How might have Emmett Till, the 14-year-old boy who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955, lived his life, if given the chance? It’s the central question explored in “If Emmett Till Lived: A Creative Monument,” an exhibition at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Photography. When Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley “forced open the casket to show his mutilated, abused, tortured body, she opened our eyes,” says Sarah Lewis, the exhibits curator. “We’re honoring the work that she began.”
There are full-size replicas in a U.S. sports arena, an abbey in Denmark and a home in rural New Zealand. There’s even a more modest version for those who don’t like the original’s nudity.
Photo Credit:Caravaggio, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Public Domain By Lars Møller The Italian painter Caravaggio, whose name has become synonymous with the chiaroscuro technique, seemed to live as dramatically and exploratively as he painted—life as a constant balancing act between opposites, between light and dark.
French art experts insisted the fragile 900-year-old masterpiece could never travel. Political will, cutting-edge engineering and unorthodox diplomacy proved them wrong.
Trump officials have promised to “make visual arts great,” with a museum exhibition that includes artwork by several people with personal connections to the planners.
Publicly and behind the scenes, the president continues to try to impose his own views of American history and culture, presenting an ongoing challenge to Lonnie Bunch, the institution’s leader.
