An exhibition of American modernist works on paper will open next Saturday, March 5 at the Georgia Museum of Art. The exhibition, titled “Graphic Eloquence: American Modernism on Paper from the Collection of Michael T. Ricker(opens in new tab),” includes 150 works by 70 artists, and will be accompanied by a catalog published by the museum.
The exhibition includes works in casein, cellocut, charcoal, collage, collagraphy, colored pencil, conté, encaustic (gesso-wax), gouache, graphite, ink, intaglio, lithography, mezzotint, monotype, oil, serigraphy, silverpoint, tempera, watercolor, woodcut and wood engraving. Unlike more exclusive accounts of modernist painting, the story of modernist works on paper provides a broader, more democratic view of American modernism that highlights the contributions of many lesser-known artists to this important 20th-century history.
Many of the works featured in the exhibition are part of a gift to the museum. “We are grateful to Michael Ricker for generously gifting these diverse expressions of the American modernist spirit to the museum,” said curator of American art Jeffrey Richmond-Moll. “Works on paper are a longstanding strength of our museum, and Ricker’s donation will decisively deepen the stories we tell about this medium and the evolution of American abstraction across broader geographies and artistic networks.”
“Graphic Eloquence” will examine the impact of influential associations and artist groups, including Atelier 17, American Abstract Artists and the short-lived Vanguard. The exhibition considers the role of museums and contemporary critics in shaping the fledgling approaches to modernist abstraction among American artists and cites inspiration for these works in a wealth of sources, ranging from music to movies, literature, popular publications, theater, art history and philosophy.
Several upcoming events will celebrate and explore the exhibition.
- A Family Day on March 26 from 10 a.m. to noon
- A talk by Nell Andrew, associate professor of art history at the University of Georgia, on April 26 at 1 p.m.
- A Toddler Tuesday on May 3 at 10 a.m. (Email gmoa-tours@uga.edu to register.)
- A Studio Workshop with printmaker Amanda Jane Burk on May 12, 19 and 26 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. ($20 materials fee; email gmoa-tours@uga.edu to register)
- An Artful Conversation on a single work of art in the exhibition, led by Sage Kincaid, associate curator of education, on June 15 at 2 p.m.
All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated.
