Avery Galleries is pleased to present Body of art: the figure in American painting, opening at our Bryn Mawr location on October 9th, 2025. This ambitious exhibition traces nearly a century of American figurative painting, exploring the evolving ways artists have represented the human form. Bringing together works by such renowned figures as John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, and Andrew Wyeth, the exhibition offers a sweeping overview of how the body has served as a central subject in the visual arts — a reflection of identity, emotion, and cultural change.

Spanning from the late 19th century to the present, the exhibition reveals how depictions of the human figure have mirrored broader shifts in American art and society. The works on view demonstrate how artists moved from the elegance of society portraiture and the academic nude to more experimental, expressive, and introspective interpretations of the body. By juxtaposing traditional realism with modern abstraction and psychological depth, Body of art celebrates the rich diversity of artistic approaches to the figure and invites viewers to reflect on how representation has evolved alongside changing conceptions of selfhood and beauty.

Ultimately, Body of art: the figure in American painting highlights the enduring power of the human form as a vehicle for storytelling and emotional expression. Each artwork — whether depicting a public persona, an anonymous model, or an intimate self-portrait — offers a unique window into the artist’s perspective and the social world they inhabited. Through this wide-ranging survey, Avery Galleries reaffirms the figure’s central place in American art, showcasing the timeless dialogue between body, identity, and artistic imagination.