Crafting Identity: American Highlights from Tia Collection

This exhibition is made possible by Lydia Kenton Walsh and Robert Walsh

On View: September 20, 2019 – January 5, 2020

VIP Opening Reception + Annual Donor Recognition Event: Thursday, September 19 (Invitation Only)
Public Opening Reception: Friday, September 27

The Arnot Art Museum and The Rockwell Museum present a  collaborative exhibition exploring the power of portraiture and the human form. At The Rockwell, explore American Highlights from Tia Collection – see artworks by many important and influential American artists including Alice Neel, Irving Penn, Robert Mapplethorpe, William Eggleston, Robert Henri, Jozef Bakos, Andy Warhol, Ruth Orkin, Cara Romero, Roy Lichtenstein and more. The Arnot Art Museum will feature international works, including highlights from Pablo Picasso, Fernando Botero, Ai WeiWei and Henri Cartier-Bresson.

As the vehicle in which people navigate life, we are frequently defined by our bodies. But the presentation of the physical body, rather than the body itself, is more expressive of personal identity. Through choices such as hairstyle, clothing, cosmetics or body art, people craft their visual identity and control how it is presented in a public context.

Similarly, artists manipulate representations of the human body to communicate a message. Every choice an artist makes in their work is intentional, especially in portraiture, which concentrates on capturing a specific individual’s likeness and identity. Many artists imbed visual markers within portraits to give us clues about the personality of the sitter. Personal objects such as books, tools, letters or even pets all combine to relay meaning.

Crafting Identity is an exhibition of figural artwork presented in two locations. American works are on view here at The Rockwell Museum, while Highlights From Around the World are on view at the nearby Arnot Art Museum in Elmira, NY. This joint exhibition features works from Tia Collection of Santa Fe, a private art collection based in New Mexico. These are the only United States venues for the exhibition.

All artworks courtesy of TIA COLLECTION of Santa Fe, NM – the private collection of an anonymous donor with a passion for sharing the arts with the world. This exhibition was curated by The Rockwell Museum.