Selections from the Permanent Collection

The Modern maintains one of the foremost collections of modern and contemporary international art in the central United States. Various movements, themes, and styles are represented, including Abstract Expressionism, Color Field painting, Pop art, and Minimalism, as well as aspects of New Image Painting from the 1970s and beyond, recent developments in abstraction and figurative sculpture, and contemporary movements in photography, video, and digital imagery.

NOTE: The first-floor galleries will be closed August 4 through August 21.

FOCUS: Yinka Shonibare MBE

British/Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare MBE explores colonialism and the intricate ways in which it has shaped, and continues to shape, cultural identities. He is well known for his life-size sculptural tableaux featuring staged, headless mannequins dressed in elaborate period garments. In these works, the materials and designs of the original clothing are replaced with batik, a colorful and ornately patterned fabric.

Adam Palmer and Jessica Fuentes

Two sessions of this free program are offered, one for ages 5 to 8 and one for ages 9 to 12. Each session is led by an artist who takes participants through informal drawing exercises in relation to works in the Modern’s galleries. Children under the age of 6 must be accompanied by an adult during the program. Bring a sketchbook and pencils. Attendance is limited, so early arrival is encouraged. A sign-up sheet is located at the information desk. 2-3:30 pm

URBAN THEATER: NEW YORK ART IN THE 1980s

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth presents URBAN THEATER: NEW YORK ART IN THE 1980s. Vibrant, vital, and discordant, the New York art scene of the 1980s gave rise to some of the contemporary art world’s most recognizable features. As the artists who emerged in that decade now set records at auction, the era is ripe to be reexamined. Representing in turns a cool irony, reflections on media culture, consumerism, cartoons, and street art, the work collected here re-creates the tense energy of a grittier New York.

FOCUS: Gary Simmons

New York-based artist Gary Simmons is known for his “erasure” technique, which he began using in the early 1990s. Initially creating semi-erased works with chalk on blackboards, the artist has evolved to works on paper, paint on canvas, and murals that mimic smudged chalk. The resulting blurred and ghostly images often refer to intersections of pop culture, race, and class.

The Comedy of Errors

In William Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, two sets of twins separated at birth collide in the same city without meeting for one crazy day, as multiple mistaken identities lead to confusion on a grand scale. Consistently recognized by strangers, the visitors question their very selves as the turmoil escalates. Director Dominic Cooke stages this furiously paced comedy in a contemporary world.

She Stoops to Conquer

Hardcastle, a man of substance, looks forward to acquainting his daughter with his old pal’s son with a view to marriage. But thanks to playboy Lumpkin, he’s mistaken by his prospective son-in-law, Marlow, for an innkeeper, his daughter for the local barmaid. The good news is, while Marlow can barely speak to a woman of quality he’s a charmer with those of a different stamp. And so, as Hardcastle’s indignation intensifies, Miss Hardcastle’s appreciation for her misguided suitor soars. Misdemeanors multiply, love blossoms, mayhem ensues.