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Introduction

The Figure

Contemporary Works from the Collection
March 12, 2010 - March 3, 2011

Representing the human figure has been fundamental to art throughout time. Over the course of the 20th century, however, profound social, political, and artistic developments greatly expanded how the human form is rendered in art, liberating it from illusionistic demands for physical likeness. Comprising a range of mediums and approaches, including painting, printmaking, sculpture, video, and needlework, this exhibition explores various themes and issues that guide contemporary artists' approaches to the figure.

Acting as the literal interface between an individual's physical and psychological worlds, the figure has become a powerful vehicle for artists to make their internal realities visible. Some artists use themselves as subject matter while others work with live models, photographs, or personal memory as a starting point. They then employ processes of stylization and embellishment, enlist the universal language of symbols to make their interior worlds tangible to others, and/or reinterpret art history while reflecting the world in which they live. The selection of objects in this exhibition includes a number of recent acquisitions that are being exhibited at the Museum for the first time.

Selected Objects

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Ann Agee

Man in Plaid Jacket with Paper Bag, 1998
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Ann Agee

Woman with Camera and Pink Skirt, 1998
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Nick Cave

Soundsuit, 2006
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Keith Coventry

White Abstract: Wedding Kiss, Charles and Diana, 2001
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Lucky DeBellevue

Untitled, 2004
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Tracey Emin

Tracey Emin by Tracey Emin, 2001 - 2005
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Tom Friedman

Untitled, 2005
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Judy Glantzman

Untitled, 2001
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Cheryl Laemmle

Self-Portrait with Bottle and Cage, 1988
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Sarah McEneaney

Bedroom, 1995
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Alice Neel

Nancy Selvage, 1967
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Allison Newsome

Foxglove Pants, 2005
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Grayson Perry

Map of Nowhere, 2008
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Joyce J. Scott

Spirit Siamese Twins, 2000-2002
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Ryan Trecartin

Take a Stand, 2006
No Image Available

Raquel Paiewonsky

Parida (Birthed), 2001
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Tracey Emin

Bath White II, 2005
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Tracey Emin

Bath White III, 2005
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Daniel Heyman

Untitled, 2006
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Daniel Heyman

Untitled, 2006
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Daniel Heyman

Untitled, 2006
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Daniel Heyman

Untitled, 2006
No Image Available

Peter Campus, video artist

Third Tape, 1976

More objects +

Exhibition Checklist

The Figure : Contemporary Works from the Collection

March 12, 2010 - March 3, 2011
View Checklist PDF

RISD Museum

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