True Self: the Search for Identity in Modern and Contemporary Art January 27, 2011

The notion of the "self," the essential quality that makes a person distinct from all others, is a core theme in modern and contemporary art. Its primary formats are the portrait and self-portrait, which focus on the identity and psychology of the model. For the artist, the true self is fluid, not fixed; layered, not clearly evident. The true self is both innate and determined by experience and culture. Never consistent, it is often self-contradictory. 'True Self: The Search for Identity in Modern and Contemporary Art' explores the ways artists have understood and conveyed the essence of the self--through facial expression, body language, dress, and the particulars of setting--in a selection of paintings, sculpture, prints, and photographs. Drawn from MMoCA's permanent collection, the exhibition lists a broad range of artists, including Thomas Hart Benton, Sonja Clark, Chuck Close, John Coplans, Kathe Kollwitz, Alfred Leslie, Diego Rivera, Cindy Sherman, Hollis Sigler, Raphael Soyer, and Ida Wyman.