Contemporary Silhouettes: The Art of Cut Paper

Cutting portraits, generally in profile from black card, became popular in the mid-18th century and the tradition has continued into the 21st century. Silhouettes represented a cheap but effective alternative to the portrait miniature. The group of contemporary artists in this exhibit draw upon the tradition of silhouettes as well as many folk traditions for inspiration, including Scherenschnitte, kirigami, Wycinanki, and others to create custom papercuttings, and this exhibit features an abundance of extraordinarily intricate work produced in the art form of cut paper.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.