Contemporary Art from the Harvard University Art Museums Collections

This installation of prints, sculpture, and paintings from the 1970s to the present includes works that are abstract and figurative, contemplative and abrasive, humorous and serious. Of special interest are two recently acquired works by Glenn Ligon, an artist who appropriates imagery from popular culture and concentrates on race, gender, sexuality, and language. In Untitled (Negro Sunshine) (2005), Ligon lifted the phrase “negro sunshine” from Gertrude Stein’s 1909 play Melanctha and transformed it into a neon sculpture. By unhinging the text from both its author and its context, the phrase hangs (literally) in the air, floating in a sea of associations, perplexities, and poetic condensations. Works by Ellen Gallagher, Edward Ruscha, Rudolf Stingel, Sol LeWitt, and others also appear in the exhibition.

Organized by Helen Molesworth, Maisie K. and James R. Houghton Curator of Contemporary Art.