Curator Talk: “The Gift: Emma Amos with Friends”
- Lecture
- Affinity Group
Contemporary Art Society and Friends of African and African American Art Members Only
John C. and Sally S. Morley Family Foundation Lecture Hall
About The Event
The Contemporary Art Society and the Friends of African and African American Art are invited to a lecture followed by a visit to the CMA’s new exhibition The Gift: Emma Amos with Friends.
Emma Amos (American, 1937–2020) was a groundbreaking artist who worked in paint, print, and textiles to celebrate the lives of women, particularly women of color. The Gift: Emma Amos with Friends centers on Amos’s monumental portrait series The Gift (1990–94), recently acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art. Made as a birthday present for her daughter, India, this suite of 48 watercolor portraits, painted from life, depicts women artists, writers, and curators who range in age, race, and degrees of renown. Marking the first time The Gift has been displayed since 2013, the evocative paintings are united in a vast grid whose scale radiates the force of its subjects.
Liebert and Shypula’s lecture explores the behind-the-scenes acquisition history of Emma Amos at the Cleveland Museum of Art, the context for The Gift’s production, and its enduring legacies.
Following the talk, attendees are invited to visit the exhibition with Liebert and Shypula.
This event is for members of the Contemporary Art Society and the Friends of African and African American Art. Eligible members receive an invitation via email.