The late American artist Jack Whitten is best known for his abstract paintings but this exhibition focuses on his sculptures. A rarely exhibited aspect of his oeuvre, yet one which occupied him from the early 1960s until the end of his life, Whitten’s sculptures combine carved wood with found materials sourced from the artist’s local environment, whether New York or his summer home on Crete. The works are influenced by the traditional sculpture of societies in Africa, the ancient Mediterranean, and the southern US, addressing themes of migration and of historical and personal memory. Alongside 40 of these sculptures, the exhibition displays 18 of the artist’s paintings and a number of pieces from the Met’s holdings of African, Greek, and American art. Find out more from the Met Breuer’s website.
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Mirsini’s Doll (c. 1975), Jack Whitten. Courtesy the estate of Jack Whitten and Hauser & Wirth; © the estate of Jack Whitten
Jug Head II (1965), Jack Whitten. Courtesy the estate of Jack Whitten and Hauser & Wirth; © the estate of Jack Whitten
Bosom for Aunt Surlina (1985), Jack Whitten. Courtesy the estate of Jack Whitten and Hauser & Wirth; © the estate of Jack Whitten
Black Monolith II (For Ralph Ellison) (1994), Jack Whitten. Courtesy the estate of Jack Whitten and Hauser & Wirth; © the estate of Jack Whitten
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