EXHIBITIONS Current & Upcoming

One hundred years ago, George Grosz painted Eclipse of the Sun, a scathing critique of fascism and one of the most significant artworks in the Heckscher Museum’s collection. This exhibition explores the painting’s enduring message alongside politically engaged art created over the last century.

Born in Berlin in 1893, Grosz became a political artist in the aftermath of World War I. His Eclipse of the Sun, created in 1926, satirizes the corruption, violence, and apathy of the German government and society during this period. In the 1930s, when the Nazis labeled him a “degenerate” artist, Grosz fled to the United States. He and his family moved here, to Huntington, New York, in 1947. Following his death in 1959, the Heckscher Museum led a community fundraising campaign to purchase Eclipse of the Sun, ensuring that it would remain accessible to the public as a cornerstone of the collection.

This exhibition places Eclipse of the Sun and other art by Grosz in dialogue with work by leading artists of our time drawn from the collections of the Heckscher Museum and the Art Bridges Foundation. The artworks on view address interrelated themes including war, immigration, civil rights, mass media, and the environment. Eclipse of the Sun Now celebrates the power of art—to offer solace, to foster resistance, and to channel hope.

Curated by Karli Wurzelbacher, PhD, Chief Curator with Meredith A. Brown, PhD, Consulting Curator of Contemporary Art

Now in its 31st year, Long Island’s Best is an annual hallmark of the Museum’s educational programming, showcasing the outstanding work of high school students from across Long Island. Students visit the Museum and are challenged to select artwork on view as the inspiration for their own work, making creative connections with the generations who have come before them.

The Heckscher encourages students to think outside the box as they work in a broad range of media, styles, and subjects. Students also write artist statements explaining their creative process. Hundreds of students submit works for jurying, with approximately 80 selected for exhibition. Heckscher Museum Assistant Curator Jessica Rosen and guest juror Joan Kim Suzuki will jury the 2027 exhibition.

This collection exhibition explores the early decades of the twentieth century, a time of tremendous social, cultural, political, and technological change. Encompassing varied styles, genres, and media, the exhibition features the work of artists such as Stuart Davis, Elsie Driggs, Marsden Hartley, Paul Manship, Man Ray, and Florine Stettheimer. It spotlights those who found inspiration in Long Island’s natural environment, including Arthur Dove, PaJaMa, Helen Torr, Bumpei Usui, and Max Weber. New acquisitions are also featured: James Van Der Zee’s photographs capture the vibrancy of the Harlem Renaissance, Wood Gaylor’s Arts Ball, 1918 expresses the exuberance of his artistic community, and Harold Anchel’s works on paper speak to government support for the arts during the Great Depression.