This exhibition showcases the artistic dialogue between Guston and Hancock for the first time, investigating the role of artists in advocating for social justice.
Draw Them In, Paint Them Out features the works of Philip Guston (American, born Canada 1913–1980), the son of Jewish immigrants from Odessa (now in Ukraine), alongside Trenton Doyle Hancock (American, born 1974), a prominent Black contemporary artist based in Houston, Texas, presenting them in dialogue for the first time. The exhibition delves into the significant connections between their artistic expressions and the critical role artists have in advancing social justice.
Highlighting both artists’ intertwined thematic investigations into evil, self-identity, otherness, and art as activism, Draw Them In, Paint Them Out displays iconic works by Guston, such as his well-known satirical Ku Klux Klan paintings, alongside crucial pieces created by Hancock inspired by his mentor. By emphasizing artwork that portrays the Klan, the exhibition illustrates how they both confront and, at times, embody these hateful figures to investigate their identities and examine broader systems of institutionalized power and their resulting complicity. Despite the challenging subject matter and often stark imagery, both Hancock and Guston manage to transform their pain and emotions into a form of humor that balances darkness with undeniable engagement, rooted in their mutual appreciation for the visual language of comics.
Curated by Rebecca Shaykin, Barnett and Annalee Newman Curator of Contemporary Art, and in collaboration with Trenton Doyle Hancock, Draw Them In, Paint Them Out: Trenton Doyle Hancock Confronts Philip Guston is organized by the Jewish Museum in New York. The Skirball Cultural Center presentation is managed by Vicki Phung Smith, Curator.
Draw Them In, Paint Them Out will be on display at the Skirball in Los Angeles, California, until March 1, 2026.
For additional information, visit skirball.org.
