A new exhibition celebrating the work of Dr. David McCarthy, professor of art and art history at Rhodes College, will be on display from Jan. 30 through March 28 in the college’s Clough-Hanson Gallery. McCarthy has taught at Rhodes for more than three decades, during which he has developed a body of scholarship and a teaching philosophy that demonstrate how artists reflect and shape the times in which they live.
Titled A Well-Trained Eye: The Work and Collections of David McCarthy, the exhibition will open with a reception on Jan. 30 from 5 to 7 p.m. Additionally, attendees will have the opportunity to hear McCarthy deliver a “Last Lecture” on March 26 at 6 p.m. in Blount Auditorium, Buckman Hall. He is retiring this year.
This carefully curated exhibition showcases pieces from McCarthy's personal collections, diving deep into themes of familial influence, anti-war art, student collaboration, engagement with Memphis artists, and his research and work focused on artist H.C. Westermann. It also features art, ephemera, and vernacular objects by artists including Martha Rosler, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Enrique Chagoya, Nelli Bar Wieghardt, Lillie Mae Whitaker, Greely Myatt, Terri Jones, and Tom Lee.
McCarthy has been a member of the Rhodes faculty since 1991. His scholarship has earned him numerous prestigious accolades, including a Smithsonian Institution Senior Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar. At Rhodes, he has received both the Clarence Day Award for Outstanding Teaching (2023) and the Clarence Day Dean's Award for Outstanding Research and Creative Activity (2004).
He is also the esteemed author of several books—American Artists Against War, 1935-2010; H.C. Westermann at War: Art and Manhood in Cold War America; The Nude in American Painting, 1950-1980; and Pop Art, which has been translated into seven languages.
Admission to the Clough-Hanson Gallery is free, and operating hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.