Pensacola Museum of Art presents Metaphor as Manifestation

The exhibition features prints produced in cross-disciplinary collaborative efforts between Motherwell and the Spanish poet Rafael Alberti; and Johns and the avant-garde novelist and poet Samuel Beckett. These creative projects interrogate the intersections of visual and literary art forms by experimenting with the relationships of image and text.

The 19 lithographs by Motherwell included in this exhibition are the artist’s response to a poem written in 1980 by Alberti to the artist. For Motherwell, the moral struggle embodied by the Spanish Civil War served as a central metaphor in his art. Motherwell explored the archetypal themes of freedom and loss through analyzing the civil war in Spain, which marked the beginning of an international struggle against fascism.

In 1976, Johns produced his “livre d’artiste” and “Foirades/Fizzles” in collaboration with Samuel Beckett, the Irish-born avant-garde poet, novelist and playwright who lived in Paris and composed his verses in French. Beckett’s contribution to the project included five short stories while Johns produced 33 etchings. The majority of Johns’ images are based on his painting “Untitled,” which includes many of the elements used in his etchings, such as hatching patterns, flagstones, body parts with casts and slats. Johns’ images serve as the visual equivalent of the poet’s verse.

Located at 407 S. Jefferson St. in historic downtown Pensacola, the Pensacola Museum of Art is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

For more information about the PMA, call 850.432.6247 or visit pensacolamuseum.org.