Faces and Names

Elizabeth Peyton is renowned for her painted portraits, but these are not the focus of her exhibition, Ghost: Elizabeth Peyton, at Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum (1 Brookings Drive; 314-935-4523 or kemperartmuseum.wustl.edu). Ghost draws on Peyton's work in the printmaking field, from aquatints to etchings and monotypes. Her work straddles the boundary of high art and pop art. The more than four dozen prints in the exhibition depict faces both renowned (Shakespeare, Wagner, Eminem) and obscure (husband and wife opera stars Ludwig and Malvina Schnorr von Carolsfeld), revealing the sneaky truth of the portrait's prestige: Sometimes the artistic representation of the artist outlives the artist. Ghost: Elizabeth Peyton opens with a free public reception from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, January 28, with an artist's dialogue between Peyton and curator Sabine Eckmann at 11 a.m. Saturday, January 29. The gallery is open every day except Tuesday, and the exhibition remains up through Monday, April 18. Admission is free.
Mondays, Wednesdays-Sundays. Starts: Jan. 28. Continues through April 18, 2011