Photorealism in Focus

This winter, the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University presents Photorealism in Focus. On view in the museum’s expansive Lois Foster Wing, the exhibition celebrates the technical mastery, conceptual rigor, and continuing resonance of Photorealism. Emerging in the late 1960s during an era of rapid technological change and inspired by the visual language of commercial imagery, Photorealism took shape as artists such as Richard Estes, Charles S. Bell, Ralph Goings, and others created painstakingly detailed paintings based on photographs that pushed the limits of illusion. These artists challenged traditional hierarchies between photography and painting while capturing the nuanced textures of contemporary experience.

Featuring over thirty artists working across painting and sculpture, Photorealism in Focus brings together pioneering figures alongside contemporary practitioners who continue to expand the movement’s legacy, including American artist Clio Newton, Canadian artist Rod Penner, Spanish artist Bernardo Torrens, and Italian artist Roberto Bernardi. Challenging the movement’s frequent association with the bravado of male artists, the exhibition foregrounds the significant contributions of women Photorealists, highlighting the work of Audrey Flack, Joyce Stillman-Myers, Idelle Weber, Raphaella Spence, and Marilyn Levine.

Organized thematically, Photorealism in Focus unfolds across genres, including portraiture, still life, urban and rural landscapes, and interiors. These groupings illuminate the movement’s wide-ranging interests and the artists’ shared dedication to transforming ordinary subjects into compelling visual narratives through meticulous observation and technical precision.

“Photorealism in Focus features a multi-generational, international cadre of artists who produce meticulously-crafted paintings based on carefully chosen photographs. These painstakingly rendered paintings inspire awe, as well as reflections on representation, perception, and how we translate visual reality into images and narratives,” said Dr. Gannit Ankori. “This exhibition underscores how the language of Photorealism—once revolutionary—remains vital and relevant today, as it continuously investigates the complex relationship between photography and painting.”

Drawing on the Rose Art Museum’s rich collection as well as significant loans from private collections, Photorealism in Focus highlights the ongoing fascination with visuality, perception, and the real. Through a wide range of subjects and media, the exhibition examines how artists have continually blurred the boundaries between representation and reality, prompting audiences to reconsider the constructed nature of visual truth in both historical and contemporary contexts.

CURATORIAL CREDIT

Photorealism in Focus is curated by Dr. Gannit Ankori, Henry and Lois Foster Director and Chief Curator, Rose Art Museum, and Professor of Fine Arts and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Brandeis University.

EXHIBITION SUPPORT

Photorealism in Focus is generously supported by Louis K. and Susan P. Meisel.

PRESS CONTACT

For more information or to access the press kit, contact Chad Sirois, Associate Director of Communications and Marketing, or call 781.736.3456.

ABOUT THE ROSE ART MUSEUM

Rose Art Museum fosters community, experimentation, and scholarship through direct engagement with modern and contemporary art, artists, and ideas. Founded in 1961, the Rose is among the nation’s preeminent university art museums and houses one of New England's most extensive collections of modern and contemporary art. Through its exceptional collection, support of emerging artists, and innovative programming, the museum serves as a nexus for art and social justice at Brandeis University and beyond. Located just 20 minutes from downtown Boston, Rose Art Museum is open Wednesdays–Sundays, 11 AM to 5 PM. Admission is free.

Follow the Rose Art Museum on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Threads.