Orlando Museum of Art

Life Stories: American Portraits Past and Present

The artist’s task in creating an exceptional portrait must be more than rendering an accurate likeness of the subject. The artist must find a story to tell about the subject and make that story compelling. Formal portraits typically focus on the public aspects of an individual’s life, such as their position in a family or society or their celebrated accomplishments and honors. Portraits can also be informal, revealing aspects of the sitter’s private interests, friendships and emotional life. Life Stories: American Portraits Past and Present features paintings, photographs and sculpture spanning a period of over two hundred years. The exhibition explores how styles and purposes of portraiture have changed over time, reflecting changing social values and the shift of emphasis from ...

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Common Ground: Art of the American Landscape

The landscape has been a subject of enduring interest for American artists. Common Ground: Art of the American Landscape brings together paintings and sculptures by artists from the mid-19th century to the present and explores themes that have continued to interest artists over time. These shared themes include documenting celebrated landmarks associated with America’s national identity such as the Hudson River and Rocky Mountains, the use of light and atmosphere to convey ideas about spirituality and the transcendent qualities of nature, and the impact of the development and use of natural resources as seen in the paintings of the Hudson River School and works by contemporary artists. The exhibition includes paintings by George Inness, Thomas Moran, Georgia O’Keeffe, April Gornik, Joseph ...

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The OMA has been collecting contemporary American art for more than 30 years. A hallmark of contemporary art of the past three decades is its diversity and acceptance of varied approaches to creating art. Today artists employ a wide range of expressive strategies in creating their work. Modes of expression can include representational imagery, pure abstraction or elements of both. Additionally, artists often borrow styles and imagery from art of the past, other cultures and popular media. Among the artists who will be represented in this exhibition are Ursula von Rydingsvard, John Chamberlain, Frank Moore, Therman Statom, Chuck Close and Howardena Pindell....

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Aztec to Zapotec: Selections from the Ancient Americas Collection features more than 180 works made prior to the arrival of Christopher Columbus and the Europeans during the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Representing a time period of more than 3,000 years, the exhibition is drawn from the OMA’s comprehensive Art of the Ancient Americas Collection and gives a rare glimpse into the life and culture of numerous civilizations from the North, Central and South American regions. Significant ancient works of gold, silver, jade, ceramic, shell and wood are included from the cultures of the Aztec, Maya, Moche, Nasca, Inca and Zapotec....

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Living in Style: African Art of Everyday Life from the Collection of William D. and Norma Canelas Roth

Living in Style presents beautifully crafted functional objects created by both men and women from traditional African societies throughout the continent. These objects are primarily personal and household items used in everyday life. Included are domestic implements, containers, furniture, weapons, jewelry and apparel. These objects were made to fulfill a useful purpose, but they were also created to be expressive works of art and treasured possessions. As works of art they communicate important cultural ideas within each society through their form, decoration and aesthetic quality. These ideas affirm shared values about social relationships, civic organization and spiritual beliefs. By enhancing these utilitarian objects with aesthetic and cultural meaning, they become ...

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Picturing My Florida: A Grassroots Portrait of the Sunshine State

Picturing My Florida is a companion exhibition to Reflections: Paintings of Florida 1865-1965 from the Collection of Cici and Hyatt Brown. While Reflections presents historic paintings depicting Florida as a land of unspoiled natural beauty and quaint small town life, Picturing My Florida explores the transformed visual environment of Florida today. Picturing My Florida began as an online exhibition of photographs that were taken by amateur and professional photographers and posted on the Orlando Museum of Art’s Facebook page. The general public voted or “liked” the photographs and those that acquired the most votes were selected to be in this special exhibition. These photographs vary in subject matter and include Florida's cities, attractions, hometowns and neighborhoods, as well ...

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Reflections: Paintings of Florida 1865-1965 From the Collection of Hyatt and Cici Brown demonstrates the importance of Florida as a location where artists drew inspiration over a sustained period. Dubbed the “Florida School,” these artists - like the painters associated with other unique geographic regions - make us aware that America’s core identity is closely linked to its landscape and social history. These paintings of old Florida comprise an essential part of our nation’s artistic heritage....

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American photographer Jonpaul Douglass, whose fascination with the beauty and mystery of everyday life has led him on a journey of constant artistic expression. Douglass’ photographs bend the imagination and leave room for endless narrative possibilities. In the series, Neighbor, he spotlights the uncertain lifestyle of those around him using unique found scenarios and masterful lighting. Over the course of several years, Douglass has often created and sometimes discovered absurd sets, distinctive subjects and a variety of emotions, which has helped to foster the idea that life is an oversized neighborhood of the unknown....

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