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American Haiku: The Woodcuts of Ted Faiers

On view through May 12, 2019

Memphis artist Ted Faiers (1908-1985) is featured in an exhibition of woodcuts, selected from the permanent collection. Faiers is best remembered for his large relief paintings with figures that project off the surface and that are colorful, insightful and satirical; the people are defined by flat shapes and patterns, each relevant to their time. His woodcuts, which span the life of his career, reflect the same inventiveness and approach to form. This exhibition includes prints from his early abstract period in the 1950s as well as his representational art of the 60s and 70s. As in his paintings, his figural woodcuts present powerful observations of the human condition, provide commentary on American social issues, and examine local culture. They also attest to Faiers great affinity for woodworking and his mastery of the medium.

Rotunda Projects: Federico Uribe

Currently on View

Federico Uribe (Colombian, b. 1962) creates magical creatures and playful installations from everyday objects. For the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, he has installed a large-scale site-specific environment in the museum’s rotunda. Uribe produces immersive and dreamlike landscapes by transforming materials such as books, colored pencils, wood fragments, and discarded clothing into animals and natural habitats.

Terry Adkins: Native Son (Circus)

On view through September 3, 2019

A sculpture and sound installation by multimedia artist Terry Adkins.

Painted Words: Poets and Painters in Print, 1869 – 1967

February 16 – August 11, 2019

Curated by Donal Harris, Assistant Professor, English Department, University of Memphis and Julian Rome, Senior, University of Memphis Painted Words: Poets and Painters in Print, 1870-1970 showcases three volumes that combine literary and visual art through printmaking. Since the late-nineteenth century, the tradition of peintre-graveur ("painter-engraver") in France imagined printmaking as a natural synthesis of the verbal, visual, and manual arts. The exhibited works, which range from Paris in the 1860s to New York in the 1960s, combine poetry and graphic work to test not only the bounds of each art form, but also the bounds of printmaking itself.

Natural Curiosity: Beth Van Hoesen

February 23 – June 30, 2019

Natural Curiosity: Beth Van Hoesen displays the artist’s process, from initial sketch to polished print. A highly skilled printmaker, Van Hoesen specialized in the intaglio processes of etching, drypoint, and aquatint. Van Hoesen’s drive for technical excellence is apparent in the many drawings and proofs she created in preparation for her final prints. Over the course of her career as an artist, Van Hoesen primarily focused on natural subject matter like insects, plants, and animals. Her attention to detail and sympathetic portrayal of wildlife offer inspiration to appreciate the quiet beauty of the natural world.

Drawing Memory: Essence of Memphis

Currently on view

Victor Ekpuk, a Nigerian American artist, painted a mural for the new African art galleries in March 2017. His art is inspired by nsibidi, a sacred means of communication among male secret societies in southeastern Nigeria.

Carroll Cloar Gallery

Currently on view

In honor of Carroll Cloar and to commemorate the museum’s hundredth anniversary, the Brooks Museum created a gallery dedicated to his art.

Arts of Global Africa

Currently on view

The arts of Africa are as varied as the continent itself, which encompasses over fifty independent countries and thousands of languages. This diversity is reflected in the exceptional works of art on view, most of which are on long-term loan from the Newark Museum’s extensive African art collection. Bringing together historic and contemporary works in a range of different media, the selection of works presents an expansive vision of Africa’s artistry.