09/03/2026
Fred Wilson: Irma, Ota, and Me
March 5–August 8, 2027
Renowned artist Fred Wilson (b. 1954) explores how models of collecting and display shape our understanding of identity, memory, and power. This exhibition examines the intertwined histories of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (1904 World's Fair) held in St. Louis and Wilson's own familial history, which spans several generations in the city during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The exhibition brings together sculptures, paintings, and works on paper produced by Wilson over the past three decades. Alongside his own work, Wilson presents historic artworks from local collections related to the 1904 World's Fair and its legacy, as well as personal objects belonging to his paternal grandmother, Irma Dixon, who was born and raised less than a mile from the Pulitzer.
Through these juxtapositions, Wilson's iconic works, such as flag paintings, Murano glass chandeliers, and mirrors, enter into dialogue with historic objects, interrogating the construction of national and racial identity while inviting reflection on histories of the African diaspora in a global context.
Learn more about "Fred Wilson: Irma, Ota, and Me," opening March 2027, here: https://pulitzerarts.org/art/fred-wilson-irma-ota-and-i/
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Image Credit:
1) Courtesy of Fred Wilson and Pace Gallery. Photography by Heather Johnson
2) Fred Wilson, "Speak of Me as I Am: Chandelier Mori," 2003. Murano glass and light bulbs. 70 × 66 15/16 × 66 15/16 inches (177.8 × 170 × 170 cm). © Fred Wilson, courtesy of Pace Gallery. Photography by: Ellen Labenski
3) Fred Wilson, "Ota Benga," 2008. Bronze with silk scarf and wood base. 59 1/2 × 12 × 12 inches (151.1 × 30.5 × 30.5 cm). © Fred Wilson, courtesy of Pace Gallery. Photography by Kerry Ryan McFate
4) Fred Wilson, "Bat," 2009. Murano glass and wood. 45 × 42 1/2 × 5 1/2 inches (114.3 × 108 × 14 cm). © Fred Wilson, courtesy of Pace Gallery. Photography by: Kerry Ryan McFate