Face to Face: Portraits from the South Carolina State Museum Collection

Opening Feb, 12, 2022 at the South Carolina State Museum, Face to Face: Portraits from the South Carolina State Museum Collection is a new exhibition exploring the visual expressions of human connections featured in works from the museum’s collection.

Just as there is a wide variety of ways in which we connect to one another, portraits offer a varied and fascinating view of one-on-one relationships. Face to Face highlights these relationships with portraits that show how portrait artists have posthumously portrayed the deceased, honored their idols, satirized and documented relationships through painting, ceramics and wood. The exhibition features several new acquisitions that have never before been displayed, including a portrait from award-winning Nigerian-American artist Adebunmi Gbadebo, whose works have been represented in the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of African Art and other major collections.

Catawba Indian Effigy jars, wood sculptures by Dan Robert Miller, contemporary ceramic pieces by Peter Lenzo and other portraits by prominent South Carolina artists will also be on display to encourage visitors to consider the importance of portraits throughout history, from 19th-century paintings to selfies on social media.

Face to Face: Portraits from the South Carolina State Museum Collection exhibition entrance is free with museum membership or general admission.