Siah Armajani
American, born Iran 1939
Mississippi Delta, 2005-2006
Colored pencil on Mylar; triptych
Gift of Siah Armajani 2010.100a-c

Drawings for the New Century

Saturday, March 19, 2011—Sunday, September 11, 2011
Gallery 263
Free Exhibition

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts has actively collected drawings for nearly a century, acquiring works of outstanding quality by many of the world's most prominent artists. Expanding on this curatorial imperative, the Department of Prints and Drawings has in recent years redoubled its efforts to collect important contemporary drawings by both established and emerging artists.

This exhibition presents a selection of sixteen drawings produced during the past decade, including a number of key recent acquisitions. Highlights include a monumental three-panel color pencil drawing by Iranian-American artist Siah Armajani made in response to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; innovative figural works by Mequitta Ahuja, Nicola Hicks, Stacey Davidson, and Cynthia Lin; and masterlful drawings by Christopher Cook, Charles Gaines, and May Stevens.

Complementing the selection are several drawings on loan from local private collections, including a dazzling large-format pastel abstraction by Irish-American artist Sean Scully, an intricate silver pencil drawing on black paper by Lee Bonticou, and a delicate figure drawing by Chloe Piene.