The Modern Portrait

From the earliest cave paintings more than 20,000 years ago to the present day, portraiture has been an obsession of humanity. Its history has been shaped by competing impulses: a striving for likeness, the ennoblement of the subject, or a truth about the world in which the subject lived. What connects these impulses—and what the best portraiture attains—is a fusion of inner life and outer world. The ideas and methods of artists change over time, but the concerns of the form are ever-present. From Hans Holbein the Younger's fastidious construction of the sitter's identity, to Picabia's deconstruction of the body's form, to Paul Klee's colorful abstractions, and into the photographic worlds of Man Ray and August Sander, the history of the portrait is capacious. The Modern Portrait, a new exhibition from Site:Brooklyn, seeks contemporary works in all media that engage with the portrait: as subject or as concept, as material or as metaphor.

Juror: Theodora Walsh is a writer and cur...

The Modern Portrait

Online Exhibition October 2, 2026 - November 2, 2026

From the earliest cave paintings more than 20,000 years ago to the present day, portraiture has been an obsession of humanity. Its history has been shaped by competing impulses: a striving for likeness, the ennoblement of the subject, or a truth about the world in which the subject lived. What connects these impulses—and what the best portraiture attains—is a fusion of inner life and outer world. The ideas and methods of artists change over time, but the concerns of the form are ever-present. From Hans Holbein the Younger's fastidious construction of the sitter's identity, to Picabia's deconstruction of the body's form, to Paul Klee's colorful abstractions, and into the photographic worlds of Man Ray and August Sander, the history of the portrait is capacious. The Modern Portrait, a new exhibition from Site:Brooklyn, seeks contemporary works in all media that engage with the portrait: as subject or as concept, as material or as metaphor.

About the Juror: Theodora Walsh’s writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Gulf Coast, sfmoma’s Open Space, Apogee, Vol 1 Brooklyn, and Unbag. Criticism in Artforum, KQED arts, Art Papers, BOMB, Electronic Book Review, and Afterimage, and elsewhere. Currently, in collaboration with Gabriel Garza, she runs a curatorial project in San Francisco called In Concert.

About the Gallery: Site:Brooklyn Gallery is dedicated to exhibiting the current practice of contemporary artists. We are taking Site:Brooklyn online with a new series of interactive exhibitions. Our goal remains the same, to connect artists with an expert and diverse set of jurors through the open call format. Our new program focuses on online open call exhibitions, selected by a cast of new jurors, solo artist features, and spotlights. 

Dates:
Call Announcement: July 30, 2026
Final Submission Deadline: September 9, 2026 11:59 PM PT
Notification Letter: September 18, 2026                                 Online Exhibition:  October 2, 2026 - November 2, 2026
 

Presentation: Once accepted, artists will be required to upload high-res photo files of their work. 

Sales/Commissions:
All artwork must be priced for sale.
Artwork must be available for sale during the exhibition and cannot be withdrawn before the end of the exhibit.
Artists will retain a 60% commission on all exhibition sales. The price represented on the artist entry form will be the sale price. 

Contact/Questions:
Please direct all questions to sitebrooklyn@sitebrooklyn.com

 

Submissions and fees:
Only original works may be submitted. All artwork must be in imperial dimensions (inches and feet)  The fee is $26.00 for three (3) images, $10 for each additional image. If adding additional images please do so prior to check out.
All entries must be registered/received by September 9, 2026 11:59 PM MT
All entry fees are non-refundable.

Eligibility:
This is a juried exhibition for artists working in all media. This exhibition is open to all artists 18 years of age or older.