Past Exhibitions

Blood at the Root

Oct 1–Nov 1, 2020
Blood at the Root is an immersive outdoor installation created by Nashville artists EXO:DUS (Elisheba Israel Mrozik and Aaron Mrozik) that explores how implicit bias can develop over time within families. The work will be on view in the Frist’s Turner Courtyard on Thursdays through Sundays through November 1, 2020, and is free to the public. Read More

Mel Ziegler: Flag Exchange

Mar 13–Oct 12, 2020
Flag Exchange is an installation of fifty American flags—one from each state—suspended row after row from the ceiling and surrounding a stage where museum visitors and special guests are invited to speak or present performances relating to the meaning of the flag in their own lives. The flags themselves symbolize a nation that has survived tumult and stress. Read More

Jitish Kallat: Return to Sender

Mar 13–Oct 12, 2020
Jitish Kallat’s solo exhibition at the Frist Art Museum brings together two distinctly different types of correspondence that collectively provoke a reflection on our world. Continuing his interest in the epistolary mode, Kallat will exhibit a new project titled Covering Letter (terranum nuncius) (2019) alongside his widely exhibited Covering… Read More

Teens Take the Frist!

Jul 16–Sep 13, 2020
Prompted by our vision of inspiring people through art to look at their world in new ways, the Frist Art Museum invited teens to submit their artwork for this second edition of Teens Take the Frist! The resulting selection features more than fifty artworks in a variety of mediums, created by emerging… Read More

J.M.W. Turner:
Quest for the Sublime

Feb 20–Sep 7, 2020
One of England’s greatest artists, Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775–1851) was a leading figure in the Romantic movement of the late 18th- through mid-19th centuries, which arose in response to the Enlightenment emphasis on reason over emotion. For Turner, psychological expression and the liberation of the imagination were of paramount… Read More

The Nashville Flood:
Ten Years Later

Jan 10–Jul 26, 2020
On Saturday, May 1, and Sunday, May 2, 2010, a record-breaking rainfall of over thirteen inches caused major flooding throughout Middle Tennessee. The Cumberland River crested almost twelve feet above flood stage, and smaller waterways such as Browns Creek, Mill Creek, Richland Creek, Whites Creek, and the Harpeth River also… Read More

Eric Carle’s Picture Books: Celebrating 50 Years of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”

Oct 18, 2019–Feb 23, 2020
Eric Carle (b. 1929) is one of the most acclaimed and beloved illustrators of our time. The creator of more than 70 books, Carle combines winsome stories and colorful forms that appeal to young readers and adults alike. His signature artistic technique is collage, made by hand-painting many sheets… Read More

Multi-District School Art Show

Jan 25–Feb 9, 2020
The 2020 Multi-District School Art Show will feature artwork created by students at over thirty schools in four Tennessee school districts. More than three hundred young artists from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade will be included in this exhibition. Elementary and middle school art teachers will select two works per… Read More

OSGEMEOS: In between

Sep 27, 2019–Jan 12, 2020
OSGEMEOS: In between is an exhibition of sculptures and paintings by the Brazilian artist duo internationally celebrated for their vivid and playful public murals and studio work. The identical twin brothers Gustavo and Otavio Pandolfo—OSGEMEOS (the artists’ nom de plume; Portuguese for “the twins”)—create imagery that blends wide-ranging influences,… Read More

Hearts of Our People:
Native Women Artists

Sep 27, 2019–Jan 12, 2020
Women have long been the creative force behind Native American art; however, Hearts of Our People is the first major exhibition devoted solely to their work. This groundbreaking and comprehensive project features more than 115 objects—including traditional textiles, baskets, beadwork, and pottery, as well as painting, sculpture, video, and… Read More