The Brooklyn Museum will open its Great Hall to a soaring multimedia installation tracing French artist, JR’s career from his early documentation of graffiti artists as a teenager in Paris, to his large-scale architectural interventions in cities worldwide, to his more recent digitally collaged murals that create collective portraits of diverse publics.
Over the past two decades, JR has expanded the meaning of public art through his ambitious projects that give visibility and agency to a broad spectrum of people around the world. Showcasing murals, photographs, videos, films, dioramas, and archival materials, JR: Chronicles is the first major exhibition in North America of works by the French-born artist. Working at the intersections of photography, social engagement, and street art, JR collaborates with communities by taking individual portraits, reproducing them at a monumental scale, and wheat pasting them—sometimes illegally—in nearby public spaces.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is The Chronicles of New York City, a new epic mural of more than one thousand New Yorkers that is accompanied by audio recordings of each person’s story. All of the projects on view honor the voices of everyday people and demonstrate JR’s ongoing commitment to community, collaboration, and civic discourse.
Programming events for this exhibition include Brooklyn Talks: JR and Baratunde Thurston on October 3 from 7-9pm. Artist, JR discusses his artistic practice with writer, activist, and comedian Baratunde Thurston.
On October 16th from 6-7:30, Patrons and select members will be invited to a special opening and tour of the exhibition for A Night at the Museum.
JR: Chronicles is curated by Sharon Matt Atkins, Director of Exhibitions and Strategic Initiatives, and Drew Sawyer, Phillip Leonian and Edith Rosenbaum Leonian Curator, Photography, Brooklyn Museum. Leadership support for this exhibition is provided by Clara Wu Tsai.
Generous support is provided by the Brooklyn Museum’s Contemporary Art Committee, the FUNd, Stephanie and Tim Ingrassia, and Perrotin. Additional support is provided by The Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc.
JR: Chronicles will be on view from October 4, 2019 through October 18, 2020 at Brooklyn Museum, Great Hall on the 1st Floor.
This exhibition is part of Brooklyn Falls for France, a cultural season organized by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and FACE Foundation in partnership with Brooklyn venues.
On April 21, 2020, The Brooklyn Museum will honor artist JR and Studio 54 cofounder Ian Schrager at the Ninth Annual Brooklyn Artists Ball. Tickets to the gala on sale now.
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Revisiting JR: Horizontal, a solo exhibition at Perrotin NYC, and outside the galleries on walls throughout our five Boroughs and beyond. Can’t leave out the wondrous Pyramid at Musée du Louvre.