THE OUTWIN: AMERICAN PORTRAITURE TODAY

The National Portrait Gallery’s Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition is a triennial event showcasing contemporary American portraiture. This year’s sixth edition features 42 works, selected from over 2,700 entries, that go beyond traditional definitions of portraiture and explore social and political issues. The exhibition includes paintings, photographs, sculptures, performance art, textiles, and video, highlighting the limitless possibilities of contemporary portraiture. The competition is open to both emerging and established artists, and finalists are determined by a panel of jurors including Portrait Gallery staff members and external professionals. The competition is named after Virginia Outwin Boochever, who volunteered as a docent for 19 years and was committed to advancing the art of portraiture. The exhibition invites audiences of all backgrounds to relate to the human experience.

The Stebbins Collection

A Gift for the Morse Museum

The Stebbins Collection: A Gift for the Morse Museum introduces to the public for the first time a previously held private collection of seventy works of art by fifty-three artists. From paintings and sculpture to works on paper, the Stebbins Collection includes American masters from Thomas Moran (1837–1926) and Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902) to Thomas Eakins (1844–1916) and Fidelia Bridges (1834–1923). Assembled over the course of fifty-five years, the Stebbins Collection features artists of both great renown as well as many who have been largely forgotten. On display at the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art

Photo:

Barnard Castle, 1862

Watercolor and gouache on 

blue-green paper by Thomas Moran

George Nock: Breaking Barriers

May 9 – August 20, 2023 The Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Garden will host a retrospective exhibition of George Nock’s artwork, showcasing his bronze sculpture, paintings, and drawings. Nock, a former NFL running back, created depictions of musicians, dancers, athletes, warriors, and animals. His career was cut short by his COVID-19 diagnosis and subsequent passing in 2020. The exhibition will also display maquettes for the recently unveiled sculpture, Barrier Breakers (2020), which honors players involved in the first interracial little league baseball game played in the south. Artwork will be available for purchase, with proceeds benefiting the George & Mary Nock Foundation and the hosting museum.