Mastry

Kerry James Marshall: Mastry was the first major museum retrospective of the artist’s work. Following its debut at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA Chicago) from April 23 – September 25, 2016, the show was on display at the Met Breuer in New York from October 25, 2016–January 29, 2017. The exhibition was presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles (MOCA Los Angeles) through July 3, 2017.

Lori Waxman reviewed the exhibition in the Chicago Tribune stating: "What else to call Kerry James Marshall? Master, just like the title says." In a profile in The New York Times on the occasion of the Met Breuer presentation of the exhibition, Holland Cotter described the artist as "one of the great history painters of our time"; Marshall is the subject of an article by Barbara Isenberg in The Los Angeles Times.

Mastry featured works spanning 35 years of Marshall's career. The exhibition consisted of nearly 70 paintings, along with a selection of drawings, and works of related media such as photography, video, and sculpture. Organized in a broadly chronological order, it considered the dominant themes in the artist's practice, including history painting, landscape, portraiture, the nude, religion, and abstraction. These thematic concerns revolve around the interrogation of Western art history, which is central to Marshall's practice.

Skira Rizzoli published a monograph to accompany the exhibition. The book features reproductions of more than 100 works, texts by the exhibition's curators and noted scholars, and essays by Marshall himself.

Explore MCA Chicago's microsite for the exhibition, which highlights significant art historical works in relation to works by Kerry James Marshall.