A new exhibition on view at the Portland Art Museum celebrates the pioneering work of Robert Colescott whose paintings employed humor and satire to “expose the ugly ironies of race in America.” Organized by the Contemporary Arts Center, “Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott” explores the complexities of identity, societal standards of beauty, and the realities of the American Dream while presenting the artist’s evolving style and practice.

The first comprehensive retrospective of Robert Colescott, one of America’s most compelling and provocative artists is on display at the Portland Art Museum in Oregon from February 15 – May 17, 2020.

Bringing together 70 works spanning over 50 years of Colescott’s prolific career, Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott explores the work of an artist who—through vibrant paintings laced with biting satire—confronted issues of race, gender, identity, and the uncomfortable realities of American life in the latter half of the 20th century.

Robert Colescott (1925–2009) established his career in Portland with the support of gallery owner and philanthropist Arlene Schnitzer, then made his mark on the art scene in the 1970s with paintings that deconstructed well-known masterpieces of art history (such as Pablo Picasso’s 1907 Les Demoiselles d’Avignon in the Museum of Modern Art, which Colescott painted in 1985) by black-facing some of the female figures.

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