Saint Louis Art Museum to Exhibit Julie Mehretu's 'Epigraph, Damascus' in 2026-2027
The Facts
The Saint Louis Art Museum will present 'Unsettling the City: Julie Mehretu's "Epigraph, Damascus"', an exhibition centered on the artist's monumental six-panel print from 2016. Measuring over 17 feet in length, 'Epigraph, Damascus' takes the Syrian cities of Damascus and Homs as its point of departure, layering fragmented architectural forms with photographic imagery and traditional intaglio techniques. The exhibition will run from November 6, 2026, through July 11, 2027, in St. Louis, Missouri, and will be presented alongside a selection of other works depicting cities. The print reflects Mehretu's interest in constructing what she has described as 'story maps of no location', in which recognisable places are deconstructed and reassembled to form an imagined reality.
The Signal
For collectors and curators, this exhibition signals a deepening institutional engagement with Mehretu's printmaking practice, which has often been overshadowed by her large-scale paintings. The focus on a single, politically charged work—'Epigraph, Damascus'—offers a concentrated lens on her use of cartography and architectural fragmentation to address themes of displacement and urban conflict. The extended run of over eight months suggests the museum is positioning the show as a major draw, potentially increasing market visibility for Mehretu's editioned works, which have seen growing demand in recent years.
- Artists: Julie Mehretu
- Galleries: White Cube, Niels Borch Jensen Gallery & Editions
- Museums: Saint Louis Art Museum
- Locations: St. Louis
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