Get Face (To Gain Respect; To Increase One's Status)

 Portraits prompt curiosity. Details such as the gesture of the sitter and the apparel they wear can communicate notions of status and power. We are left contemplating self-representation and the assumptions made about contemporary society through this artistic genre.

Drawn entirely from the permanent collection and spanning the nine collecting areas of Phoenix Art Museum - American, Asian, Contemporary, European, Fashion, Latin American, Modern, Photography, and Western American - these works reveal the loosely defined typology of portraiture, and provide a broad dialogue of art history, perception, and popular culture.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website