NSU Museum of Art Gets ‘HAPPY!’

By Greg Carannante, City & Shore Magazine
November 1, 2019

Strange bedfellows are taking up residence until next summer in the galleries of NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale: compelling, dream-like images of Latin American surrealism side-by-side with an exhibit whose title conjures the image of a smiley-face emoji. Simply called “Happy!” the emotionally engaging exhibit is inhabited by artists whose creative work, while rewarding themselves with a sense of euphoria and hope, aims to provide viewers with a sense of well-being. It is on view through July 5, 2020. Taking its title from an assertion by famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, “I Paint My Reality” examines the manifestation of surrealism in Latin America from the 1930s to today. It opens Nov. 17 through June 30, 2020. Both exhibits are curated by museum director Bonnie Clearwater.

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Exhibitions

Currently on View

Piero Penizzotto, Kings of Comedy (Chris, Imani, Bernard, Calvin, Dre), 2024 Papier-mâché, foam and acrylic Photography by Oriol Tarridas Courtesy of the Artist and Primary

Close to Home

June 7 - October 4, 2026
William J. Glackens, Along the Marne, 1925, Oil on board, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, bequest of Ira D. Glackens 91.40.107

Defining Landscapes

May 7 - July 26, 2026
Frantz Zéphirin, Ceremonie Zeïdes Medji La Mère des Erzulies (Ceremony of the Zeïdes Medji, the Mother of the Erzulies.), 2016, Acrylic on canvas, 20 x 24 inches, Copyright the artist, courtesy of CENTRAL FINE and El-Saieh.

Frantz Zéphirin: The Messenger

June 7 - October 4, 2026
Asger Jorn, Individuum Ineffable (Ineffable Personality), 1966, Acrylic on paper mounted on canvas, 21.7 x 18.5 in (55.2 x 46.9 cm), NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale; Cobra Collection; gift of Golda and Meyer Marks M-98.30. © 2025 Donation Jorn, Silkeborg / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VISDA; Photograph by Angelika Rinnhofer.

Asger Jorn: Luck and Chance

September 21, 2025 - August 9, 2026