Figurative “Real”ity

Figurative “Real” ity features work by Black and African American artists from the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts’ permanent collection. This exhibition intends to highlight the successes and contributions of artists of color to display the true diversity of the art-historical canon. The exhibition title is a play on words, as the works focus on the human figure and subsequent representations, which inform viewers’ perceptions, whether those are based in reality or not. The exhibition’s cornerstone is Carrie Mae Weems’ Not Manet’s Type from 2001, as it directly references Euro-centric beauty standards and the white-washing of the art-historical canon. Alongside Weems, this exhibition will present art by renowned artists Bill Traylor, Charles Shannon, and others who work with representations of the human figure in various mediums and modalities.