The Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts is set to kick off an exciting new year of art in 2025 with a diverse slate of thoughtful exhibitions.
First up this year — and one of the most eagerly anticipated shows — is “Rivera’s Paris.” From Feb. 7 through May 18, this exhibit will shine a light on the formative years of the iconic Mexican artist Diego Rivera. This exhibition, anchored by the museum’s prized painting “Dos Mujeres,” explores Rivera’s years in Europe, a time time that shaped his approach to Cubism and laid the groundwork for his later monumental works.
Diego Rivera (Guanajuato, Mexico, 1886 – 1957, Mexico City, Mexico), Dos Mujeres (Two Women), 1914, oil on canvas, 77 3/4 x 63 1/2 in., Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Foundation Collection: Gift of Abby Rockefeller Mauzé. 1955.010.
From Mar. 1 until Nov. 30, AMFA will show Belgian artist Hans Op de Beeck’s third and final installment in a series of autonomous art films, “Staging Silence (3).” The video takes the viewer on a visual journey where two pairs of hands construct and deconstruct made-up interiors and landscapes on a film set that is no bigger than 10 feet. Each landscape or interior hints at historical and current cultural references, specifically the way in which we try to mold nature and architectural spaces to create meaning, identity and a logical interaction with time.
“Kwame Brathwaite: The 1970s” will take over the museum’s Berta and John Baird Gallery from April 19 through Oct. 12. The exhibit is an exploration of Brathwaite’s pivotal decade known for his deep engagement with Black identity, the Civil Rights Movement and his foundational work with the African Jazz Art Society and Studios and Grandassa Models. It will present new and never-before-seen portraits from the 1970s.
Kwame Brathwaite (New York, New York, 1938 – New York, New York, 2023), Untitled (Studio shoot with Marcia McBroom. Album cover for The Players’ Association featuring David Sanborn and Mtume), 1976, archival pigment print, 15 x 15 in., Courtesy of Philip Martin Gallery and The Kwame Brathwaite Archive.
Come summer, the museum will turn its attention to the environment with “The Long View: From Conservation to Sustainability.” The exhibition will showcase works from the Bank of America Collection and will be on view from June 13 to Aug. 31. With 77 pieces that span a century of art, “The Long View” charts the evolution of the environmental movement through the lens of artists like John James Audubon, Dorothea Lange, Richard Misrach and Andreas Gursky.
From Aug. 26 to May 3, AMFA will showcase Kentucky-based artist Lori Larusso’s painting installation “A Paradox of Plenty.” Her installations depict objects — the everyday, forgettable or sometimes nostalgic bits — that we consume and discard.
Lori Larusso (Massillon, Ohio, 1980 – ), Binge & Purge, 2024, acrylic on 2 panels, 72 x 48 in.
In the fall, “Architects of Being: Louise Nevelson and Esphyr Slobodkina,” a rare joint exhibition exploring the innovative careers of two pioneering women in American abstraction, will be on display from Oct. 3 through Jan. 31, 2026. Both artists were immigrants who carved out their identities in the 1930s and are known for their work in the fields of sculpture and painting. Through assemblage, color and form, Nevelson and Slobodkina transformed the way art is understood, incorporating everyday objects and materials into their pieces.
Rounding out the year of exciting exhibitions is a series of works from the museum’s Foundation Collection that will be on view in a texturally centric exhibit titled “Uncommon Threads” from Oct. 25 to April 29, 2026. The exhibit will highlight works by contemporary artists such as Maysey Craddock, Howardena Pindell, Anna Torma and others who sew or incorporate fibers into their drawings, photographs and sculptures.
Anna Torma (Tarnaörs, Hungary, 1952 – ), Lux Garden I, 2006, appliqué and reverse appliqué on linen, 35 x 34 3/4 in., Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Foundation Collection: Purchase, Eleanor Herstein Wolff Fiber Arts Fund.
To learn more about AMFA’s upcoming exhibitions, visit the AMFA website, and follow along on Facebook and Instagram for the latest.