The public will have a chance to discover many never-before-seen works of art from the Georgia Museum of Art’s vaults in the exhibition “Inside Look: Selected Acquisitions from the Georgia Museum of Art,” running through Jan. 30, 2022.
With more than 21,000 objects in its collection, the museum does not have the ability to show every object in its holdings all at once. Through this exhibition, however, the museum is giving visitors a peek inside its vaults, with works selected by Nelda Damiano, Pierre Daura Curator of European Art; Shawnya L. Harris, Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art; Asen Kirin, Parker Curator of Russian Art; and Jeffrey Richmond-Moll, curator of American art.
This exhibition will include works from recent gifts and purchases across a broad spectrum of media and time periods, including selections from a recent major gift of 20th-century photography by Arthur Tress, Lewis Morley and Milton Rogovin. In one gallery, visitors will find paired perspectives on Appalachia from the 1960s and 1970s, when Tress and Rogovin each visited the region.
Another gallery will highlight works on paper by woman artists, such as the feminist art portfolio “Femfolio,” which includes works by Faith Ringgold and Miriam Schapiro. Thanks to funds from Martha Randolph Daura, the museum will be able to exhibit abstract prints by Sophie Taeuber-Arp. Her work is best known today for its color, line and geometric forms.
Contemporary art from the John and Sara Shlesinger Collection, donated to the museum in 2019, will also be on display. Other works from the Shlesinger collection are on view in the exhibition “Neo-Abstraction: Celebrating a Gift of Contemporary Art from John and Sara Shlesinger,” in an adjoining gallery.
Never-before-seen parts of the Belosselsky-Belozersky collection of Russian art and recently acquired promised gifts from the Parker Collection feature in another of the exhibition’s galleries. These works are in addition to the many works of Russian art that are on view in the museum’s Martha Thompson Dinos Gallery.
Harris selected works including a lithograph by Charles White, the first in the museum’s collection; drawings by famed self-taught artist Bill Traylor; and abstract charcoal drawings by contemporary artist Bethany Collins, all examples of the increasing depth and breadth of the museum’s collection of works by Black artists.
Related events include:
- Curator talks by Asen Kirin (on Russian art) on Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. and Shawnya Harris (on the “Femfolio” prints) on Dec. 1 at 2 p.m.
- Two different Family Days, one on Oct. 9 and one on Dec. 11, featuring drop-in activities from 10 a.m. to noon and free art kits visitors can pick from the museum Thursday through Sunday the week of the event
- Artful Conversation with curator of education Callan Steinmann focusing on the “Femfolio” prints on Oct. 20 at 2 p.m. and with associate curator of education Sage Kincaid on Arthur Tress on Dec. 15 at 2 p.m.
- Toddler Tuesday on Dec. 14 at 10 a.m. This program is designed for families with children ages 18 months to 3 years.
All programs are free and open to the public and are currently scheduled as in-person events. To reserve a spot for Toddler Tuesday, email Sage Kincaid at sagekincaid@uga.edu. For drop-in in-person events, free general admission tickets are still required, either at georgiamuseum.org in advance or at the desk in the lobby.
