This is The Mint Museum’s first large-scale exhibition to explore the dynamic medium of collage. Although this artistic technique, in which materials are cut, torn, and layered to create new meanings and narratives, gained acclaim in the early twentieth century through the groundbreaking work of such artists as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Kurt Schwitters, and Jean Arp, it experienced a renaissance (particularly in America) after World War II. Charlotte native Romare Bearden is widely credited with rejuvenating and reinvigorating the technique. His work, which has long been a highlight of The Mint Museum’s collection, serves as the point of departure for this fascinating exhibition.
Featuring more than 50 international artists and more than 100 works of art, Under Construction explores the growth of the collage technique and aesthetic in the work of Bearden and his colleagues from the 1950s to the present. It includes numerous works by Bearden, as well as examples by such notable artists as Robert Motherwell, Tim Rollins and K.O.S., Sam Gilliam, Howardena Pindell, Dario Robleto, Donald Sultan, and James Rosenquist. The impact of the collage aesthetic in the fields of painting, printmaking, photography, and assemblage work will be explored as well. Although drawn primarily from the rich holdings of The Mint Museum, this exhibition also includes special loans from private collections and new work by some of today’s leading artists who continue to mine and invigorate this approach.
Exhibition organized by The Mint Museum. Generous support provided by Colville Capital.
