Collection Exhibitions

Headwear has existed for millennia, with some of the first depictions of headwear found in Egyptian tomb paintings. Initially used as protection against the elements, headwear has evolved over time in functionality and meaning.

Headwear can be worn for various reasons such as ceremonial events, religious functions, and as fashion accessories. It can also denote an individual’s social and economic status or class, culture, religious affiliation, and other aspects of an individual’s personality.

Since the end of the 1960s, headwear, particularly hats, have faded from everyday use as a fashion accessory for many in the United States. For African Americans, however, headwear such as hats, caps, wraps, etc., have been and continue to be a major signifier of identity and culture. Headwear can also serve as a link to and appreciation of African ancestry.

In celebration of the Timeless Hats exhibition, Mobile Museum of Art is showcasing eleven African American artists and their works featuring headwear.

These works cover various mediums such as ink, mixed media, paint, ceramics, and textiles and feature regional artists such as Clifton Pearson and Bernice Sims and nationally known artists such as Romare Bearden and Jacob Armstead Lawrence. We are proud to debut a recent acquisition to our museum’s collection – a work by Robert Pruitt, a Texas-born artist who is currently working in New York City.