Wesleyan's Davison Art Collection is focused primarily on graphic art and photography. The breadth of the collection is equaled by its outstanding quality; exceptionally fine impressions by Rembrandt van Rijn and Francisco de Goya, rare early engravings, and important contemporary artwork by artists including Kara Walker and Jasper Johns are only a few highlights. The Davison Art Collection supports teaching, learning, and research in its study room, and presents public exhibitions in its gallery.
Grotesque: Art Beyond Restraint
Pruzan Art Center, Goldrach Gallery
238 Church Street, Middletown, Connecticut
Free and open to the public.
Wednesday, September 23 through Saturday December 12, 2026
Grotesque: Art Beyond Restraint explores the ever roving and multiplying meanings of “the grotesque.” Commonly associated with horror and abjection today, the grotesque has historically also been a locus of generation for caprice, wit, ribaldry, and ornament. The grotesque image is one that unsettles by disrupting what we think we know, producing conflicted reactions: disgust together with fascination, fear accompanied by laughter. Over time, numerous artistic movements have found the grotesque useful to their own ends and steered it in new directions.
Opening Reception: Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 4:30pm.
