Two of California’s most important early twentieth century artists are finally being rediscovered by the rest of the country. California as Muse presents almost seventy paintings, drawings, furniture and decorative pieces by Arthur and Lucia Mathews, who strove to unite the fine and applied arts. A lavishly illustrated, long-awaited book on the couple accompanies the show. Both book and exhibition are part of a major re-evaluation of the impact of the style they developed, the California Decorative Style, and its role in American art.More info...
 |
Bill Brandt: Shadows and SubstanceMay 31, 2008 - August 24, 2008Isroff and Bidwell Galleries Bill Brandt, England’s greatest twentieth-century photographer, began as a photojournalist and became a poet of light and shadow. Decade by decade, Brandt (1904 – 1983) moved toward evermore radical dualities of black and white, not just in his new photographs but also in his printing of older images. More info... |
 |
Smells Like Teen Spirit: Posters from the Akron Art Museum Teen CouncilJuly 19, 2008 - October 12, 2008The Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation Gallery For anyone who lived through the youth-driven grunge rock movement of the 1990s, Smells Like Teen Spirit may stir memories of the band Nirvana, crunchy guitars and flannel shirts. The Akron Art Museum’s Teen Council decided this notorious song-title was also an apt summary for their first major project, an exhibition of hand-screened concert posters on view in the Akron Art Museum’s Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation Gallery July 19 through October 12, 2008. More info... |
Upcoming Exhibitions | |
 |
John Heartfield vs. Nazi GermanyAugust 30, 2008 - November 30, 2008Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell Gallery “Use photography as a weapon.” This was John Heartfield’s battle cry in his struggle to prevent the Nazis from gaining power in Germany in the 1930s. Unlike many socially conscious photographers of the era who produced documentary work, Heartfield created photomontages. They are composite images made by cutting and joining parts from several photographs (ones he took, commissioned or found), then re-photographed to form a single seamless image. More info... |
 |
Unveiled: Recent Acquisitions from the Museum's CollectionAugust 30, 2008 - November 30, 2008Judith Bear Isroff Gallery Nearly 700 works of art entered the Akron Art Museum’s collection over the past five years, despite the fact that the museum was closed from March 2004 to July 2007 for construction of its new building. Unveiled offers the opportunity to view around two dozen inspiring, and sometimes challenging, artworks never before seen in Akron. More info... |
 |
Jean-Pierre Gauthier: Machines at PlaySeptember 27, 2008 - January 4, 2009Karl and Bertl Arnstein Galleries Montréal artist, inventor and musician Jean-Pierre Gauthier brings humor and poetry to his kinetic sculptural installations. This exhibition, the first survey of the award-winning artist’s work, will make its exclusive U.S. appearance at the Akron Art Museum. More info... |
 |
Toying With Imagination: A Plastic Camera ExhibitionOctober 18, 2008 - January 11, 2009The Mary S. and David C. Corbin Foundation Gallery Some of the most popular cameras today are plastic models. These cameras are making quite a splash in the world of photography, allowing anyone to create fun, breathtaking and experimental images. The Akron Art Museum is inviting locals to submit photographs taken in and around northeast Ohio using these plastic cameras. Selected works will be on view in the Toying With Imagination: A Plastic Camera Exhibition October 18, 2008 - January 11, 2009. More info... |
 |
Heresies: A Retrospective by Pedro MeyerDecember 6, 2008 - February 22, 2009Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell Gallery Since contemporary Mexican photographer Pedro Meyer has produced groundbreaking images over the last four decades, why should his retrospective exhibition be ordinary? The Akron Art Museum joins with fifty-eight other museums in twenty-five countries to simultaneously present diverse aspects of Meyer’s art this fall and winter. More info... |
 |
Along Water Street: New Work by Aminah Brenda Lynn RobinsonJanuary 31, 2009 - April 5, 2009Karl and Bertl Arnstein Galleries Columbus, Ohio, artist Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson (b. 1940) has been creating sumptuous mixed media paintings and sculptures for more than half a century. These document the stories she has gleaned from her elders, her travels throughout the world and her study of African and African American history. Included in this exhibition are twelve rag paintings, a watercolor of her Uncle Alvin and a sixty-foot-long, cloth and mixed media RagGonNon. More info... |
 |
Edward Weston: Life WorkJanuary 31, 2009 - April 26, 2009Karl and Bertl Arnstein Galleries Edward Weston: Life Work surveys the five-decade career of this American master through an outstanding grouping of 115 vintage photographs. The exhibition is drawn entirely from the private collection of Michael Mattis and Judith Hochberg. Most of the works were acquired from members of the Weston family. These include a large collection from his daughter-in-law, Dody Weston Thompson, as well as a Weston family album incorporating rare early self-portraits and landscapes. More info... |
