Exhibitions

The two world wars waged during the first half of the twentieth century were “total wars”—wars in which whole nations, not just professional armies, were engaged in combat. Public support was crucial to ensure victory, so governments and private organizations commissioned posters and other items to evoke the deep... See more 

Fusing the roles of librarian, archaeologist, taxonomist and artist, Michael Oatman makes intricately detailed collages and exhaustively researched installations focused on what he calls the “poetic interpretation of documents.” Archives, photographs and records both inspire Oatman’s invented worlds and figure... See more 

The eighth installment of the Opener series featured seven large-scale works by Brooklyn-based artist Lee Boroson. Since 1995, Boroson has been known for his room-filling, inflated sculptures made of sewn-nylon and kept aloft by electric blowers. These colorful enclosures find inspiration in both natural and man-made... See more 

In his 1644 Principles of Philosophy, René Descartes described the earth as surrounded on all sides by “a very liquid heaven.” Although later discoveries discredited this idea, in a sense Descartes was on target. Modern astronomy reveals stars not as hard, fixed objects, but as pulsing plasma, and interstellar space... See more 

By the fourteenth century, Tibetan artists were very much aware of Chinese painting traditions and motifs. Over the course of several centuries, there were regular exchanges between the courts at the imperial capitals of China and the religious centers of Tibet. Integrating the gnarled landscapes, fantastic fauna,... See more 

From a hirsute Beasty Girl to a lock of George Washington’s hair, this project explored the significance of facial, head, and body hair in western society from the Renaissance to the present. Though primarily focused on paintings, prints, photographs, and sculptures, the exhibition also included objects made from... See more 

Brushing the Present: Contemporary Academy Painting from China presented a selection of academic artists’ responses to the cultural changes occurring in contemporary China. These portraits, models, and still lifes included themes of globalization, the Chinese landscape, folk arts and legends, and traditional and new... See more 

Alyson Shotz reproduces nature as most people experience it: interfaced with technology and filtered through civilization. Her works continue a long artistic tradition of examining culture through current perceptions of nature, from the majestic and unspoiled vistas of the Hudson River School painters to the glossy... See more 

Nayland Blake creates performances, videos, sculptures, and drawings that complicate notions of cultural and sexual identity with intellectual rigor and disarming humor. Blake’s performance-based works are often displayed though video; they include works such as Gorge, a documentation of the artist being continually... See more 

Marcel Duchamp remains arguably the most important voice in visual art of the last century. His ideas about what art can be and how art can function in the world continue to revolutionize contemporary art, and his influence has reached artists in a variety of disciplines, including makers and thinkers alike. Among... See more