Spanning 250 years of artistic practice, the Mattatuck Museum’s landmark exhibition explores how portraiture has shaped, challenged and reimagined American identity.
6 July 2026
What does it mean to picture a nation? As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, the Mattatuck Museum responds with ‘About Face: 250 Years of American Portraits’, an ambitious exhibition that examines the evolving relationship between portraiture, identity and belonging. Bringing together works from across two and a half centuries, the exhibition presents the human face as a powerful site where history, politics and personal experience converge.
Featuring paintings, drawings, sculpture and photography by artists including Dawoud Bey, Romare Bearden, Lois Mailou Jones, Walker Evans, Louise Bourgeois, Nicholas Galanin, Robert Rauschenberg, James Van Der Zee and Boluwatife Oyediran, the exhibition places canonical figures in conversation with contemporary voices. The result is a layered exploration of how portraiture has reflected shifting ideas of citizenship, race, gender, power and self-representation throughout American history.
Rather than celebrating a singular national story, ‘About Face’ embraces complexity. Historic portraits rooted in status and authority are juxtaposed with works that reclaim visibility for communities long excluded from dominant narratives. Interactive elements, including a participatory portrait station and community response wall, further invite visitors to consider their own place within this evolving history.
At a moment of reflection and reassessment, ‘About Face: 250 Years of American Portraits’ demonstrates that portraiture is far more than a likeness. It is an enduring record of who is seen, who is remembered and how art continues to shape the stories nations tell about themselves.
This exhibition is on view at the Mattatuck Museum in Connecticut until 16 August 2026.
