PHOTOREALISM IN FOCUS to Open at Rose Art Museum

This winter, the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University will present Photorealism In Focus. On view in the museum’s expansive Lois Foster Wing, the exhibition celebrates the technical mastery, conceptual rigor, and continuing resonance of Photorealism. Emerging in the late 1960s during an era of rapid technological change and inspired by the visual language of commercial imagery, Photorealism took shape as artists such as Richard Estes, Charles S. Bell, Ralph Goings, and others created painstakingly detailed paintings based on photographs that pushed the limits of illusion. These artists challenged traditional hierarchies between photography and painting while capturing the nuanced textures of contemporary experience.

Featuring over thirty artists working across painting and sculpture, Photorealism In Focus brings together pioneering figures alongside contemporary practitioners who continue to expand the movement’s legacy, including American artist Clio Newton, Canadian artist Rod Penner, Spanish artist Bernardo Torrens, and Italian artist Roberto Bernardi. Challenging the movement’s frequent association with the bravado of male artists, the exhibition foregrounds the significant contributions of women Photorealists, highlighting the work of Audrey Flack, Joyce Stillman-Myers, Idelle Weber, Raphaella Spence, and Marilyn Levine.

Organized thematically, Photorealism In Focus unfolds across genres, including portraiture, still life, urban and rural landscapes, and interiors. These groupings illuminate the movement’s wide-ranging interests and the artists’ shared dedication to transforming ordinary subjects into compelling visual narratives through meticulous observation and technical precision.

“Photorealism In Focus features a multi-generational, international cadre of artists who produce meticulously crafted paintings based on carefully chosen photographs. These painstakingly rendered paintings inspire awe, as well as reflections on representation, perception, and how we translate visual reality into images and narratives,” said Dr. Gannit Ankori. “This exhibition underscores how the language of Photorealism—once revolutionary—remains vital and relevant today, as it continuously investigates the complex relationship between photography and painting.”