp Family Gallery, located inside the Indiana Landmarks building at 1201 Central Ave., is free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If You Go
- What: The Art of Harry Davis
- Where: Indiana Landmarks Rapp Family Gallery, 1201 Central Ave.
- When: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Through June 28.
- Cost: Free
[Don’t forget to check out galleries on First Friday.]
Visitors will see paintings of the Mary Nicholson House on Delaware Street and the Rothschild Associates building, as well as several portraits. Davis painted the Good Samaritan Baptist Church and the Wilking Music Building on South Meridian Street, as well as landmarks throughout the Midwest, in his paintings.
Davis also captured the Central Avenue United Methodist Church, a historical building that now houses the Indiana Landmarks Center, as well as the Nicholson House on Delaware Street which is now the Indiana Humanities headquarters.Â
Harry Davis Jr. paintings hang on the wall in the Rapp Family Gallery at Indiana Landmarks in Indianapolis. Credit: Nate Pappas for Mirror Indy 
The painting “Meredith Nicholson House” hangs on the wall May 29, 2024, in the Rapp Family Gallery at Indiana Landmarks in Indianapolis. Credit: Nate Pappas for Mirror Indy 
Casey Roberts (left) and Steve Towne hang a painting by Harry Davis Jr. on the wall in the Rapp Family Gallery at Indiana Landmarks in Indianapolis. Credit: Nate Pappas for Mirror Indy 
Casey Roberts measures to place a painting on the wall May 29, 2024, in the Rapp Family Gallery at Indiana Landmarks in Indianapolis. Credit: Nate Pappas for Mirror Indy 
“Maria” by Harry Davis Jr. waits to be hung in the Rapp Family Gallery May 29, 2024, at Indiana Landmarks in Indianapolis. Credit: Nate Pappas for Mirror Indy
“His work really shows a snapshot of Indianapolis from the ’70s through the 1980s when, again, there was so much preservation work that needed to be done,” Stanis continued. “People are able to look at the buildings now – though, unfortunately we’ve lost a couple – and see how many have been saved.”
The exhibit is a partnership between Indiana Landmarks, the Indiana University Indianapolis (IUI) Special Collections and Archives and Herron School of Art and Design.Â
Perry went through 43 boxes of material from the IUI archives to prepare for her lecture. Guests will learn more about Davis’ relationship with his wife, Lois, who largely worked as his secretary despite having an art career of her own. Perry will also talk about the role his work played in documenting buildings at risk of demolition.
Several years ago, a card file of notes created by Lois, who died in 2021, was donated to IUI’s archives. The cards, which have details about the individual paintings, sparked the idea for the exhibit.
The exhibit is open through June 28 and is available to view during Indiana Landmark Center’s regular business hours.
Mirror Indy reporter Breanna Cooper covers arts and culture. Email her at breanna.cooper@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X @BreannaNCooper.
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