NEW YORK.-The Museum of Modern Art presents Repicturing the Past/Picturing the Present, an exhibition of nearly 100 prints that demonstrate how artists from the late nineteenth century to today have explored contemporary issues by challenging, redeeming, or personalizing historical subjects. Included are works by artists from earlier periods such as Max Beckmann and Pablo Picasso, as well as contemporary prints by such artists as Christian Boltanski and Kiki Smith, who take a narrative approach to printmaking by referring to events in history, ancient mythology, the Bible, or centuries-old fables.

The selection of works culminates in a gallery devoted to the powerful series of 15 prints by Kara Walker (American, b. 1969), entitled Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated) (2005), on view for the first time at MoMA. To create this series, the artist has printed her well-known silhouettes of figures and scenes over historical illustrations from a latenineteenth-century compendium based on materials from Harper’s Weekly, the most widely read periodical of the Civil War era. Walker’s prints provide insight into the racial injustices of the Civil War period while examining the role they play in the stereotypes of today.

The exhibition is organized by Judith B. Hecker, Assistant Curator, Department of Prints and Illustrated Books, The Museum of Modern Art. A Web site has been created for the exhibition, focusing on the Kara Walker project: moma.org/repicturingthepast