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. Renaissance, Baroque, Symbolist, Surrealist, and Post-Structuralist artists have all found meaning in the grotesque. The exhibition features artwork by Lucas van Leyden, Nicoletto da Modena, Otto Dix, Odilon Redon, Jacques Callot, Kara Walker, and Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, among others.

Curated by Miya Tokumitsu, Donald T. Fallati and Ruth E. Pachman Curator of the Davison Art Collection.

Gallery hours: Tuesday through Saturday from 12:30pm to 4:30pm.

This exhibition will be closed from Saturday, October 17 through Tuesday, October 20, 2026; and from Tuesday, November 24 through Monday, November 30, 2026.

Opening Reception: Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at 4:30pm.