Since the 1970s, Martin Puryear (American, born 1941) has captivated the public with beautiful and thought-provoking works inspired by global culture, social history, and the natural world. This fall, the High will be the exclusive Southeast venue for the most comprehensive presentation of his career in more than two decades. The exhibition features more than 70 works in a rich variety of materials and mediums, from sculptures in wood, glass, marble, and cast bronze to rarely shown drawings and prints. Critically acclaimed during presentations by its co-organizers, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Cleveland Museum of Art, the exhibition makes its final stop in Atlanta.
Nexus follows Puryear’s explorations of form, material, and process over the past 50 years, ranging from drawings made in Sierra Leone during the artist’s service in the Peace Corps to sculptures featured in Liberty/Libertà, Puryear’s celebrated U.S. Pavilion exhibition at the 2019 Venice Biennale. The exhibition presents a fresh perspective on Puryear’s influential work, illuminating his interest in and involvement with material culture, craft traditions, African American history, and science. It also powerfully reveals the expressive and interpretive potential of his work, which commands attention and reflection through masterful craft, enigmatic form, and quiet poetic beauty.
