Asheville Art Museum - North Carolina museum exhibiting 20th century American art

American Art in the Atomic Age features works created during the 1940s–1960s. Much of the art during this time expressed the uncertainty of the era, often relying on the automatism and biomorphic forms that had originated with Surrealism.

Beyond the Lens presents key works from the collection of Louis K. & Susan Pear Meisel, revealing this profoundly influential yet under-recognized art movement, bringing together paintings and works on paper dating from the 1970s to the present, illuminating the very definition of Photorealism from its founding up to today.

Counter/Balance: Gifts from John and Robyn Horn presents important examples of contemporary American craft, including woodworking, metalsmithing, fiber and pottery by renowned American artists Albert Paley, Hoss Haley, Toshiko Takaezu, Stoney Lamar, Mary Merkel-Hess, Dorothy Gill Barnes, Kay Sekimachi, Bob Stocksdale, and many others.  

This exhibition highlights works on paper and explores many of Romare Bearden's most frequently used mediums including screen-printing, lithography, hand colored etching, collagraph, monotype, relief print, photomontage, and collage.

Western North Carolina is important in the history of American glass art. Several artists of the Studio Glass Movement came to the region, including its founder Harvey K. Littleton. The Museum is dedicated to collecting American studio glass and within that umbrella, explores the work of Artists connected to Western North Carolina. A variety of techniques and a willingness to push boundaries of the medium can be seen in this selection of works from the Museum's Collection.

One of two inaugural exhibitions is Intersections in American Art, the major reinstallation and reinterpretation of the Museum’s Collection in a much-enlarged gallery space.