The Tragic Muse: Art and Emotion, 1700–1900

February 10 – June 5, 2011

From the sacrifice of classical heroines to the grief of ordinary people, the Smart Museum of Art's newest exhibition investigates art's power to express and elicit intense emotions.

Examining two centuries of European works filled with darker emotions, The Tragic Muse explores the ways in which the visual representation of tragedy—as well as art's cathartic power over new generations of viewers—has changed dramatically over time. The exhibition combines works from the Smart's collection with loans from national and international museums and features paintings, sculptures, and prints by artists including Edward Burne-Jones, Henry Fuseli, Édouard Manet, Anna Lea Merritt, Edvard Munch, Pablo Picasso, Richard Redgrave, Auguste Rodin, George Romney, and Benjamin West.

Opening reception

Thursday, February 10, 5:30–7:30 pm
Join curator Anne Leonard for the lecture "What They Saw, What We Feel: High Emotion in Old Master Art" followed by a free reception celebrating the opening of The Tragic Muse.

For a full list of related programs, including lectures, hands-on workshops, performances, and more, see the sidebar or visit smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/calendar.