Tom Burr / MATRIX 182

Hinged Figures

June 6 – September 8, 2019

Photo Mapplethorpe Chicks by Tom Burr

Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, Tom Burr / MATRIX 182 / Hinged Figures features a selection of the artist’s reclining figures that often make reference to notable individuals from queer history and Modernism. The Wadsworth’s prominent role in the history of Modernism is directly addressed in several portrait subjects, including Chick Austin, Gertrude Stein, and Virgil Thomson. Burr began the series in 2005, and this MATRIX presentation constitutes the largest assemblage of the reclining figures in a museum exhibition to date. The sculptures will be shown in dialogue with specific artists and architectural spaces, including the Wadsworth’s dedicated MATRIX Gallery, throughout the museum, and at the Austin House.

Please note: The Austin House is located two miles from the Wadsworth Atheneum and has limited hours. Reservations are required. Click here for more information.

PUBLIC PROGRAMS

June 6 | Artist Talk with Tom Burr
June 13, 15, 17 | Guided Visits of the Austin House
August 8, 17, 22 | Guided Visits of the Austin House
August 21 | Art In Focus
August 29 | Gallery Talk with curator Patricia Hickson

 

Inaugurated in 1975, MATRIX is the Wadsworth’s groundbreaking contemporary art exhibition series featuring works by artists from around the world. Many MATRIX artists, such as Christo, Sol LeWitt, Gerhard Richter, Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol, and Carrie Mae Weems are now considered seminal figures in contemporary art.

MATRIX 182 is supported by the Howard Fromson Exhbition Fund.
The MATRIX program is generously supported by the Wadsworth Atheneum’s Contemporary Coalition.

Sustaining support for the Wadsworth Atheneum provided by Newman's Own Foundation and the Greater Hartford Arts Council's United Arts Campaign.

Sustaining support for the Wadsworth Atheneum provided by Newman’s Own Foundation and the Greater Hartford Arts Council’s United Arts Campaign. 

 

Images: Tom Burr, Chicks (detail), 2008. Plywood, wool balusters, vintage 1970s Chanel dress, vintage turntable, record and album cover of Four Saints in Three Acts by Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein. Private collection. © Tom Burr. Courtesy of SculptureCenter, New York; Tom Burr, One foot in the grave (reclining), 2010. Natural wood, hinges, postcard, soil. © Tom Burr. Courtesy of the artist and Bortolami, New York.