The Akron Art Museum will open “History Is Painted by the Victors,” a major survey exhibition of works by Cree artist Kent Monkman, on April 11, 2026. The show is the only Midwest stop on the exhibition’s North American tour, which previously appeared at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the Denver Art Museum. Works in the exhibition include loans from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and private collections.

Monkman, born in 1965 and a member of the Fisher River Cree Nation, uses classical European painting techniques to examine colonial history, Indigenous rights, and queer identity. His recurring alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, appears throughout the works as a figure who subverts conventional art historical narratives and reclaims Indigenous perspectives. The exhibition spans more than two decades of Monkman’s career and addresses themes including climate change and the ongoing effects of government policy on Indigenous communities.

Museum CEO and Executive Director Jon Fiume said the exhibition reflects the institution’s responsibility to amplify voices that expand public understanding of history, noting that the Akron Art Museum sits on lands traditionally associated with the Miami, Shawnee, and Wyandot nations. A free public conversation with Monkman is scheduled for April 10 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Akron-Summit County Public Library Main Branch Auditorium, followed by an opening reception at the museum. The exhibition runs through August 17, 2026.

The Akron Art Museum is located at One South High Street. General admission is $12; free gallery admission is offered every Thursday.

Source: Cleveland 13 News