Registrar Support

Registrar Support

Learn more about our registrar support areas.

If a service isn't available through the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, we've provided alternative suggestions.

Learn more about our registrar support areas.
No exhibitions were found
No exhibitions were found

November 11 2023 - January 7 2024

Inspired Aging: Wellness and Creative Courage

The Inspired Aging: Art and Wellness course brings to life the many ways mindfulness and creativity can both inspire and positively impact well-being. 

Learn More

October 2023 – September 2024

China Blues: The World in Blue and White

The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art has recently received a generous gift of 95 spectacular works of Chinese art. The collection includes a range of objects from the Ming and Qing dynasties in a wide array of materials, including beautifully carved jades, paintings, textiles, and ceramics.

Learn More

August 17, 2023 - January 7, 2024

Black American Portraits

'Black American Portraits' reframes the history of portraiture to center Black American subjects, sitters, and spaces. The exhibition chronicles the many ways in which Black Americans have used portraiture to envision themselves in their own eyes.

Learn More
Barkley Leonnard Hendricks, 'Self Portrait', 1977, © Barkley L. Hendricks. Rennie Collection, Vancouver
Barkley Leonnard Hendricks, 'Self Portrait', 1977, © Barkley L. Hendricks. Rennie Collection, Vancouver

May 12th - July/August 2023

Sense-ational!: The Art of the Five Senses

Explore how artists convey sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch in their masterpieces. This interactive exhibit will highlight art from Memphis’s art collection ranging from floral watercolor to Cubist prints. 

Learn More
Walter I. Anderson (American (active in Mississippi), 1903 - 1965), Floral Decorative, 1951, Watercolor, Brooks Memorial Art Gallery purchase, funds provided by the Memphis Park Commission, the Brooks Fine Arts Foundation and Mrs. Walter I. Anderson, 69.7.2
Walter I. Anderson (American (active in Mississippi), 1903 - 1965), Floral Decorative, 1951, Watercolor, Brooks Memorial Art Gallery purchase, funds provided by the Memphis Park Commission, the Brooks Fine Arts Foundation and Mrs. Walter I. Anderson, 69.7.2

February 15th - April 30th

Art Builds Creativity

This dynamic exhibition features artwork created by the Memphis-area students who participated in the 2022-23 Art Builds Creativity (ABC) program.

Learn More

January 20 - February 19, 2023

2023 Mid-South Scholastic Art Awards

Learn More
“Kendall” by Sydney Wickens, age 18, grade 12, Arlington High School, Drawing & Illustration, Senior Division Best in Show
“Kendall” by Sydney Wickens, age 18, grade 12, Arlington High School, Drawing & Illustration, Senior Division Best in Show

January 27 - October 29, 2023

Tommy Kha: Eye is Another

This site-specific, photography-based installation by artist Tommy Kha explores themes of identity, (in)visibility, and sense of place and is presented as part of the inaugural, state-wide Tennessee Triennial for Contemporary Art organized by Tristar Arts.

Learn More
Tommy Kha, 'Eye is Another', 2022-23, Inkjet prints on Photo Tex, dimensions variable
Tommy Kha, 'Eye is Another', 2022-23, Inkjet prints on Photo Tex, dimensions variable

March 10 - June 25, 2023

Harmonia Rosales: Master Narrative

Through her visceral paintings that weave the tales of West African Yorùbà religion, Greco-Roman mythology, and Christianity with artistic techniques of European Old Masters, Harmonia Rosales rewrites the narrative from her perspective in a way that bridges the vastest of oceans and collapses the passing of millennia.

Learn More
Harmonia Rosales, 'Migration of the Gods', 2021 Oil with iron oxide and 24 karat gold leaf on Belgian linen mounted on wood panel 36 × 72 in. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Museum purchase, 2022.2
Harmonia Rosales, 'Migration of the Gods', 2021 Oil with iron oxide and 24 karat gold leaf on Belgian linen mounted on wood panel 36 × 72 in. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Museum purchase, 2022.2

March 19, 2025 - September 7, 2025

Calida Rawles: Away with the Tides

In her first solo museum presentation, Calida Rawles envisions water as a space for Black healing. Merging hyperrealism, poetic abstraction, and water's cultural and historical symbolisms, Rawles creates unique portraits of Black bodies submerged in and interacting with bright and mysterious bodies of water.

Learn More
Calida Rawles, 'Towner for Life', 2024 acrylic on canvas 72 x 102 inches 182.9 x 259.1 cm © Calida Rawles Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and London. Photo by Marten Elder
Calida Rawles, 'Towner for Life', 2024 acrylic on canvas 72 x 102 inches 182.9 x 259.1 cm © Calida Rawles Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and London. Photo by Marten Elder

May 22, 2025

Suchitra Mattai: with abundance we meet

'with abundance we meet' is an installation made of ‘fruit’ ('phala' in Hindi) sculptures by the artist Suchitra Mattai that are ripe with possibilities, conjuring wombs and fertility spirits.

Learn More
Suchitra Mattai, 'phala' (fruit), 2023. 15 components comprised of vintage saris, rope, and chain, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California; Photo: Robert Wedemeyer.
Suchitra Mattai, 'phala' (fruit), 2023. 15 components comprised of vintage saris, rope, and chain, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California; Photo: Robert Wedemeyer.

March - December 2026

Remembering the Memphis College of Art, 1936-2020

For eighty-four years, the Memphis College of Art offered a rigorous arts education to students from across the country and around the world. Through this exhibition of ninety faculty, administrators, and graduates, 'Remembering the Memphis College of Art, 1936-2020' reflects on the school’s historical impact and celebrates its continued legacy regionally and beyond.

Learn More

Photography Policy

Photography is permitted with no flash for personal and casual use. Flash is forbidden because it has the potential to damage artworks as well as it is distracting to other museum visitors. On occasions, photography restrictions do come up. Visitor Services will inform the public about such restrictions upon their arrival and appropriate signage will be posted at exhibition entrances. Video and tripods may not to be used in any museum gallery. Movie and video cameras also may not be used in the galleries.

Image Licensing / Permanent Collection

Works of art in the collection of Memphis Brook Museum of Art (the “Museum”), although owned by the Museum, may be protected by copyright, publication rights, or related interests that are not owned by the Museum. In supplying images, the Museum is not giving permission to exploit any third party rights. Individuals requesting images have the responsibility to obtain whatever rights or other permissions that may be required from an artist, his estate or any other third party rights holder.

  1. The museum charges licensing fees for high resolution images (tiffs or jpegs) that are provided with contractual guidelines. These fees help fund ongoing efforts to care for our collection.
  2. The Registrar’s Office will provide, free of charge, a low resolution digital image (jpeg) of a work of art in Memphis Brooks Museum’s ("the museum”) permanent collection, if it is available, for educational use or for scholarly or personal research, including a thesis, dissertation, or other school related paper. If you request a work in the museum’s collection that has not been photographed, photography may have to be arranged and this could involve a fee. Digital materials requested for research and educational purposes are not intended for publication, broadcast, or in any medium or for personal or commercial gain. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or exploitation of this material is not permitted. All parties using this material will not infringe or violate the rights of any other party.
  3. The museum is committed to protecting the copyright and other protective rights of creative artists. Some artist’s copyrights may be administered by Visual Artists and Galleries Association, Inc. (VAGA) or Artists Rights Society (ARS).

Submitting Image Requests

Requests must include contact information (name, address, telephone, e-mail), and refer to image by artist/maker, title, and/or accession number. If it is to be published in any format, other information required: title and author of publication; format (book, web, journal, catalog, etc…); Print run and retail price; publication date; publishers name and address; number of languages; designate cover, full page, ¼ page, ½ page illustration; size of digital image required for project (pixels).

PLEASE FORWARD ALL IMAGING REQUESTS TO:

Registrar’s Office / Rights and Reproductions
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art
1934 Poplar Ave.
Memphis, TN 38104
Fax: 901-544-6276
E-mail: Collections@brooksmuseum.org

All requests are subject to review and approval. Costs vary and will be determined based upon intended use, available photography, and preferred delivery method. A quote will be sent outlining these costs, followed by a contract that specifies how the image(s) may be used in your project. Advanced payment required.

Please state whether the image will be used for research purposes or publication. Once a written request is received, an Application for Permission for Reproduction form along with an invoice for the appropriate fees will be sent. Reproduction fees vary, and requests for new photography incur additional fees. Upon receipt of signed form and payment, photographic material will be forwarded.The Brooks will provide reproductions of work protected by the artist’s copyright once permission is granted by either the artist, his or her estate, or the organization handling the artist’s copyright, including the Visual Artists and Galleries Association (VAGA) or the Artists Rights Society (ARS).

VAGA

350 Fifth Ave., Suite 6305 New York, NY 10118
Tel: 212.736.6666
Fax: 212.736.6767
E-mail: rpanzer@vagarights.com
Website: www.vaga.org

ARS

536 Broadway, 5th Floor New York, NY 10012
Tel: 212.420.9160
Fax: 212.420.9286
E-mail: info@arsny.com
Website: www.arsny.com


Appraisals

The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is unable to appraise artworks. The museum recommends that an accredited appraiser be contacted directly. The following information is provided to aid in your search for an expert in a field related to your artwork. For assistance with finding an appraiser, please contact:

International Society of Appraisers
225 West Wacker Drive, Suite 650
Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: 312-981-6778
Fax: 312-265-2908
Email: usa@usa-appraisers.org
Website: isa-appraisers.org

Conservation

Stanford University's Preservation maintains links to numerous websites providing information regarding the care of artworks. Please click here for online conservation resources. For assistance in finding a conservator, please contact:

The American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works
1156 15th St. NW Suite 320
Washington D.C. 20005-1714
Tel: 202.452.9545
Email: info@aic-faic.org
Website: conservation-us.org

Before choosing a conservator, we suggest you refer to the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Work brochure guidelines. This brochure can be accessed at conservation-us.org.

Additional Internet Resources:
What is a print?
The Art History Research Centre
Artnet Worldwide Corporation

MBMA Frames Assessment

Provenance

The provenance of a work of art is the history of the object’s ownership from the time of its creation to present day. Gaps in an object’s provenance highlight the need for further documentary evidence to clarify the history of ownership. In compliance with best-practice guidelines issued by the American Association of Museums in 1999 and 2001, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is committed to researching the provenance of the objects in our collection. While the provenance of many of these objects may never be fully resolved, the recent declassification of documents and the broad range of databases, catalogues, and images available on the Internet from libraries, museums, and research centers worldwide, make the chance for success greater than ever before.

Nazi-Era Research

Between 1933 and 1945, the Nazi Party systemically persecuted and stripped Jewish people from Nazi-occupied Europe of their possessions. These objects were looted, sold, dispersed, or destroyed. The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art began Nazi-Era provenance research in 2002, focusing on all European paintings in the permanent collection that transferred ownership or have gaps in their provenance from 1933 to 1945.

Although we cannot conclude that a work of art was looted or appropriated by the Nazis simply because it has incomplete or unverified information in its provenance, gaps in provenance do indicate that more robust research must be conducted. Many times, these gaps are the result of lost or destroyed gallery records or requested anonymity of a past owner. Several of the museum’s paintings have been researched and their provenance has been established, while others continue to be investigated.

The American Association of Museums has developed a Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal which provides a searchable registry of objects in United States museum collections that fit the criteria discussed above.

Colonial-Era Research

Throughout history, many works of art from around the world were stolen, forcibly sold, or taken without consent as the direct result of Colonialism. The communities whose objects were taken experienced trauma, violence, and loss. Looting is not just an issue of the past. These problems persist globally due to war, riot, shifts in government, organized crime, terrorism, and natural disasters and, unfortunately, looted objects emerge on the art market to this day. The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is committed to not only investigating the history of objects in our collection with possible links to Colonialism, but also to ensuring that all incoming acquisitions and gifts have a verified past that align with our ethical obligations.

Click here to see a list of works from the Brooks Museum’s permanent collection that are currently undergoing research due to lapses in provenance. In allowing public access to this information, we join with the international art museum community in the diligent search for items seized or looted. Our records undergo continuous review, and we update them as new information is available.

If you have any inquiries or information about these items, please contact the museum.

DISCLAIMER

The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art does not recommend one appraiser, conservator, framer, or other art professional over another. This list includes suggestions of organizations that may be consulted, however, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art will not be held responsible for any conservation or appraisals. This information is provided as a resource and is not an endorsement of any organization or individual.

Galleries

You can start your visit to the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art online and purchase your tickets before your arrive.

Plan your visit

Permanent Collections

Information about the permanent collections of the Brooks Museum

Interior with Soldiers
Provenance Research Paintings
View CollectionView Collection