Art

The Museum's exhibitions include works from the permanent collection as well as an exciting schedule of several national and international traveling exhibitions. The changing exhibitions represent a diverse range of media, time periods, and cultures.

Current Exhibits

Upcoming Exhibits

An Opening of the Field: Jess, Robert Duncan, and Their Circle

JUNE 9 – SEPTEMBER 1, 2013 The artist Jess Collins, known simply as Jess, and his partner, the poet Robert Duncan, were one of the most fascinating artistic couples of the...

Folding Paper: The Infinite Possibilities of Origami

JUNE 30 – SEPTEMBER 29, 2013Dynamic, innovative, and exquisite—origami, or folding paper, is not only a sophisticated art form, but it inspires innovative concepts in math and design and inventions...

The Epic and the Intimate: French Drawings from the John D. Reilly Collection

JUNE 30 – SEPTEMBER 29, 2013From its founding in 1648, the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture was the center of artistic activity in France. Through 60 drawings by artists...

• Rob Barnard: Pottery As Pure Art

  JULY 21 – OCTOBER 20, 2013This exhibition introduces to a wider audience the ceramic art of Rob Barnard, exclusively featuring works collected by Rob and Josseline Wood, who gifted their collection…

• Jules Tavernier: Artist and Adventurer

  FEBRUARY 16 – MAY 11, 2014This is the first museum exhibition to survey the work of early California artist Jules Tavernier (1844–1889). Born in Paris and trained in France, Tavernier adapted…

• Sam Francis: Five Decades of Abstract Expressionism from California Collections

  JANUARY 26 – APRIL 20, 2014This exhibition celebrates internationally acclaimed California native Sam Francis, one of the state's most historically significant artists. Featuring a colorful range of the artist's paintings…

• African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond

  JUNE 29 – SEPTEMBER 21, 2014This exhibition of works seldom seen outside the Smithsonian presents 100 paintings, sculptures, and photographs by African American artists, drawn from the collection of the…

• Emancipating the Past: Kara Walker's Tales of Slavery and Power

  SEPTEMBER 22, 2013 – JANUARY 5, 2014 Art21 artist Kara Walker is known for her powerful visual narratives exploring the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality. Her thought-provoking and raw approach…

• Passion and Virtuosity: Hendrick Goltzius and the Art of Engraving

  OCTOBER 20, 2013 – JANUARY 26, 2014  Known as the master Dutch engraver of his time, as important for engraving as Rembrandt was for etching, Hendrick Goltzius was a pivotal printmaker…

• Sky is Falling: Paintings by Julie Heffernan

  OCTOBER 20, 2013 – JANUARY 26, 2014  More information coming soon.

• The Shape of Things: Warren MacKenzie Ceramics

  NOVEMBER 10, 2013 – FEBRUARY 23, 2014 More information coming soon. Image credit: Warren MacKenzie (American, born 1924), Vase, n.d. Stoneware, shino glazed, 15 1/2 in. Crocker Art Museum, gift of George S.…

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Permanent Collections

The Crocker's permanent collection includes more than 15,000 works of art, boasting one of the most comprehensive collections of Californian art from statehood to present, a world-renowned collection of master drawings, one of the nation's premier collections of international ceramics, diverse Asian works, and a growing collection of African and Oceanic art. Select works may be viewed on the Digital Gallery pages of each section.