On Wednesday afternoon, en route to Kennebunkport, we took a detour to visit the impressive Portland Museum of Art. What a most fortunate decision! The overall museum was wonderful and we were able to experience the incredible David Driskell exhibition, which runs another few weeks. If you needed another compelling reason to visit Maine this summer, here it is…
Born in Eatonton, Georgia, David Driskell (1931–2020) was a revered American artist whose work inspired generations of artists and audiences alike. Icons of Nature and History reveals the artist’s aesthetic inheritances from home, family, the South, and his formative education—at Howard University, Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, and the Catholic University of America—as well as the influence of his sojourns to Europe, Africa, and South America. His artistic evolution is marked by distinctive eras, experiences, and experiments with media. What remains steadfast in his paintings and collages is a commitment to a symbolic form that elevates the mind and the spirit above that which exists in the physical world: these are Driskell’s icons.
Spanning seven decades, this survey of Driskell’s art moves the center of critical art history to Driskell’s arenas: Washington, DC; Talladega, Alabama; Nashville, Tennessee; Hyattsville, Maryland; and Falmouth, Maine. In so doing, it invites us to see American art more comprehensively and to appreciate the contributions of historically Black colleges and universities to this canon. Artists have the vision to see beyond the ordinary, Driskell tells us. Among the many gifts he bequeaths to us is the delight of seeing the world through his eyes, and it is a journey of immeasurable beauty and grace.
Visit portlandmuseum.org/driskell for more information on this exhibition, including engaging video content as well as a virtual tour of the gallery.
Julie L. McGee is the art historian and curator behind this retrospective. She co-curated the 2011 exhibition Creative Spirit: The Art of David C. Driskell for the David C. Driskell Center, University of Maryland, College Park. Her current research is focused on the American-Dutch artist Sam Middleton (1927-2015) and transnational art history. McGee is Associate Professor of Africana Studies and Art History and Director of the Interdisciplinary Humanities Research Center at the University of Delaware.
Are you ready to discover Maine? And keen to explore the cities and culture connections in addition to the breathtaking landscapes? Contact us to start planning your visit!
