Pop to Present: American Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts celebrates and amplifies the plural artistic voices of the United States.
Opening with an iconic 1948 drip painting by Jackson Pollock and closing with a poignant sculptural assemblage by the Alabama-based artist Thornton Dial, this landmark presentation of 52 compelling works from the world-renowned Virginia Museum of Fine Arts offers a comprehensive overview of the principal themes and styles shaping American art since 1945.
A major cultural event for Aotearoa New Zealand, this special exhibition includes high-quality examples of Abstract Expressionism, Pop and Minimalism along with richly textured paintings by Pattern and Decoration artists, hyper-detailed canvases by 1970s Photorealists, and contemporary figurative pieces that explore questions of identity, power and representation. Showcasing 28 works by women and African American and Indigenous artists, Pop to Present places well-known names in conversation with figures from diverse backgrounds to provide a more inclusive account of recent American art.
Artists featured in this broad and nuanced survey include Benny Andrews, Rosalyn Drexler, Elaine de Kooning, Willem de Kooning, Helen Frankenthaler, Sam Gilliam, Philip Guston, Barkley L. Hendricks, Norman Lewis, Roy Lichtenstein, Virgil Ortiz, Howardena Pindell, Martin Puryear, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Mark Rothko, Kiki Smith, Clyfford Still, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol and Jack Whitten.
Pop to Present is organised by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia. It is curated by Alexis Assam, Regina A. Perrry Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, and Dr. Sarah G. Powers, Exhibition Curator. Kenneth Brummel, Curator of International Art, is the co-ordinating curator at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. The exhibition is presented in association with Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival 2026, and proudly supported by Auckland Art Gallery Foundation, Omnigraphics, Rova and Stuff.
