Milwaukee Art Museum’s new exhibit “50 Paintings” running until June 23, 2024, displays 50 different paintings from international artists that have been completed in the past five years.
“50 Paintings” includes a collection of paintings which differ in size, style, medium and use of color. The exhibit’s paintings range in style – from landscapes to portraits to still lifes to more abstract pieces.
More than half of the artists included are female artists. Eight different countries are represented and “50 Paintings” includes artists from Spain, South Korea, South Africa, China, Germany, England, the U.S. and Iran.
There are no museum labels found next to the paintings within this exhibit. The artist as well as the country they are from is listed, but no interpretive text explaining the paintings can be found. This is intentional, according to the exhibit’s press release. Instead of a stated interpretation of the painting, Michelle Grabner, professor of Art and Chair of Painting and Drawing at The School of the Art Institute, said the viewer should “read” the paintings and closely engage with them.
“Rather than imposing a particular interpretation of a work on the viewer, our curatorial strategy for “50 Paintings” welcomes open-ended explorations and personal responses. Our hope is that visitors will find connection, inspiration, and a deeper appreciation for the broad range of contemporary painting practices” Grabner said in the press release.
This exhibition was co-curated by Margaret Andera, senior curator of Contemporary Art and the Crown Family Professor of Art and Chair of Painting and Drawing at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago Michelle Grabner.
“In showcasing the range in the language of painting being created today, “50 Paintings” provides an abundance of evidence and serves as a timely reminder of the inexhaustible possibilities of the medium,” Andera said in the press release.
The exhibit was curated in the hopes that viewers would assess the history of painting and through viewing a unique variety of 50 paintings create their own perception of the art form; as explained in the brochure.
This exhibit aims to examine painting as a practice, art medium and dive into the many ways artists today approach painting. The art form of painting has its earliest roots over 40,000 years ago. The art form has evolved and changed and can look so different aesthetically depending on the many choices an artist makes when creating a painting.
One of the larger paintings “Sometimes the king is a woman” by Amy Sherald, an American artist, is a portrait depicting a woman standing head-on. The woman is shown wearing more muted colors and in contrast, the painting has a bright bubblegum pink background.
The exhibition has paintings with bright piercing colors as well as darker pieces. South African painter Cinga Sasmson has his painting “Okwe Nkunzana 6” on display. This painting utilizes shadows and light in comparison to the brighter colors seen in the exhibit this painting employs darker, more muted colors.
For Marquette students, as well as the general public, interested in visiting “50 Paintings” at the Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 N. Art Museum Drive, a student ticket to the museum — which grants you access to all four floors full of exhibitions — the price is $17 and a regular adult ticket is $22.
This story was written by Avery Darrow. She can be reached at [email protected].
