UA’s Paul Jones Gallery of Art Unveils ‘Depicting Portraits’ Exhibit

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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Paul R. Jones Gallery of Art in downtown Tuscaloosa will unveil its next exhibit, “Depicting Portraits” with an opening reception at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23.

The exhibit will showcase works from the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art, which is managed by the department of art and art history in The University of Alabama’s College of Arts and Sciences. The exhibit will be on display until Oct. 5.

The gallery honors the late Paul R. Jones who, during his lifetime, amassed one of the largest collections of African-American art in the world. In 2008, Jones donated 1,700 pieces of his collection, valued at $4.8 million, to UA. Jones was known as a passionate collector who sought to collect from both well-known and lesser-known artists, a quality which makes his collection distinct.

The exhibition examines the practices of contemporary American artists whose work negotiates representations of the self and others. The works on display demonstrate not only a variety of traditional representational methods that are customarily associated with the genre of portraiture but also some unconventional ways of depicting the subject.

“We would like viewers to understand that portraiture isn’t always associated with realism or objective documentation; rather, it can also take a much more abstract or indirect form,” said Dr. Lucy Curzon, who organized the show.

Curzon is an assistant professor in UA’s art and art history department and the director of education and outreach for the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art at The University of Alabama.

The Paul R. Jones Gallery is located at 2308 6^th St. in downtown Tuscaloosa. Gallery hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday from noon to 8 p.m.

The Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.