Contemporary and Classic Art

A trio of art exhibitions brings contemporary and classic images to galleries this week.

The Inova/Kenilworth gallery at UW- Milwaukee hosts a special project, “The Trouble With People You Don’t Know,” by Chicago artist Deb Sokolow. Together with another exhibition, “The Flight of Fake Tears,” which features Sokolow’s work alongside four other artists, it showcases Sokolow’s large-scale drawings and installations. Her vivid visual stories, often combined with text, convey conspiracy theories and social anxiety. The exhibits open Jan. 25 with an evening reception from 6 to 9 p.m.

The UWM Department of Visual Arts also begins its “Artists Now” guest lecture series with a talk by Sokolow on Jan. 30. This follows her workshops on Jan. 26 and 27. The “Artists Now” lectures continue throughout the spring semester at UWM, in collaboration with upcoming exhibitions.

Peltz Gallery on Knapp Street presents only the second Picasso showing in Milwaukee in the past 25 years. “Picasso: Original Prints” displays 35 etchings, lithographs, aquatints and linocuts by this 20th-century master. The extraordinary array of predominantly black-and-white prints includes a small drypoint of a head, Buste d’Homme, which demonstrated the young Picasso’s incredible drawing skill before he changed the direction of modern art. The exhibit continues through March 14.

DeLind Gallery hosts “Bare Walls V,” its annual winter show dedicated to the timeless theme of artistic nudes. Several internationally known artists decorate the walls of the exhibit in addition to sculptures, paintings, drawings and photographs by numerous local artists, including Chuck Weber, Vicki Chiger, Holley Bakich, Fred Bell and Rebecca Venn. “Bare Walls V” continues through Feb. 22.