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Art & Art History vocabulary · Museums & Galleries

Retrospective

Meaning in art & art history, with examples

/ˌretrəˈspektɪv/nounCommon term

In art & art history, retrospective means: A large exhibition that shows an artist's work from their whole career, or from a long period of it, usually in chronological order.

In Turkish: retrospektif sergi, retrospektif, geriye dönük sergi

How it is used

Major museums hold or stage retrospectives, often for well-established or recently deceased artists, so a retrospective is a sign of recognition. Used as a noun (a Picasso retrospective) or an adjective (a retrospective exhibition).

Example sentences

  1. The retrospective brings together 200 works from five decades.

  2. Her first major retrospective opens in Istanbul this autumn.

Common collocations

  • major retrospective
  • career retrospective
  • hold a retrospective
  • retrospective exhibition
  • exhibitionA public show of artworks or objects, arranged in a museum, gallery or other space, either for a limited time or permanently.
  • oeuvreThe complete body of work an artist produced during their life, considered as a whole.
  • curatorA person who chooses and arranges artworks for exhibitions, or who looks after and researches a museum's collection.
  • loanAn arrangement in which a museum or collector lends an artwork to another institution for a period, usually for an exhibition; also the work that is lent.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Museums & Galleries

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