Flesh: Ivan Albright at the Art Institute of Chicago

Exhibitions

  • Art Institute of Chicago

May 4–August 5, 2018

Ivan Albright. Picture of Dorian Gray, 1943/44. Gift of Ivan Albright. © The Art Institute of Chicago.

Chicago native Ivan Albright (1897–1983) remains one of the most provocative artists of the 20th century, a “master of the macabre” famous for his richly detailed paintings of ghoulish subjects. The title of Albright’s 1928 painting, Flesh, announced the theme that obsessed the artist throughout his career: the decaying human body. This exhibition, the first of Albright’s work in over twenty years, explores how his uncompromising vision challenged conventional notions of art and beauty, earning him fame as well as notoriety. Featuring over 30 works from the museum’s permanent collection—the largest repository of Albright works in the world—Flesh offers a focused retrospective of the artist’s most enduring masterpieces, which even today retain the power to shock, move, and fascinate.