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Out of Storage and into the Light: Sculptures That Tell Stories

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Kuba Mask (Pwoom Itok), Kuba artist, Democratic Republic of Congo, early 20th century. Wood and polychrome with cloth and beads. SBMA, Gift of the Women's Board

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Jean Alexandre Joseph Falguière, Diana, after 1882.  Bronze. SBMA, Museum purchase, General Acquisition Fund

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Augusto Escobedo, Dancing Figures, ca. 1953 – 1973. Aluminum. SBMA, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Lewin

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Alison Saar, Inheritance, 2009. Bronze, cotton, wood. SBMA, Gift of Sarah Jane Lind in honor of Atkinson Gallery, Santa Barbara City College.

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This is the first exhibition organized by the Santa Barbara Museum of Art devoted exclusively to the specific artistic medium of sculpture. The presentation features over 50 objects from the permanent collection, many of which have yet to be exhibited. The selected works of art reveal the impressive historical and geographical breadth of the permanent collection, including Pre-Columbian, Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Greek & Roman, 11th- to 17th-century Southeast Asian, 19th- and 20th-century African, and 19th- to 21st-century French, English, and American sculpture. An unorthodox juxtaposition of works from such a diverse array of cultures allows for a more global interpretive approach to these works of art. Because the installation is organized thematically (Dance and Music; The Animal; Flight; The Head; The Body), rather than by culture or time period, the unexpected visual proximity of such an eclectic variety of art provokes unexpected trains of thought. This show is guest curated by Gülru Çakmak, Associate Professor of 19th-century European Art at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, at the invitation of Deputy Director and Chief Curator Eik Kahng.