Reflect & Remix: Art Inspiring Artists examines resonances across the Walters’ expansive collection

In its 90th year, the museum welcomes unexpected dialogues between artworks new and old

Baltimore, MD (April 10, 2024)—On view May 4, the Walters Art Museum opens Reflect & Remix: Art Inspiring Artists, an exhibition exploring the visual and material resonances between works of art across its permanent collection. Surveying more than 60 objects spanning 2600 years, artworks are displayed to create active conversations between their subjects, materials, or the artists who created them. The exhibition presents glass, enamel, mosaics, ceramics, paintings, manuscripts, printed works, calligraphy, metalwork, and sculptures in stone and bronze grouped to encourage visitors to find the connections between objects. The exhibition will be on view through September 8, 2024.

“The collection we steward at the Walters is vast and distinctive, and bringing it to life means continually returning to our objects to ask new questions of them. One of the ways we do so is through placing complementary or even contrasting works beside each other to draw out details and connections that may have gone unnoticed before,” said Julia Marciari-Alexander, Andrea B. and John H. Laporte Director. “What we’ve discovered—reaffirmed, really—by doing so for Reflect & Remix: Art Inspiring Artists is the understanding that no matter where an object was made, what it’s made from, or the methods used to make it, these works are intrinsically linked by the sheer level of ingenuity and imagination demonstrated by their makers. The artists in the Walters’ historic collection, both named and unknown, have made an indelible impression on their peers across time, and this exhibition is a testament to that.”

When the Walters opened its doors in 1934, it made available a collection of 22,000 objects established by William (1820–1894) and Henry Walters (1848–1931) for the benefit of the public. As patrons and collectors, the museum’s founders sought out the work of the contemporary artists of their era, recognizing the important dialogues these artists were creating with the past. Today, the museum’s collection includes more than 36,000 works spanning seven millennia of history from places and cultures around the world.

This sustained growth, thanks to strategic acquisitions and generous gifts, has now positioned the Walters to explore the connections found between artists of the past and present. Historically, artists have utilized existing techniques to create their own works, building upon those processes and materials to create something that is new. Several groupings of objects in Reflect & Remix speak to the artistic process, demonstrating that some artists found inspiration in historic art and created something new through their imagination and ingenuity.

“Reflect & Remix allows us to surprise and delight visitors with objects they have not seen in years—if ever—while also showcasing well-loved works in a new light,” said Lynley Herbert, Robert and Nancy Hall Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts. “Folks love Claude Monet’s Springtime, and in this exhibition we are displaying it in the context of a 16th-century French book of hours to showcase another side of the season. On the illuminated leaves, warm-weather revelers are seen frolicking among the newly green and blossoming gardens, and sometimes even engaging in a spring fling! Springtime becomes even more serene when it is placed next to this work. With this reframing, we see two interpretations of one subject from different moments in time, reminding us that a simple pleasure—like reading a book in a newly emergent garden—can spark joy after a long winter.”

Cintli, Corn, Maíz (2020) by Jessy DeSantis (b. 1990), a new acquisition, makes its debut in Reflect & Remix and strikes content connections with a historic work that’s been in the museum’s collection for a decade, the Maize Deity (1400–1521). DeSantis, a Baltimore-based artist, connects to their personal history and Central American heritage through the painting, which depicts a singular multicolored ear of corn with long husks that transform into quetzal feathers. Echoes of these elements are found in the Maize Deity, which is adorned with a headdress featuring those same elements.

The show also includes some of the museum’s most popular artworks and makers: Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1837–1912), Antoine-Louis Barye (1795–1875), 18th- and 19th-century Sèvres Porcelain, and Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1790–1867). In addition to DeSantis’ painting, works by artists Herbert Massie (b. 1954), Yelimane Fall (1953–2019), Roberto Lugo (b. 1981), Anil Revri (1956–2023), and Kehinde Wiley (b. 1977) will be on view. The contemporary installations are accompanied by listening stations that feature audio and video clips or quotes from the artists so that visitors may learn about their practice in the artists’ words.

Press images are available via Dropbox.

Reflect & Remix: Art Inspiring Artists is curated by Lynley Anne Herbert, Robert and Nancy Hall Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts, and Earl Martin, Deborah and Philip English Curator of Decorative Arts, Design, and Material Culture.

This installation is generously funded by Supporters of the Walters Art Museum.

About the Walters Art Museum

The Walters Art Museum is a cultural hub in the heart of Baltimore, located in the city’s Mount Vernon neighborhood. The museum’s collection spans more than seven millennia, from 5,000 BCE to the 21st century, and encompasses 36,000 objects from around the world. Walking through the museum’s historic buildings, visitors encounter a stunning panorama of thousands of years of art, from romantic 19th-century images of French gardens to mesmerizing Ethiopian icons, richly illuminated Qur’ans and Gospel books, ancient roman sarcophagi, and serene images of the Buddha. Since its founding, the Walters’ mission has been to bring art and people together to create a place where people of every background can be touched by art. As part of this commitment, admission to the museum and special exhibitions is always free.

Visitor Information

Admission to the museum is free. The Walters Art Museum is located at 600 N. Charles St., north of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. For general museum information, call 410-547-9000 or visit thewalters.org.

Free admission to the Walters Art Museum is made possible through the combined generosity of individual members and donors, foundations, corporations, and grants from the City of Baltimore, Maryland State Arts Council, Citizens of Baltimore County, and Howard County Government and Howard County Arts Council.