American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center

Gilt by Association

Name: Gilt by Association
Start: 2026-09-05T15:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-10-20
Location: American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center

Sat, Sep 5, 2026 – Tue, Oct 20, 2026at 3:00 PM

4400 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC

Price not available

GILT by Association examines the shifting meanings attached to gold, glitter, and gilding. The exhibition considers how these symbols can suggest glory, beauty, delight, honor, and transcendence while also evoking artifice, wealth, avarice, repression, conflict, and guilt. Through juxtapositions of artworks, it invites visitors to make their own connections and reflect on promises of a “New Golden Age.”

The exhibition’s premise contrasts the elevated associations of golden frames and gilded art with the material privilege they can represent. It also considers how gold and glitter, once linked to spiritual or transcendental effects, may now suggest the crushing of that spirit. The page identifies “Solus Rex” by Lucy J. Blankstein in connection with the exhibition.

When: Tuesday, August 25, 2026, through Sunday, October 11, 2026

Opening reception: Saturday, September 5, from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Venue: Katzen Arts Center Rotunda, American University

Address: 4400 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20016

Hours: 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM daily

Tickets: Price not available

Contact: 301-461-1124

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