Major exhibitions at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2016

This survey of more than 80 artists explores this art movement from the 1960s and ’70s that addressed consumerism and mass media with bold, provocative imagery. It extends beyond the more frequent focus on American and British contributions by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Richard Hamilton, and shows work from further afield such as Latin America, Europe and Asia.

^{_{Gerhard Richter, Woman Descending the Staircase (Frau die Treppe herabgehend), 1965
Photograph: Courtesy Gerhard Richter}}

Amassed since the 1970s, Kathy and Keith Sachs’s world-class collection—worth about $70 million—was promised to the museum back in January of 2014, and this exhibition of about 100 works is a preview of what’s on its way.  The dazzling lineup of huge names from 1950 to the present includes Katharina Fritsch, Jasper Johns, Louise Bourgeois, Jeff Koons, Brice Marden, Bruce Nauman, Gabriel Orozco, Charles Ray, Cy Twombly and Ellsworth Kelley. This can’t-miss show is a feast of big-name artists and provocative work.

^{_{Jeff Wall, Cardplayers, 2006
Photograph: Courtesy Jeff Wall/Marion Goodman Gallery}}

Five concurrent exhibitions will give patrons the opportunity to immerse themselves in African culture, past and present. The central exhibit, Art from Africa: Looking Closely, looks at the past, and is organized jointly with the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Special attention is paid to artifacts from the Kingdom of Benin, Kongo and the Kuba Kingdom. Four additional exhibitions showcase contemporary African photographers, artists, fashion designers and textile production.

^{_{Look Again: Contemporary Perspectives on African Art, Edo (Bini) plaque, 1520-1580
Photograph: Courtesy University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology/Gary Ombler}}

This landmark exhibition promises a sweeping look at this turbulent and creative time in Mexican history. Significant artists who sprang to fame during this period—Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Frida Kahlo and Rufino Tamayo—will be on view. This exhibit will reveal the fascinating ways that avant-garde art movements, ancient Mexican culture and political idealism fused to create work that still resonates today.

^{_{Rufino Tamayo, Man and Woman, 1926
Photograph: Courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art}}