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
Thursday, August 27, 6 p.m.
Figge Art Museum, 225 West Second Street, Davenport IA
On August 27, Figge Art Museum Co-Senior Curator Joshua Johnson will lead a special tour in the Music & Makers Night event Golden Age for Whom?, the exhibition of the title designed to bring together contemporary artists who respond 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.
A Golden Age for Whom? 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 who reimagine historical styles and imagery in thought-provoking ways.
The exhibit puts contemporary artworks in conversation with historic masterpieces to explore how art from the Renaissance and Baroque periods still influences artists today. A Golden Age for Whom? also examines larger questions connected to these works, including who held power, who was represented in art, and whose stories were often left out during that time in history.
By connecting contemporary perspectives with historic works, A Golden Age for Whom? encourages visitors to think about whose stories have traditionally been highlighted in museums and whose voices may have been overlooked. Figge Co-Senior Curator Joshua Johnson stated, “While The Golden Age celebrates extraordinary artistic achievement, A Golden Age for Whom? invites visitors to think more critically about the inequities and social structures tied to the creation of Renaissance and Baroque art, and the ways those histories continue to shape our world today.”
The Music & Makers Night event Golden Age for Whom? begins with Johnson's exhibit tour at 6 p.m., and the evening also features live music with Mo & Alex in the Figge Café and hands-on art making activities available throughout the night. Participation in the event is free, A Golden Age for Whom? will be on view in the Davenport museum's Gildehaus Gallery through September 20, and more information is available by calling (563)326-7804 and visiting FiggeArtMuseum.org.
