August 25 – December 23, 2023

We are, daily, inundated with ads telling us what we should want: The newest fashion, the latest technology, the hottest trend. The implicit message is that we lack something, that we are incomplete. But no matter what we buy, no matter what trend we adopt, it is never sufficient. Enough is never enough—we always want more.

 Love You to Death: Discontented Desire features a selection of prints from the Haggerty Museum of Art’s collection that speak to varied perceptions of desire. Whether tracing the itinerary of longing in Michael Rothenstein’s The Song of Songs, exploring the urban eroticism of Richard Lindner’s Shoot series, or pondering the intimacy of Valerio Adami’s Prelude and Tramanto, we hope that viewers will risk asking: What is it that I truly desire?

Love You to Death: Discontented Desire was curated by Curator for Academic Engagement Lynne Shumow with assistance from Haggerty Museum of Art intern Caroline Bielski. They worked in collaboration with Ryan G. Duns, SJ, PhD to align this exhibition with his course THEO 3250, Contemplation and Action. Students in Rev. Duns’ class will visit the exhibition regularly throughout the semester, using the displayed works of art to engage in the practice of contemplative beholding.

Support for this exhibition is generously provided by the Mary Martha Doerr Endowment Fund and in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.