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The following exhibitions are planned in upcoming months at the Hood Museum of Art. Please note that dates and descriptions are subject to change.
January 19 through March 15, 2010
In the century and a half before the advent of photomechanical reproductions in the mid-1800s, mezzotints were the favored medium for publicizing English paintings. Compared to traditional printmaking techniques, such as engraving and etching, the new tonal method was praised by contemporaries for its ability to represent the painterly qualities of light and shadow. Although generations of artist had used prints to heighten awareness of their designs, the establishment of regular public exhibitions in London in the second half of the eighteenth century significantly increased the demand for inexpensive and widely available editions of fashionable pictures. Many painters embraced the picturesque appearance of mezzotints, including Reynolds, Turner, and Constable.
April 10 through June 20, 2010
Susan Meiselas, best known for her work covering the political upheavals in Central America in the 1970s and 80s, is one of the most socially engaged photographers of our time. Her insistent engagement with questions about her relationship to her subjects and the use of her work in the media has positioned her as a leading voice in the debate over the function and practice of contemporary documentary photography. The exhibition is structured around three key projects: photographs and audio of New England carnival strippers (1972-76); photographs, films, and public installations from Nicaragua (1978-2004); and photographs and collected archival objects and video from Kurdistan (1991-present).
July 10 through September 19, 2010
The exhibition showcases original vintage images of the greatest stars working during the golden age of the American film industry (1920-1960). They were taken by the most important photographers working to support the Hollywood studio system, and feature portraits of Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Gloria Swanson, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, and many other film celebrities. The glossy platinum- and silver-print photographs bring back the icons of a bygone era that captivated generations of movie audiences.
John Kobal was a pioneer Hollywood historian, and one of the first to examine seriously the photographs taken to promote the stars and their films. The exhibition has been drawn from the extraordinary archive of the London-based John Kobal Foundation, created in 1990 at the time of the collector’s death.
October 9, 2010, through March 14, 2011
October 9 through December 19, 2010
This exhibition showcases the Hood Museum of Art’s acquisition of the important Mark Lansburgh, Dartmouth Class of 1949, Collection of Native American ledger drawings. Dating from the 1870s-80s, these extremely rare drawings reflect the distinctive artistic sensibilities of a variety of Plains cultures. The drawings are filled with details of traditional lifestyles, clothing, and practices and dramatic scenes depicting the most important figures and events in the Native struggles to retain land, resources, and cultural freedom. Made at a time when conflicts between Natives and non-Natives transformed life on the Great Plains and decimated the Native populations, these drawings provide a vital interpretation of this tumultuous period through the eyes of Plains warriors and leaders.
