"The exhibition begins with a display of the department鈥檚 rich early modern collection. Highlights include
works by Henri Matisse and
Pablo Picasso, as well as German School artists such as
Max Beckmann and Ernst Kirchner. A selection of Dada and Surrealist drawings will be shown alongside
ephemera and artists鈥 books from the Ryerson Library鈥檚 prized
Mary Reynolds Collection. Next, works of postwar artists including
Willem de Kooning and
Lee Krasner demonstrate how American painters expanded the vocabularies of their European precursors. The exhibition concludes with the work of artists who matured after 1960. Iconic drawings by
Jasper Johns and
Roy Lichtenstein will be joined by selections from the museum鈥檚 broad holdings of
works on paper by Felix Gonzalez-Torres and
Martin Kippenberger.
Additionally, the exhibition presents many pieces new to the collection. Recently acquired drawings by Minimalists such as
Robert Mangold,
Sylvia Plimack Mangold,
Robert Ryman, and
Richard Tuttle make their debut, as do works such as Roy Lichtenstein鈥檚 Alka Seltzer, a stunning image that the artist never repeated in another medium. Also highlighted are freshly conserved works, including an exquisite example of a Purist drawing by
Le Corbusier that shows the architect at his best as an artist.
Displaying major works by many of the artists that will be featured in the permanent galleries of the Modern Wing, this exhibition showcases the Art Institute鈥檚 long-held commitment to collecting and exhibiting the art of our time."