RALEIGH, NC.- The North Carolina Museum of Art announces details of Grace Hartigan: The Gift of Attention, the largest exhibition of Hartigan’s work in over two decades, on view from April 12 - August 10, 2025, bringing together more than 40 paintings and works on paper, many of which have not been seen publicly in years.
Discover the Poet in the Painter: Explore Grace Hartigan's Literary Inspirations. Uncover the profound connection between Hartigan's Abstract Expressionism and the poetry of her time. Click here to order "Grace Hartigan: The Gift of Attention" on Amazon and delve into this fascinating artistic relationship.
Drawn from prestigious public and private collections–including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and the Levett Collection–the exhibition explores the dynamic exchange between Hartigan’s groundbreaking mid-20th-century work and the bold New York poets who inspired her, such as Daisy Aldan, Barbara Guest, James Merrill, Frank O’Hara, and James Schuyler. Uniting works created between 1952 and 1968, it offers a unique opportunity to experience Hartigan’s evolution during a pivotal moment in her career, when she deftly navigated between abstraction and figuration.
Exhibition curator Jared Ledesma, Curator of 20th-Century Art and Contemporary Art, states: “This exhibition not only celebrates one of the era’s major yet widely unacknowledged artists, but also honors the unique connections she formed with literary figures, revealing the roles they played in her early success. With their bold lyricism and critical support, the poets motivated Hartigan at a crucial point when her career was on the rise. Hartigan later recalled that the rebellious spirit of these poets, many of whom were queer, fueled an independent vision that defied artistic convention.”
Hartigan and her coterie of poets gave each other the gift of attention, ultimately leading her to create a transformative body of work. The exhibition will be accompanied by a 128-page catalogue featuring fresh scholarship alongside full-color illustrations and archival images. Following its debut in Raleigh, the exhibition will travel to the Portland Museum of Art, Maine, and the Sheldon Museum of Art, University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Media tours and curator interviews available upon request.
Artdaily participates in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn commissions by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. These commissions help us continue curating and sharing the art world’s latest news, stories, and resources with our readers.
