Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism
Jan 31–May 4, 2025
Farm to Table: Art, Food, and Identity in the Age of Impressionism explored the intersections of art, gastronomy, and national identity in late 19th-century France. Beginning with the 1870 Prussian siege of Paris and the resultant food crisis and continuing through the 1890s, Farm to Table showcased the work of artists such as Rosa Bonheur, Gustave Courbet, Paul Gauguin, Claude Monet, and Camille Pissarro, who captured the nation’s unique relationship with food, from production to preparation and consumption.
This exhibition was presented in conjunction with Tennessee Harvest: 1870s–1920s.
David C. Driskell & Friends: Creativity, Collaboration, and Friendship
March 14–June 1, 2025
David C. Driskell & Friends: Creativity, Collaboration, and Friendship highlighted the artistic legacy of David C. Driskell and the importance of his relationships with fellow artists—many of whom hold a significant place in the 20th-century art canon. In 1976, Driskell curated the groundbreaking exhibition Two Centuries of Black American Art: 1750–1950, which has been foundational for the field of African American art history. Many of the artists featured in Two Centuries of Black American Art were included in David C. Driskell & Friends.
David C. Driskell & Friends was shown concurrently with the companion exhibition Kindred Spirits: Intergenerational Forms of Expression, 1966–1999, which explored the legacy and influence of Fisk University’s Art Department, which Driskell led from 1966 to 1976.
New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations
October 10, 2025–January 4, 2026
New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations highlighted the stories of four contemporary masquerade artists, their motivations, artistic choices, and the patronage and economic networks with which they engage. Through the presentation of works of Chief Ekpenyong Bassey Nsa (Nigeria), David Sanou (Burkina Faso), Sheku “Goldenfinger” Fofanah (Sierra Leone), and Hervé Youmbi (Cameroon), the exhibition offered fresh research models for contemporary masquerade, bringing to the fore issues relating to ownership and research ethics.
Paul McCartney Photographs 1963–64: Eyes of the Storm
November 6, 2025–January 26, 2026
Organized by the National Portrait Gallery, London, this exhibition presented selections from an extraordinary archive of recently discovered photographs taken by Paul McCartney between December 1963 and February 1964. Over the course of these three short months, The Beatles—Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr—were propelled from being the most popular band in Britain to an unprecedented international cultural phenomenon.
Photography by John Schweikert
