Current Exhibitions
Frida Kahlo: Through the Lens of 
Nickolas Muray
November 5, 2021 – February 12, 2022
In May 1931 the eminent photographer Nickolas Muray traveled to Mexico on vacation where he met Frida Kahlo, a woman he would never forget. The two started a romance that continued on and off for the next ten years and a friendship that lasted until her death in 1954. Approximately forty photographic portraits taken by Muray of Kahlo comprise the exhibition. The photographs, dating from 1937 to 1946, explore Muray’s unique perspective; as Kahlo’s friend, lover and confidant. Muray’s photographs bring to light Kahlo’s deep interest in her Mexican heritage, her life and the people with whom she shared a close friendship.
Frida Kahlo: Through the Lens of Nickolas Muray is made possible through support from the Choptank Foundation, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Delaware and The Bryn Mawr Trust Company of Delaware. Additionally, these exhibitions and related programming are supported by the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Delaware Division of the Arts promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com.
Unmasking Culture: An Examination of the Ritual Masks of Mexico
November 5, 2021 – February 12, 2022
Unmasking Culture will accompany Frida Kahlo: Through the Lens of Nickolas Muray to celebrate and enhance the understanding of the cultural heritage of Mexico for which Kahlo has become a global icon. This exhibition presents antique masks and figures used by Mexican indigenous people in their centuries-old religious dances and ceremonies. Items in this collection are on loan from The Althouse Collection, which was established by the late Thomas and Charlotte Althouse during their travels and residence in Mexico in the 1950s and 1970s. The private collection was later passed on to their son, artist Stephen Althouse.
Mi Frida: Children’s Portrait Contest Exhibition
November 5, 2021 – February 12, 2022
Frida Kahlo and portraits of her have become iconic in pop culture because of her unique sense of self. Kahlo’s Tehuana-inspired dress, elaborate hairstyles, and dignified unibrow are as recognizable as her paintings. The Biggs put out a call to young artists in grades K – 12 to submit their portraits of Frida Kahlo to celebrate her powerful and uncompromising sense of self. With talent beyond their years, this exhibition will showcase all of the submissions to the Mi Frida Portrait Contest by our amazing Biggs Kids.
Contemporary Refresh
November 5, 2021 – January 22, 2022
The Biggs Museum will create a fresh showcase of modern and contemporary artworks curated from its permanent collection in Galleries 23-25. This exhibition will feature paintings, prints, sculptures and more created by artists from the 1960s through practicing artists today.
Upcoming Exhibitions
Visions & Voices: A juried exhibition of Mid-Atlantic African American Artists
February 4 – May 21, 2022
After years of successfully hosting juried art competitions for photographers, landscape artists, and figural artists of the Mid-Atlantic Region, the Biggs Museum is proud to introduce a new juried exhibition highlighting the work of regional African American artists. This exhibition will present art from all visual art media including, but not limited to: painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, craft, fiber, and video. The physical exhibition will be accompanied by an opening reception, artist talks, public programming and gallery sales of the accepted works.
Guild Hall: An Adventure in the Arts
March 4 – June 18, 2022
Featuring 72 works from the permanent collection of Guild Hall in East Hampton, New York, this exhibition notably includes artwork by Jackson Pollock, Willem and Elaine de Kooning, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Chuck Close. Paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, and mixed media works will trace the progression of art movements in the U.S. from Impressionism to Abstract Expressionism to Contemporary Arts of the 1980s and 1990s.
Award Winners XXII
June 3 – July 23, 2022
Each year, the Biggs Museum of American Art, in partnership with the Delaware Division of the Arts, exhibits the work of the Division’s annual Individual Artist Fellows at the Award Winners exhibition. The Division recognizes artists throughout the state for their outstanding quality of work in the areas of choreography, folk art, jazz, literature, media arts, music, and visual arts through these awards.
Tom Wilson: Super-Realist/Surrealist
July 1 – October 15, 2022
Delawarean Tom Wilson studied art at the Rhode Island School of Design. Living in New York and eventually Paris, Wilson enjoyed the new visibility of LGBTQ artists while working as a top fashion model of the 1970s. After returning to Lewes in 1981, Wilson built a career on rendering photorealistic architectural studies of southern Delaware before succumbing to complications of the AIDS virus in 1995. This exhibition unveils the work of this artist and the community that supported his career.
Art Deco Glass from the Huchthausen Collection
November 4, 2022 – February 18, 2023
Characterized by clean lines, geometric shapes and bright colors, Art Deco glass emerged in the late 19th century, and resurged in popularity in the 1970s. This exhibition features early 20th century glassworks by iconic Art Deco studios such as René Lalique, Daum Frères, Pierre d’Avesn, Charles Schneider, Muller Frères, Marius-Ernest Sabino, Steuben Glass Works, and many others.
Check back frequently – exhibition and event details are updated often!