Sheldon Museum of Art Main Content

Exhibition

Uncanny Encounters: The Disturbing, Surreal, and Supernatural in American Art

August 15, 2024 through December 29, 2024
  • Hughie Lee-Smith, Poet #4.

Second-floor north galleries, including the Kathryn and Marc LeBaron Gallery, and the Dodie Acklie Nakajima Gallery


When does the familiar appear unfamiliar? How does an image become psychically charged? Uncanniness in visual art, whether intended by the artist or not, occurs when realism slips into the realm of the unreal and inexplicable. The result can be unsettling, tapping into a viewer’s unconscious or superstitious fears. This exhibition explores how enigmatic imagery in art can elicit those uneasy feelings.

This exhibition was organized by Christian Wurst, associate curator for exhibitions.