NEW ORLEANS – This fall, the New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) opens a survey of paintings by the American artist Danielle Mckinney. Titled Danielle Mckinney: Shelter, the exhibition includes over 40 paintings and works on paper spanning the last five years of the artist’s practice, marking her most comprehensive museum exhibition to date. McKinney was just selected as part of the TIME100 Inaugural Art class, comprised of leaders shaping the future of the field.
Danielle Mckinney: Shelter will be on view at NOMA starting Nov. 6 through summer 2027.
“Mckinney’s paintings are profound reflections of intimate moments captured in rich painting techniques of oil and acrylic. We are honored to share this insightful survey with our visitors,” said Susan M. Taylor, The Montine McDaniel Freeman Director of NOMA. “This presentation underscores Mckinney’s reflections on the conventions of portraiture and her acute understanding of color and Modernist traditions. The exhibition perfectly represents NOMA’s commitment to presenting contemporary art within the context of a larger arc of world art history.”
The exhibition was organized by the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida, and is the tenth exhibition from the Norton’s Recognition of Art by Women (RAW) series.
Danielle Mckinney: Shelter showcases works that center on solitary female figures within interior settings, offering glimpses into moments of private contemplation, respite, or ease. The women in Mckinney’s paintings possess a timeless quality, often situated within familiar domestic scenes that evoke a subtle nostalgia. While viewers may recognize the intimate spaces or the emotions reflected in the subject’s knowing glances, the paintings also maintain a distance. By balancing emotional resonance with essential unknowability, Mckinney transforms quiet moments into meditations on solitude, privacy, and shared human connection.
“Mckinney’s paintings unfold like moments suspended in time,” said J. Rachel Gustafson, chief curatorial officer at the Norton Museum of Art. “They invite viewers to consider the emotional and spiritual dimensions of solitude, and how stillness itself can become a site of imagination and strength. Her work captures an interior world that feels both deeply personal and profoundly human.”
Mckinney’s technique deepens the allure of her work, drawing on art history, color theory, and portraiture traditions. Her figures emerge from dark grounds, recalling the tenebrism used by artists for centuries to focus the viewer’s attention and heighten the atmosphere. The compositions also contain literal references to Modern painting, not only through the gestural strokes of paint, but also through the inclusion of paintings within paintings with allusions to works by artists such as Matisse and Picasso. This layering of historical references and techniques transforms Mckinney’s domestic spaces from ordinary rooms into settings that feel luxurious and exclusive, mirroring the idea of rest as a coveted commodity.
“This exhibition is an important opportunity for our visitors to consider the roles of painting and portraiture in the 21st century.” said Anne Collins Smith, Chief Curator at NOMA. “We hope that Mckinney’s concept of ‘shelter’ resonates with larger conversations around art, embodiment, and self-possession.”