Follow along with curator Maggie Crosland and explore the story of this fascinating print depicting Mary Queen of Scots, or does it? ... Learn about one of the incredible peices in our newest European collection focus exhibition, Picturing Histories: European Works on Paper from the BMA’s Collection! This installation focuses on artists who used drawing and printmaking to engage some of the most compelling religious, political, social, and cultural issues of the day through the lens of history. Come see these beautifully deatiled prints, on view now through September 2025. Credit: (1) Jean Simon, French, 1675 - 1755, “Portrait, supposedly of Mary, Queen of Scots,” about 1715-1720, mezzotint on paper; Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Douglas K. S. Hyland in honor of Mrs. Martee Woodward Webb, 1989.177.1 (2) Mary, Queen of Scots, artist once known, about 1560–1592, National Portrait Gallery, London, NPG 1766 (3) François Clouet, Mary, Queen of Scots, c. 1558, Royal Collection Trust, (RCIN 401229) © #BMAExhibitions #BMACollection #birminghammuseumofart (fb)

This #WorkoftheWeek is "Open Zag X" by Louise Nevelson. The BMA is proud to celebrate Nevelson's 125th Birthday with the Louise Nevelson Foundation by displaying one of her most iconic works in our Collection. This work is currently on view in our newly reinstalled contemporary gallery with the exhibition, Marks of Intention. Starting in 1974, sculptor Louise Nevelson initiated a series of works she called Zag. Many works in this series, like "Open Zag X," are composed of different sized boxes formed in an irregularly-stepped, zigzag profile. Nevelson is known for her assemblages of found materials and wooden boxes that she then painted black to unify the various pieces. She saw black as the "most aristocratic color of all." Made of Formica and painted wood, "Open Zag X" represents Nevelson's practice of focusing on the use of found objects and the importance of the color black. Credit: Louise Nevelson, American, 1899 - 1988, "Open Zag X," 1974, painted wood, formica; Museum purchase with funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and Friends of the Museum, 1976.42, image © 2018 Estate of Louise Nevelson / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York (fb)