Presented by: The Joe Orgill Family Fund for Exhibitions

Organized by: The Mint Museum

Under Construction investigates the dynamic medium of collage. Although this artistic technique, in which materials are cut, torn, and layered to create new meanings and narratives, gained acclaim in the early twentieth century through the groundbreaking work of such artists as Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Kurt Schwitters, and Jean Arp, it experienced a renaissance (particularly in America) after World War II. African American artist Romare Bearden is widely credited with rejuvenating and reinvigorating the technique. His work serves as the point of departure for this fascinating exhibition.

Featuring more than thirty international artists, Under Construction explores the growth of the collage technique and aesthetic in the work of Bearden and his colleagues from the 1950s to the present. It includes numerous works by Bearden, as well as examples by such notable artists as Tim Rollins and K.O.S., Sam Gilliam, Howardena Pindell, Robert Rauschenberg, and James Rosenquist. The impact of the collage aesthetic in the fields of painting, printmaking, photography, and assemblage work is considered as well.

Sponsored by: Preston Dorsett | Nancy and Steve Morrow | Gwen and Penn Owen | Chris and Dan Richards | Trish and Carl Ring | Barbara and Lewis Williamson | Ann M. Mullis