The Milwaukee Art Museum hosts the only Gertrude Abercrombie surrealist art exhibition in the Midwest.The nationally touring exhibition features 83 paintings and runs through July 19. Milwaukee is the only city in the Midwest to host the retrospective.The Milwaukee Art Museum is hosting a nationally touring exhibition featuring the surreal artwork of Gertrude Abercrombie, making Milwaukee the only city in the Midwest to showcase the collection.Titled "Gertrude Abercrombie: The whole world is a mystery," the exhibit features 83 paintings. The collection is the largest nationally touring retrospective of Abercrombie's work and runs through July 19.Abercrombie, born in 1909 to opera singers, began painting in the 1930s. Her surreal art was heavily inspired by dreams and imagination.Watch: The Milwaukee Art Museum hosts the only Gertrude Abercrombie surrealist art exhibition in the Midwest Gertrude Abercrombie exhibition at Milwaukee Art Museum"It means art that is inspired in great part by dreams and imagination, in which making the work realistic or look like the world is not what matters," Milwaukee Art Museum Associate Curator Dr. Thomas Busciglio-Ritter said. "What matters is your feeling, your emotion, putting out there on canvas."Busciglio-Ritter noted that Abercrombie was interested in everyday objects that looked slightly strange. The exhibition includes "Witches Switches," a piece belonging to the Milwaukee Art Museum that was inspired by a dream Abercrombie had about hair extensions and changing her identity.Another prominent piece, "Inheritance," highlights the influence of music in her life. Abercrombie was heavily involved in the Chicago jazz scene, earning the title "queen of the bohemian artists," and was friends with musicians like Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.The exhibit also features wearable art from the 1950s, including brooches painted with self-portraits, landscapes, and everyday objects that Abercrombie originally sold in department stores.The gallery space is designed as a maze to reflect the artist's complex mind. At the end of the exhibit, visitors enter a learning and engagement space."You can dive deeper and listen to an interview with Gertrude Abercrombie," Director of Marketing and Communications Cortney Heimerl said. "There's a Spotify playlist, so you can kind of like vibe to yourself while you look at the catalog."The space also includes a photo booth with props inspired by the paintings.The museum is hosting related events, including Kohl's Family Sunday on May 3, which features a campus-wide takeover focused on imagination. On May 15, the museum will host "MAM After Dark," transforming the space into a jazz club called the Blue Room.The exhibition was highlighted through a partnership with Imagine MKE, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting creative people and spaces throughout the Milwaukee area.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip ...read more read less