Ongoing/upcoming exhibitions

Furuyama Moromasa, Hotei and Fukurokuju Visiting the Pleasure Quarter, detail, Enkyo era (1744 – 1748), handscroll; ink, color, gold, silver and gold flecks on paper, Stoddard Acquisition Fund, 1998.180.5

Japanese Case Rotation: Parodies and Legends by Furuyama Moromasa Through December 2021 The Japanese gallery features an installation of a handscroll by painter Furuyama Moromasa (Japanese, 1712 – 72). The unusually large handscroll, representing the most elaborate and extensive work by the little-known artist, contains twenty separate paintings, each approximately four feet long. Two of the paintings are displayed in this installation, including the one pictured above. The majority of images are considered to be mitate-e, or “parody pictures.” A common feature of Edo period art, mitate-e are derived from legends, literature, religion, and history, and employ metaphors, playful comparisons, and humorous irony.

Supported in part by the Hall and Kate Peterson Fund.

Cesar Rodrigues, Untitled, 2008, acrylic on canvas

Central Massachusetts Artist Initiative

Sidney and Rosalie Rose Gallery Cesar Rodrigues December 1, 2021 – May 8, 2022 Cesar Rodrigues is a Worcester-based abstract artist who responds to the material properties of acrylic paint. His explorations in color, texture, gravity, and viscosity are recognized for their sophisticated and vibrant palettes. Rodrigues considers his body of work a metaphysical representation of what lies outside of our perceived reality. At an early age Rodrigues was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy which causes progressive muscle weakness. When he could no longer hold a paintbrush, Easterseals Massachusetts helped engineer a custombuilt assistive device that pours paint and rotates a canvas using Bluetooth technology. Today, he is a beacon of inspiration in the greater Central Massachusetts art community.

Supported by the Don and Mary Melville Contemporary Art Fund.

Byron Kim, American, b. 1961, Synecdoche: Danielle Brunner, Dominic Shamyer, Ella Kim, George Gountas, Glenn Ligon, Jay Patrikios, Johannes Gachnang, Joanna Bossart, Joseph Benjamin, Konrad Tobler, Kyle Wilton, Louis Barney, Lourdes Mercado, Luciano Berti, Marc Pia, Marvin Siegel, Miguel Maldonado, Niki Hosig, Remy Pia, Roland Fellmann, Rosa Duran, Ruth Libermann, Sean Casey, Susann Bossart, Vijay Kapoor, 1992 – 1998, wax and oil on panel, Collection of Noel Kirnon. © Byron Kim 2021. Image courtesy of the artist and James Cohan, New York.

Jewels of the Nile: Ancient Egyptian Treasures from the Collection of the Worcester Art Museum June 18, 2022 – January 29, 2023 When Jewels of the Nile opens in spring 2022, the Worcester Art Museum’s extensive collection of ancient Egyptian jewelry will be on view for the first time in nearly a century. The collection—much of it given to the Museum by Laura Norcross Marrs (1845-1926)— is remarkable not only for its breadth and quality, but also for its fascinating backstory. Marrs was the daughter of Boston Mayor Otis Norcross (18111882) and wife of amateur photographer Kingsmill Marrs (d. 1912). During a trip to Egypt in 1908, the Marrses met archaeologist Howard Carter (1874-1939), who would later discover the Tomb of Tutankhamun. Carter was originally offered work in Egypt because of his artistic talent. He would supplement his income by selling beautiful watercolors of scenes from Egyptian tombs and temples. Laura Marrs had a keen interest in prints and watercolors, acquired many of them, and eventually donated them to WAM. The Museum now holds the largest collection of these paintings. The Marrses struck up a friendship with Carter, and they wrote letters and visited one another in Florence, Italy, and in Luxor, Egypt. Carter also advised them on purchasing antiquities— particularly jewelry, which was legal at that time. With his knowing eye and the Marrses’ acumen, together they assembled an outstanding collection. After Mr. Marrs’ death, Laura gave it to Worcester. Over 90 years later, their generosity will be celebrated in Jewels of the Nile, showcasing nearly 300 objects from this collection and the Museum’s other holdings.

Us Them We | Race Ethnicity Identity February 19 – June 19, 2022 Addressing identity as a socio-political issue has been a central theme for artists since the 1970s. Us Them We | Race Ethnicity Identity will consider the ways that contemporary artists accentuate concepts like race and ethnicity through various visual strategies. Four formal devices serve as the foundation for the exhibition: Text, Juxtaposition, Seriality, and Pattern. Artists often employ one or more of these approaches as means of storytelling, protest, and celebration. This exhibition demonstrates how these organizing principles serve as a common tool through which personal and communal social status are explored. Co-curated by Nancy Kathryn Burns, Stoddard Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at WAM, and Toby Sisson, Associate Professor and Program Director of Studio Art at Clark University, Us Them We | Race Ethnicity Identity will feature over 50 objects across a broad spectrum of media including: photography, prints, painting, and sculpture. Presented across two galleries, the exhibition features significant loans and some rarely seen objects from the Worcester Art Museum’s permanent collection. Highlights include works by Edgar Heap of Birds, Byron Kim, Roberto Lugo, Shirin Neshat, and Lorna Simpson.

Organized by the Worcester Art Museum in partnership with, and with support from Clark University. Early support has been provided by Marlene and David Persky, Michael and Kristy Beauvais, Eve Griliches, and Sara Shields and Bruce Fishbein. This project is also funded in part by the John M. Nelson Fund and the Hall and Kate Peterson Fund. Related programming is supported by the Amelia and Robert H. Haley Memorial Lecture Fund and Spear Fund for Public Programs.

Brooch Featuring a Skiff with Blossoms and an Ancient Plaquette, umarked, (plaquette) New Kingdom, ca. 1539 – 1077 BCE; (gold mount) late 1800s – early 1900s, glazed steatite and gold (modern), Gift of Mrs. E.D. Buffington, 1914.2

This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of Dr. Sohail Masood, his wife Mona Masood, and their children Laila Masood and Omar Masood. Additional support is provided by the Fletcher Foundation.