The artist’s first survey exhibition in the United States in 15 years debuts new work and features a special section curated by the artist

Washington, DC—Next April, the National Gallery of Art presents Glenn Ligon: Subtext, an exhibition tracing the process of the contemporary artist’s text-based, citational practice over nearly 40 years. Glenn Ligon: Subtext, Ligon’s first major solo exhibition in Washington, DC, in more than three decades, showcases the artist’s signature work of referencing literary texts and cultural legacies to convey historical knowledge into the present. The survey will feature over 40 works by the artist spanning paintings, prints, drawings, and neon sculptures as well as a presentation of nearly 20 works the artist curated, as a show-within-the-show, to honor the visual art of other artists with whom his own practice is in dialogue. In addition, there will be a reading room featuring a selection of Ligon’s literary source materials. The exhibition is on view from April 3 to September 6, 2027, in the East Building.

For over 40 years, Ligon has invited others to consider the changing conditions of representation. Incorporating selected text, his citational work draws from various cultural, literary, and historical references, allows viewers to engage in the pursuit of cultural literacy across a repertoire of knowledge.

“We are thrilled to present this exhibition providing a closer look at Glenn Ligon’s rigorous interdisciplinary practice, which reflects the power and process of language as an artistic medium,” said Kaywin Feldwin, director of the National Gallery of Art. “Ligon’s layered approach to investigating key developments in American cultural and literary production continues to be deeply influential in the field of contemporary art and society. Through his incisive use of literary and compositional references, Ligon proposes new ways of seeing art and its histories."

Exhibition highlights include Ligon’s breakthrough painting, Untitled (I Am a Man) (1988), referencing an iconic civil rights sign from 1968; a large-scale neon sculpture, Give Us a Poem (2007), inspired by one of Muhammad Ali’s most memorable quotes; Double America (2012), referencing Charles Dickens’s 1859 novel A Tale of Two Cities; and three monumental works, Stranger (Full Text) #1 (2020–2021), Stranger (Full Text) #2 (2020–2021), and Stranger (Full Text) #3 (2025–2026), reflecting the first times Ligon rendered the entirety of James Baldwin’s essay “Stranger in the Village,” in individual works. In addition, the show highlights several works on paper from the artist’s series Blue (for JB), his most recent homage to Baldwin. Featured among these, Blue (for JB) #11 (2025) was recently acquired by the National Gallery, the first Baldwin-related work by the artist to enter the collection.

Glenn Ligon: Subtext debuts several other new works, including two of his latest neons and a series of drawings by the artist that illustrate his ongoing exploration of language and form through complex processes of multilayered text-based rubbings. These works produce language fragments that morph into forms based on Baldwin’s essay, a textual thread that runs through the exhibition and has informed Ligon’s practice for decades.

“Using text as both material and subject, Glenn Ligon creates art that rewards sustained engagement,” said Molly Donovan, curator of contemporary art and acting head of modern and contemporary art at the National Gallery of Art. “This body of work pulls us in again and again, to look and to read deeply, encouraging viewers to consider the nature of language and representation in contemporary society.”

The section of the exhibition curated by Ligon—a practice he began in the early 2000s—includes works by artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Beauford Delaney, Julius Eastman, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, David Hammons, Jennie C. Jones, Byron Kim, Adrian Piper, Lorna Simpson, Bob Thompson, Rosie Lee Tompkins, Bill Traylor, and Jack Whitten, among others. Reflecting many of Ligon’s sources of inspiration, they offer new perspectives on the artistic dialogues foundational to his practice and collectively encourage deep looking and visual excavation of the recurring throughlines in his work.

The exhibition’s reading room offers visitors the opportunity to engage with literary works formative to the works in the exhibition, including Gertrude Stein’s short story “Melanctha” (1933), a poem by Reverend William Holmes Borders Sr., “I Am Somebody” (1940s), James Baldwin’s essay “Stranger in the Village” (1953), and Toni Morrison’s novel Jazz (1992).
 

Exhibition Tour

National Gallery of Art, Washington, April 3–September 6, 2027
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, October 30, 2027–April 16, 2028
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, May 13–September 10, 2028

Exhibition Organization and Support

Glenn Ligon: Subtext is organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Major support for the exhibition has been provided by the Sam Gilliam Foundation. The exhibition is also made possible through the generosity of the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation. Additional support for the exhibition has been provided by the Henry Luce Foundationa and the Elizabeth Firestone Graham Foundation.

Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation.

Exhibition Curator

Molly Donovan, curator of contemporary art and acting head of modern and contemporary art, in consultation with the artist.

Exhibition Publication

An illustrated book copublished by the National Gallery of Art and the University of Chicago Press is the first publication ever to highlight Ligon’s consistent focus on African American literary production. Glenn Ligon: Subtext features essays from exhibition curator Molly Donovan (National Gallery of Art), Jordan Carter (Dia Art Foundation), and Robert F. Reid-Pharr (New York University), alongside an interview with Glenn Ligon by fellow artist Jennie C. Jones and a written contribution from artist Julie Mehretu.

About the National Gallery of Art

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, is the nation’s art museum, home to a renowned collection of over 160,000 works of art, from antiquity to today. Each year, the museum welcomes millions of people in person and online to explore art, creativity, and our shared humanity. Located on the National Mall, admission to the West and East Buildings, Sculpture Garden, special exhibitions, and public programs is always free.