Past Exhibitions

October 1st, 2025 to January 4th, 2026

Of Salt and Spirit: Black Quilters in the American South

Curated by Dr. Sharbreon Plummer, this exhibition and the accompanying publication seek to illuminate the processes and practices of Black Southern quilters while celebrating the enduring impact of quilting on communities and generations. ‍

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Roland L. Freeman (1936–2023), Catherine Gill, Classy Blaylock, Decatur, MS, 1993. Color print, 24 in. x 36 ½ inches. Collection of the Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, Gift of the Kohler Foundation, Inc., 2022.9.162. Photo: Gib Ford

July 23, 2025 - October 2026

Navigating Knowledge

This exhibition explores vessels and navigation as metaphors for the containment and transmission of knowledge. From religious doctrine and scientific theories to historical narratives and ancient philosophies, the works presented consider how ideas spread to the far reaches of the world through migration and other journeys.

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Harmonia Rosales, 'Migration of the Gods', 2021. Oil with iron oxide and 24 karat gold leaf on Belgian linen mounted on wood panel. Museum purchase with funds provided by the Blackmon Perry Endowment Fund, 2022.2

May 22, 2025

Suchitra Mattai: with abundance we meet

'with abundance we meet' is an installation made of ‘fruit’ ('phala' in Hindi) sculptures by the artist Suchitra Mattai that are ripe with possibilities, conjuring wombs and fertility spirits.

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Suchitra Mattai, 'phala' (fruit), 2023. 15 components comprised of vintage saris, rope, and chain, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California; Photo: Robert Wedemeyer.

April 17 - November 17

Summer Art Garden: A Flash of Sun

Memphis-based artist and designer Khara Woods presents A Flash of Sun, an installation of sun-drenched shades, dazzling patterns, and geometric sculptures.

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Axis, 2021, Spray Paint on Wood Panel, 30x40 in

Ongoing

In the Moment: Art from the 1950s to Now

Contemporary art can capture the political and cultural essence of our time while contemplating and transcending our everyday realities. As time passes, this art connects us with the defining spirit of an era, becoming a visual record of a moment.

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Rashid Johnson, 'Seascape "Milestones"', 2022 Oil on linen; 95 × 122 in. From the collection of Pitt and Barbara Hyde

Ongoing

Memphis on the Mississippi (Ode to Tom Lee)

To further build Memphis' Art Collection, the Brooks has commissioned the Memphis-based artist Carl E. Moore to create a work inspired by our soon-to-be new location Downtown on the banks of the Mississippi River.

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Carl E. Moore, 'Memphis on the Mississippi (Ode to Tom Lee)', 2022. Acrylic on canvas.

Ongoing

Art of the African Diaspora

As conversations around the African Diaspora shift and evolve, so too will this display, aided by the museum actively acquiring works that reflect these varied, global experiences.

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Ongoing

Power & Absence: Women in Europe, 1500 – 1680

This reimagining of the Schilling Gallery explores the representation of women in Europe from around 1500 to 1680, known as the Renaissance and Early Baroque period. Most of the works in this room have been made by men.

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Sofonisba Anguissola, 'Self-Portrait', 1560, oil on wood panel, Memphis Park Commission Purchase, 43.11

No exhibitions were found

September 1, 2018 – August 11, 2019

Rotunda Projects: Federico Uribe

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, col

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Federico Uribe (Colombian, b. 1962)

October 14, 2017 - January 7, 2018

Coming to America: Lachaise, Laurent, Nadelman, and Zorach

The sculptures of Gaston Lachaise, Robert Laurent, Elie Nadelman and William Zorach embody the vitality and vision of four modern artists who—arriving as immigrants in the United States from the growing turbulence of pre-war Europe—responded to the challenges and excitement of American life with extraordinary creativity.

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Gaston Lachaise, United States, born France, 1882-1935, Standing Woman, 1912-1927, Bronze, 72 x 28 x 17 (including bronze base), Philadelphia Museum of Art, Gift of R. Sturgis and Marion B.F. Ingersoll, 1962, 1962-182-1, © Gaston Lachaise Foundation Image Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

June 3 - August 27, 2017

100 Gifts for 100 Years

To mark the Brooks’ 100th anniversary, our dedicated, generous patrons and support groups have gifted the museum more than 100 spectacular works of art. Ranging from ancient coins to contemporary glass, from paintings to quilts, the exhibition will display all of these gifts in glorious profusion.

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Lino Tagliapetra, Mandara, 2005, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

May 8 - 24, 2017

Brooks Outside: Tape Art

The Rhode Island artist collective Tape Art, known for creating over 500 temporary murals installed around the world, ends our centennial celebration with a massive installation on the Brooks’ façade.

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A massive 20-day mural made for the Brooks Art Museum, Memphis, TN.

April 22 - July 30, 2017

A Feast for the Eyes: 200 Years of American Still-Life Painting

Featuring rarely seen works by major American artists—including James Peale, John F. Peto, Thomas Hart Benton, Georgia O’Keeffe and Andrew Wyeth—this exhibition celebrates the history of still-life painting in the United States.

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Raphaelle Peale, Orange and Book, c. 1817, Oil on canvas, the Frank and Michelle Hevrdejs Collection. Thomas R. Dubrock, photographer.

January 28 - February 26, 2017

2017-mid-south-scholastic-art-awards

The Mid-South Scholastic Art Awards is an annual juried student exhibition presented by the Brooks and Brooks Museum League. As an affiliate of the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, the Mid-South Scholastic Art Awards honors exemplary art by students in seventh through 12th grades.

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Tram Le, Under Pressure, White Station High School

October 15, 2016 - January 8, 2017

Red Grooms: Traveling Correspondent

Grooms’s treatment of New York City and Tennessee provides the focus for Red Grooms: Traveling Correspondent. The distinct bodies of work reflect time spent in these radically different environments, specifically those that most define him as a person and an artist.

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Red Grooms, Rockefeller Center, 1995, Courtesy of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, LLC, New York

June 18 - September 4, 2016

Veda Reed: Day into Night

This influential Memphis artist was represented by 28 paintings spanning 1956 to 2016. The emphasis was on her recent luminous paintings of night skies populated with moons, clouds, and shimmering light. These poetic images represent what the artist herself feels are the zenith of her career.

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Vera Reed

Febuary 25 - September 2026

Memphis College of Art, 1936-2020: An Enduring Legacy

For eighty-four years, the Memphis College of Art offered a rigorous arts education to students from across the country and around the world. Through this exhibition of ninety faculty, administrators, and graduates, 'Memphis College of Art, 1936-2020: An Enduring Legacy' reflects on the school’s historical impact and celebrates its continued legacy regionally and beyond.

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June 10, 2026 - Sept. 2026

David Uzochukwu: Bodies of Water

David Uzochukwu: Bodies of Water is a poetic meditation on identity, migration, and belonging. In his first solo museum exhibition, Uzochukwu presents hybrid beings—part human, part animal—who inhabit surreal, dreamlike landscapes. His use of nonhuman features amplifies, rather than diminishes, the strength and dignity of his subjects.‍

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