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CINCINNATI— From sparkling jewelry of the 1960s and 1970s to photographs from the Kamoinge Workshop and a period room installation, the Cincinnati Art Museum offers a rich lineup of special exhibitions and events beginning this October.

General admission to the museum is free. Some special exhibitions are ticketed. Cincinnati Art Museum members receive free admission to all ticketed special exhibitions as well as additional benefits. The following schedule is subject to change and more events will be added. Visit cincinnatiartmuseum.org for the latest information and for programming information.

Simply Brilliant: Artist-Jewelers of the 1960s and 1970s

October 22, 2021–February 6, 2022

This exhibition of approximately 120 pieces represents a single collector’s interest and explores the international renaissance in fine jewelry in the 1960s and ‘70s. Drawn from one of the most important private collections in the world, assembled by Cincinnatian Kimberly Klosterman, this exhibition features the work of independent jewelers such as Andrew Grima, Gilbert Albert, Arthur King, Jean Vendome, Barbara Anton along with work created for Bulgari, Cartier, Boucheron and other major houses.

Organized by the Cincinnati Art Museum

Free admission

Kara Walker: Cut to the Quick

From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation

November 5, 2021–January 16, 2022

Among the most complex and prolific American artists of her generation, Kara Walker has gained national and international recognition for her cut-paper silhouettes depicting historical narratives haunted by sexuality, violence, and subjugation. Her work leads viewers to a critical understanding of the past while also proposing an examination of contemporary racial and gender stereotypes.

This exhibition features more than 80 works created between 1994 and 2019 that offer a broad overview of the artist’s career. The exhibition demonstrates the artist’s facility in diverse media from her early large-scale cut-outs to prints, drawings, paintings, book arts, sculpture, and film.

Ticketed. Free for members.

Ancient Middle East gallery reopens to the public [permanent collection addition]

December 18, 2021

The reinstallation of the Ancient Middle East gallery focused on the strength of the museum’s permanent collection and created a strong visual record of the region’s approach to art and innovation. This approach represents the complex political, religious, economic, and cultural connections between the network of empires and city-states of the ancient Near East. The objects and architectural material in our Near Eastern collection are indicative of centuries of military conquests and cultural exchange that occurred between these vast civilizations and are formative in our understanding of how the region developed. Architectural changes include the addition of LED lighting, new flooring, and casework. In addition, new windows allow for more natural light and provide a spectacular view of both the front-facing grounds and interior Alice Bimel Courtyard. Adjacent Islamic galleries and area surrounding the much-loved Mihrab (prayer niche, 1971.59) have also been refreshed with updated lighting and casework providing a clearer view of the treasures within.

Free admission

Working Together: The Photographs of the Kamoinge Workshop

February 25–May 15, 2022

Working Together is the first major museum exhibition about the groundbreaking African American photographers’ collective, the Kamoinge Workshop. More than 150 photographs by fifteen of the group’s early members–Anthony Barboza, Adger Cowans, Danny Dawson, Roy DeCarava, Louis Draper, Al Fennar, Ray Francis, Herman Howard, Jimmie Mannas Jr., Herb Randall, Herb Robinson, Beuford Smith, Ming Smith, Shawn Walker, and Calvin Wilson—form a significant and overdue appreciation of Kamoinge’s layered and expansive history.

Organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts  

Ticketed. Free for members.

David Driskell: Icons of Nature and History

February 25–May 15, 2022

David Driskell (1931–2020) was one of the most revered American artists of his generation. His vibrant paintings, prints and collages combine keen observations of America with the imagery and aesthetic innovations of the African diaspora. This exhibition surveys his versatile art practice from the 1950s forward and explores his thematic concerns, from the solace of nature to the tumult of the 1960s and his search for identity through African images and forms. Driskell was not only an artist but an influential educators and scholar. Through both his art and his advocacy on behalf of Black artists, he made vital contributions to art history.

Co-organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, and the Portland Museum of Art, Maine

Ticketed. Free for members.

One Each: Still Lifes by Cézanne, Pissarro and Friends

March 11–May 8, 2022

This exhibition features paintings by five young French artists who, in the 1860s, used the still life genre to experiment with new techniques and pictorial aims in painting. In these years, Paul Cézanne, Camille Pissarro, Édouard Manet, Frédéric Bazille, and Claude Monet were modernizing painting, creating a style—Impressionism—that would polarize the art world and have a profound impact on art to come. These five paintings combine familiar subjects from the kitchen counter and dinner table—a glass of wine, freshly-caught fish, a loaf of bread, lemons—with revolutionary artistic intent. The artists’ methods of making are put boldly on view—broad and emphatic brushwork, paint sculpted on the canvas. The Impressionists termed this audacious rebalancing of priorities and values in an artwork “sincerity.” 

Co-organized by the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Toledo Museum of Art

Free admission

Project in development: original 2022 exhibition with Cincinnati-based Paloozanoire

March 25–June 19, 2022

Art in Bloom [special event]

May 13–15, 2022

Art in Bloom returns this spring with floral interpretations of fine art, special events, family-friendly activities, docent-led tours and demonstrations by curators and floral arrangers.

Ticketed. Free for members.

Henry Mosler Behind the Scenes: In Celebration of the Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial

June 10–September 4, 2022

Henry Mosler (1841–1920) achieved an international reputation in the late nineteenth century for narrative paintings rich in detail. Born in Prussia to a Jewish family that settled in Cincinnati, the artist won success at the Salon exhibitions in Paris for paintings depicting the rituals of daily life in Brittany. Drawn from the extensive collection of the artist’s work at the Cincinnati Art Museum, with a few select loans, this exhibition relates Mosler’s journey and takes a close look at how he developed his paintings through studies across media.

Organized by the Cincinnati Art Museum

Free admission

Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom by Joseph Urban

July 8–October 2, 2022

This exhibition unlocks new scholarship on this rare interior and the significant contributions of Joseph Urban to the development of American modern design. It also investigates the messaging conveyed by consumers when choosing modernism and the changing roles for women in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In addition to the bedroom, paintings, works on paper, costumes and related furnishings flesh out this exploration of Joseph Urban, the Wormser bedroom and the era. Behind-the-scenes investigations and processes necessary to reintroduce the room to the public are also featured.

Organized by the Cincinnati Art Museum

Ticketed. Free for members.

About the Cincinnati Art Museum

The Cincinnati Art Museum is supported by the generosity of individuals and businesses that give annually to ArtsWave. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund the Cincinnati Art Museum with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. The Cincinnati Art Museum gratefully acknowledges operating support from the City of Cincinnati, as well as our members.

Free general admission to the Cincinnati Art Museum is made possible by a gift from the Rosenthal Family Foundation. Special exhibition pricing may vary. Parking at the Cincinnati Art Museum is free. cincinnatiartmusem.org

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