The Figge Art Museum exhibit Paper Trail: A Decade of Acquisitions from the Walker Art Center (running through January 3) is "a very significant show" from "one of the premier contemporary-art museums in the United States," said Figge Executive Director Sean O'Harrow.

But it's clear that O'Harrow's interest in bringing the show here is not limited to its importance. After accessible exhibits featuring duck decoys and the work of John Bloom, O'Harrow is not shy about provoking people with Paper Trail: "This show is really meant to push people further to the other extreme. ... This show is really meant to push our audience. ... We as an institution have to do this."

Some content is politically aggressive, while other works will baffle audiences. One piece, for example, instructs its audience to put a provided sweater on in a certain way. And Laylah Ali's two untitled drawings will certainly prompt plenty to claim that their children could do that. Many people will love the show, O'Harrow said, and many will hate it.

A retrospective featuring the work of roughly 20 artists, Paper Trail was not meant as a traveling exhibition, but O'Harrow convinced the Minneapolis museum to let a scaled-down version come to the Quad Cities - at this point, its only destination.

Students, he said, "can see every big name [in the art world] in the last 20 years." For a lay audience, the biggest name is Raymond Pettibon, who provided the cover art for Sonic Youth's 1990 album Goo.

For more information about the Figge exhibit, click here.

Click on any image for a larger version.

Laylah Ali, 'Untitled'

Paul Chan, 'Worldwide Trash (thanks for nothing Hegel)'

Chuck Close, 'Self-Portrait/Woodcut'

Santiago Cucullu, 'Architectonic vs. H.R.'

Amy Cutler, 'Hen House'

Thomas Hirschhorn, 'Body Mass Index B.M.I.'

Glenn Ligon, 'Self Portrait at Eleven Years Old'

Rivane Neuenschwander, 'Carta Faminta (Starving Letter)'

Raymond Pettibon, 'No title (He allowed her)'

Sigmar Polke, 'Experimente I-IV (Experiment I-IV)'

Edward Ruscha, 'Country Cityscape'

Piotr Uklanski, 'Summer Love Saddle Bag'

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