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Joan Brown, The Night Before the Alcatraz Swim, 1975.

Joan Brown, The Night Before the Alcatraz Swim, 1975; GUC Collection, Highland Park, Illinois; © Estate of Joan Brown; photo: Michael Trop.

This retrospective is the most comprehensive reexamination of Brown's work in the past two decades, cementing Joan's legacy as one of the most original artists of her generation. Featuring 80 works encompassing both painting and sculpture, the exhibition captures Brown's artistic virtuosity and range in both subject matter and style, from her early expressionist canvases, through representational works in her iconically flat style, to later symbolic paintings revelatory of her interest in spirituality and self-exploration. Co-curator of the exhibition Janet Bishop shares: “We are thrilled to present ‘Joan Brown,’ a reassessment of the unabashedly personal, defiantly independent and enduringly relevant career of one of San Francisco’s most important local heroes.” 

‘Joan Brown’ will be on view at SFMOMA through March 12, 2023. The exhibition will travel to the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, PA, and to the Orange County Museum of Art, Costa Mesa, CA.

Find out more about the exhibition here.