Rembrandt Etchings: States, Fakes and Restrikes
May 12-July 8, 2018
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (1606-69) was one of the most influential printmakers in the history of art. But how can one be sure that a Rembrandt is truly or wholly by THE Rembrandt? This exhibition examines the problem of authenticating this artist’ etchings. The exhibition includes first state pulls of etchings made during the artist’s lifetime as well as restrike prints made after his death and well into the 20th century.
Delaware Discoveries: Girlhood Embroidery, 1750-1850
May 19 – July 22, 2018
The Biggs Museum will honor the upcoming publication of Delaware Discoveries: Girlhood Embroidery, 1750-1850, the definitive study of Delaware girlhood samplers of the 18th and 19th centuries, with an exhibition of historic needlework. The exhibition will feature approximately 80 antique samplers and other forms of embroidery from all three counties of the state with a special emphasis on debuting the work of little-known schools of needlework instruction; It will also be accompanied by a symposium and catalog.
Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA) Award Winners XVIII
June 1 – July 22, 2018
Opening Reception: Friday, June 1st from 5-7 p.m.
For the past 18 years, the Biggs Museum of American Art has hosted the DDOA Award Winners exhibition. This annual group show features artworks, literature and performances of the Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA) Individual Artist Fellows-among the state’s most prestigious honors for artists. The winning Fellows are chosen by the Delaware State Arts Council from well over a hundred competitors. They are awarded cash grants, exhibition opportunities and year-long public recognition. This year, the Biggs Museum is partnering with CAMP Rehoboth and Cab Calloway School of the Arts to also showcase the Award Winners in Sussex and New Castle Counties.
The winning artists featured this year can be found here: https://arts.delaware.gov/iafrecipients/2018_iafs/
This exhibition is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on DelawareScene.com.
Milton Downing: Moral Assembly
June 1 – July 22, 2018
Opening Reception: Friday, June 1st from 5-7 p.m.
Milton Downing insists he is not an activist, but perhaps a moralist. This assemblage artist gathers pieces of discarded clothing and other found objects into painted compositions that reveal a wide range of human experiences. His subjects, regardless of their backgrounds, are elevated through an expressive use of color and enlivened through the artist’s gestural use of paint. The emotional content of the people depicted are channeled through the forms emerging from the artist’s incorporated materials: a piece of denim influences a posture that dictates the narrative of his figure. From dejected and harassed people on the fringes of society to sports stars at the center of attention, Downing’s images act as a tribute to emotional and physical endurance. His subjects shed light on challenges facing many Americans with depictions of archetypes within its communities.
Audubon Then and Now
August 3 – November 25, 2018
Opening Party: August 3rd from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Purchase tickets here
In 1826 at the age of 41, encouraged by his wife, Audubon took his portfolio of 300+ works to England. Today, more than ever his work endures and segments of his work are right here at the Biggs in Dover. This exhibition examines the importance of the artist and naturalist, John James Audubon, through a large exhibition of his earliest works from both the Birds of America and Viviparous Quadropeds publications. This historical analysis will be coupled with the works of contemporary artists influenced by early naturalists and recorded in an exhibition catalog with color reproductions and essays by leading scholars.
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