The Mississippi Museum of Art currently has three noteworthy exhibitions on view, with the famous American painter Robert Henri as the focal point of two. Spanish Sojourns: Robert Henri and the Spirit of Spain, located in the Donna and Jim Barksdale Galleries, includes forty paintings of Henri’s created while living in Spain. Henri’s Spanish portraits reveal inspiration from Diego Velázquez and Francisco Goya.
Robert Henri and Spain, Face to Face. An Exhibition about Connoisseurship, Conservation, and Context, located in the William B. and Isabel R. McCarty Foundation Gallery, presents works by Robert Henri and his influences: El Greco, Ribera, Manet, Cassatt, and Sargent. Both Robert Henri exhibitions will be on view through January 4, 2015.
Also at the MMA from November 1 – January 25, 2015, is the 2014 Mississippi Invitational, located in the Donna and Jim Barksdale Galleries. The ninth biennial showcases recent creations by artists living and working across the state of Mississippi, displaying a diverse array of media. Curator Carla Hanzal, made the selections for the exhibition illustrating diversity in thought and production from a variety of artisans.
Exhibitions at The University of Southern Mississippi’s Gallery of Art and Design located in Hattiesburg, MS, include Literary Effigies and Blues Portraits: Woodcuts by Charles Jones (October 28 to November 12) and John Mark Lawler: Pilgrimage to Santiago (January 22 – February 18).The University of Mississippi’s Gallery 130 in Meek Hall, Oxford, MS, hosted What Boys Paint with paintings by Mississippi native William Dunlap (October 13 – November 7). Dunlap’s work mixes nature with man-made, and beauty with isolation while focusing on a masculine juxtaposition of both.
A solo exhibition featuring work by David Thompson, titled Creative Director – Memphis Grizzlies (November 6 – December 1) closed today at Delta State University’s Fielding Wright Art Center Gallery, located in Cleveland, MS. Thompson is Director of Creative Services for the Memphis Grizzlies and FED-EXForum (and Graphic Designer for Number: Inc). Also at the Wright Gallery on DSU’s campus (January 22 –February 27, 2015) is a solo exhibition titled Asa Sawa, Reflections on Ghana by acclaimed Furniture Designer Chris Martin. Martin’s new body of work was inspired by his time in Ghana while a member of the Peace Corps.
–Michael Stanley is an Assistant Professor of Art at Delta State University and serves on the board of Number: Inc.