SFMoMA Museum of Modern Art

William Kentridge

14 Mar - 31 May 2009

© William Kentridge
Drawing for II Sole 24 Ore (World Walking), 2007
Charcoal, gouache, pastel, and colored pencil on paper
Collection of Doris and Donald Fisher;
photo: courtesy Marian Goodman Gallery, New York
WILLIAM KENTRIDGE
"Five Themes"

March 14 - May 31, 2009

Combining the political with the poetic, William Kentridge's work has made an indelible mark on the contemporary art scene. Dealing with subjects as sobering as apartheid and colonialism, Kentridge often imbues his art with dreamy, lyrical undertones or comedic bits of self-deprecation, making his powerful messages both alluring and ambivalent. Perhaps best known for his stop-motion films of charcoal drawings, the internationally renowned South African artist also works in etching, collage, sculpture, and the performing arts, opera in particular. This exhibition explores five primary themes that have engaged Kentridge over the last three decades through a comprehensive selection of his work from the 1980s to the present. Concentrating on his most recent production and including many pieces that have not been seen in the United States, the exhibition reveals as never before the full arc of his distinguished career. Acknowledging the profound significance of the theater in Kentridge's work, SFMOMA will present his restaging of Monteverdi's opera The Return of Ulysses in conjunction with the exhibition.
 

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