The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is receiving a gift of over 500 prints collected by René Balcer and Carolyn Hsu-Balcer. The collection includes prints by many of the best-known Inuit artists going back to the 1940s using a variety of printing processes. Items from this “aesthetically and culturally significant gift” will be included in ongoing rotations of work in the museum’s Art of Native America installation.
Met staff notes:
“The arrival of this beautifully curated collection aligns with our departmental vision to prioritize previously underrepresented artists and the presence, voices, and experiences of peoples and communities who have contributed greatly to our cultural and national identities. We look forward to collaborating with Inuit communities and individual artists to highlight these works in our galleries and programming.”
It’s unclear exactly when prints from this collection will begin appearing in the Native America gallery.