Image: John Lawrence Doyle, American, b. 1939. Story Book War from the portfolio Sharpshooters 76, 1975. Lithograph, edition 54/76, 29 1/2 x 41 3/4 in (74.9 x 106 cm). The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia. Gift of Richard A. Brodie, class of 1978, 1978.43.3. © Estate of John Lawrence Doyle.
In response to The Inside World: Contemporary Aboriginal Australian Memorial Poles, this exhibition highlights works in The Fralin’s permanent collection in which twentieth and twenty-first century artists have tackled history and the challenges of collective memory. Figures of Memory examines the ways in which artists have depicted, referenced, and even toyed with the remembrance of things past. These works probe the nature of commemoration, questioning the selectivity of collective memory. This exhibition also explores the relevance of the artists’ chosen subjects for issues in their contemporary moment, underscoring the influence of the present upon our understanding of the past.
The Fralin Museum of Art’s programming is made possible through generous support of The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation. We also wish to thank our in-kind donors: WTJU 91.1 FM and Ivy Publications LLC’s Charlottesville Welcome Book.