“Jimmie Durham: At the Center of the World” is one of several exhibits on display at the Hammer Museum through the rest of the winter.

“We’re thrilled that one of the first exhibitions in our newly-renovated galleries will be ‘Jimmie Durham: At the Center of the World,’” said Hammer Director Ann Philbin. “Durham is an important American artist whose work is crucial to a full understanding of the history of American art. He provides a singular and vital perspective on America’s colonial history, while also approaching his work from a distinctly international position, believing that artists should be citizens of the world.”

“Malinche” by Jimmie Durham is an example of how Durham employs subject matter based on historical events and figures. (photo courtesy of Hammer Museum)

The exhibition is Durham’s first major U.S. exhibition since 1995 and features nearly 200 works, including sculpture, drawing, collage, printmaking, photography and video.

“Durham’s interests are broad–history, science, architecture are recurring subjects, for example–and his wide-ranging work as an artist, essayist, poet, and activist cannot easily be defined. His distinctive wit, attentiveness to materials, and interest in language are central to his practice,” said exhibition curator Anne Ellegood. “Durham’s works represent what art does at its best: interrogate, complicate, implicate, remind, lament, satirize, and savor, giving us hope that intelligence today might outweigh the stupidity of yesterday.”

The exhibit will run until May 7.

The Hammer will also exhibit Dubuffet Drawings, 1935 to 1962, featuring drawings of Jean Dubuffet, until April 30; Hammer Projects: Kevin Beasley, until April 23; Hammer Projects: Simon Denny, until April 23; and Selections from the Hammer Contemporary Collection: Liz Craft, until April 30.

The Hammer Museum is located at 10899 Wilshire Blvd. For information, visit hammer.ucla.edu.