Yasumasa Morimura (Japanese, born 1951), Self-portrait as a Prodigal Son, 1994, Chromogenic print on canvas, 67 ¾ x 54 1/3, Friends of Art Acquisition Fund, 2026.6 © Yasumasa Morimura
Saturday, June 6, through Sunday, September 20
Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA
Bringing together contemporary artists responding to the themes and aesthetics explored in the Davenport venue's concurrent exhibition The Golden Age: Featuring Northern European Works from the National Gallery of Art, the Figge Art Museum's A Golden Age for Whom? will be on display June 6 through September 20, the two exhibitions' adjoining galleries allowing visitors to move directly between historic works and contemporary responses.
The exhibition aims to foster a richer conversation about how Renaissance and Baroque styles and narratives continue to shape artists today, while also highlighting the ways contemporary artists critically engage with the histories, power structures, and inequities embedded in early modern patronage and society. A Golden Age for Whom? will feature both loans and works from the Figge’s collection, including pieces by Beth Lipman, Oliver Okolo, Yasumasa Morimura, Fabiola Jean-Louis, and others.
In the Figge's adjoining Golden Age exhibit, its loaned works date from 1537 to 1700, and include examples by leading artists Lucas Cranach the Elder, Anthony van Dyck, Frans Hals, and Louis Vallée. The Figge's own Northern European paintings will be paired with National Gallery works in four thematic sections: Portraiture, History, Still Life, and Genre Scenes. The Figge’s partnership with the National Gallery of Art makes it possible to share extraordinary works – typically seen only in major metropolitan centers like Chicago, New York, or Washington, D.C.
“We’re thrilled to bring these masterworks to the Quad Cities as part of the National Gallery of Art’s ‘Across the Nation’ initiative,” said Melissa Mohr, Executive Director & CEO of the Figge Art Museum. “It’s not every day that paintings by Van Dyck or Cranach make their way to our community, and for many here, this may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience them in person. This exhibition is a powerful reflection of the Figge’s mission to bring world-class art to our community and deepen the cultural life of the Quad Cities.”
A Golden Age for Whom? will be on view in the Davenport museum's Gildehaus Gallery from June 6 through September 20, with regular museum hours 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays (10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays) and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Museum admission is $8-14, and more information is available by calling (563)326-7804 and visiting FiggeArtMuseum.org.
