Smart Museum of Art University of Chicago

Exhibitions

• Current Exhibitions
• Upcoming Exhibitions
• Archived Exhibitions

Collection Galleries

• Modern Art & Design
• Asian Art
• European Art
• Contemporary Art
• Sculpture Garden & Reception Hall

Contemporary Art

Robert and Joan Feitler Gallery

The Smart Museum’s contemporary collection emphasizes two central threads in recent art: the persistence of figurative traditions and the emergence of conceptual or idea-based art. The collection also includes many artists with strong ties to Chicago.

The current presentation features recent works from Chicago and beyond, many of which were commissioned for the Smart or included in past contemporary exhibitions. The gallery is divided into three thematic zones.

In this front area, Urbanism and Social Practice addresses artists’ recent responses to questions of ecology and sustainability, along with artist-led experiments in architecture and urban thinking. In the back area, Color and Materiality brings together works by artists of several generations who use saturated hues and richly tactile materials. Memory and Mourning focuses on photographic and sculptural works that tackle questions of loss, representation, and commemoration.

The presentation includes works by Alan Cohen, Detroit Tree of Heaven Woodshop, Mark Dion, Arturo Herrera, Scott Hocking, Learning Site, Kerry James Marshall, Laurie Palmer, Peter Saul, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Tony Tasset, Xing Danwen, and Claire Zeisler.

Video

Video: Kerry James Marshall talks about his work Heirlooms and Accessories, now on view at the Smart.

Top: Installation view of the Smart Museum's contemporary galleries, showing works by Laurie Palmer (left) and Learning Site (right).