Face to Face: Self Portraits Before Selfies

May – September 2019

FACE to FACE, an exhibition from the collection of the Museum's Art Division, presents a wide-ranging selection of artist's self portraits. The exhibition includes work by thirty 20th and 21st century artists, among them Eric Avery, Thomas Hart Benton, Jim Dine, Ken Dixon, Bailey Doogan, Kenneth Hale, Peter Hurd, Luis Jimenez, Gene Kloss, Anne Noggle, Kathryn Polk, Alfred Quiroz, and Earl Staley.

Richard Ash (1943 – 2019)
Self portraits, 2009
Two linocuts. Gifts of the artist © Estate of the artist

How do artists represent themselves in a portrait that they create? What clothes do they wear? Do they sit up or stand? What sort of emotion do they convey? What are they doing? How old are the artists when they decided to picture themselves? Does the portrait really look like the artist? How do the artists dress for a self portrait? Does the artist sit down or stand up for her or his portrait? Do the self portraits convey the personality of the artists?

Evan Lindquist (born 1936)
Self portrait, 1979
Engraving anonymous gift © Evan Lindquist

Discover how artists recreate themselves in their own image, their self portrait. What you we learn about artists by studying their self portraits?

Over 30 videos, drawings, paintings, digitized sculptures, original prints and more reflect a wide variety of choices artists make to communicate who they are and, sometimes, what they look like. Come and meet them...they are waiting to meet you.