Carnegie International Archives - Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh

A Weighty Conversation

By Marylynne Pitz

The 58th Carnegie International explores the unvarnished histories of social movements.

Grouping of various artwork from various artists

In Celebration of Artists and Their Truth

By Justin Hopper

The 58th Carnegie International sets out to showcase not only the art but also the very individual perspectives of artists from across the globe.

Art in Contradiction

By Elizabeth Hoover

The newly named curator of the Carnegie International finds inspiration in the uncomfortable complexities of life.

Two young girls sitting in chairs inside a neon house watching a video.

A Joyful Resistance

By Julie Hannon

Exploring art and ideas from five continents at the Carnegie International.

An exterior view of the museum showing the neon names that wrap around the perimeter.

Making an Entrance

By Cristina Rouvalis

The 57th edition of the Carnegie International is front and center, thanks to two show-stopping works on the exterior of Carnegie Museums’ historic Oakland building.

Photos of 2 artists. One is sitting at her desk, the other is sitting on the scaffolding of a billboard.

Lenka Clayton and Jon Rubin want you to leave the museum with an original artwork.

By Julie Hannon

During the first 35 years of the Carnegie International, from 1896 to 1931, the museum tracked every submission to what was then an annual painting show. Exactly 10,632 artworks were

Long horizontal painting of white letters on a black background. The letters spell out the sentence, do I have to hraw you a picture?

Mel Bochner is creating new work for the museum and city that introduced him to art.

By Cristina Rouvalis

At age 8, Mel Bochner spent Saturday mornings boarding the trolley near his East End home, handing the conductor 8 cents and then traveling alone to Carnegie Museum of Art.

close-up view of blue terra cotta tile laid in a herring bone pattern.

Painting’s Broad Brush

By Barbara Klein

Whether using canvas, ceramics, or textiles, today’s contemporary artists are rethinking what else a painting can be.

Two men sorting through rusted scrap metal in front of a rusted abandoned steel mill.

Reconstructing History

By Julie Hannon

Reflecting a world in transition, artists use their stage to wrestle with the past and confront contemporary issues of borders, boundaries, and labor.

Group of people standing together with the city of Pittsburgh behind them. One man is pointing and holding a book.

The Road to the International

By Julie Hannon

Nearly all of the artwork for this year’s Carnegie International is being created new for the exhibition—and, in turn, for Pittsburgh. Curator Ingrid Schaffner started her travel research in 2016,

Directors’ Note

By Staff

Since 1896, the Carnegie International has brought the world to Pittsburgh. At the outset, this recurring showcase of contemporary painting drew mostly from Western Europe and the United States. With

Painting of a valley with train tracks running beneath a bridge, there are houses on the hillsides and a boiler plant with a smoke stack on one side

John Kane helped build industrial Pittsburgh. Then, as a complete unknown, his work was accepted into the 1927 Carnegie International, making him the first self-taught artist to be recognized by the American art establishment. His muse: his adopted city.

Artist standing in front of large wooden sculptures

Thinking in the Round

By Julie Hannon

For decades, Pittsburgh sculptor Thaddeus Mosley has been circling the wood to find the art within. And this year, a dream of sorts comes true as he joins the ranks of artists he’s always admired as part of the 2018 Carnegie International.

Ingrid Schaffner standing in a gallery of carnegie Museum of art

Face Time: Ingrid Schaffner

By Elizabeth Hoover

Once a year, curator Ingrid Schaffner delivers a lecture titled What Is Contemporary? She begins with a declaration: “I will never answer this, so come back next year.” Then she