Fables, Fairy Tales, and Fiction in American Art

May 7, 2024–November 3, 2024

American art is filled with stories. Some of these fables, fairy tales, and fictions exist only in paintings, drawings, and sculptures, but just as often, these works of art represent stories already well-known in the culture where they were created. This collection focus exhibition features seven works from the Birmingham Museum of Art’s holdings and is now on view in the American art gallery. It offers a small glimpse into the fantastic fables, fairy tales, and fictions in American art.

Image credit: William Holbrook Beard (American 1824–1900), Little Red Riding Hood, about 1870, oil on panel; Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Harold E. Simon, 1981.45