As part of its Recognition of Art by Women (RAW) exhibition series, the Norton Museum of Art is presenting the work of American artist Danielle Mckinney, known for her portrayal of solitary, reflective women and emotionally charged interior scenes. Titled Danielle Mckinney: Shelter, the survey exhibition presents approximately 40 paintings and five watercolors spanning the last five years of her practice; the most comprehensive museum exhibition of her work to date.
Curated by J. Rachel Gustafson, Chief Curatorial Officer at the Norton, Danielle Mckinney: Shelter showcases works that center on female figures, often depicted alone within interior settings, offering glimpses into moments of private contemplation, respite, or ease. The women in Mckinney’s paintings possess a timeless quality, often situated within familiar domestic scenes that evoke a subtle nostalgia. While viewers may recognize the intimate spaces or the emotions reflected in the subject’s knowing glances, the paintings also maintain a distance. By balancing emotional resonance with a sense of mystery, Mckinney transforms quiet everyday scenes into meditations on solitude, privacy, and shared human connection.
“Mckinney’s paintings unfold like moments suspended in time,” said Gustafson. “They invite viewers to consider the emotional and spiritual dimensions of solitude, and how stillness itself can become a site of imagination and strength. Her work captures an interior world that feels both deeply personal and profoundly human.”
Danielle Mckinney, Sandman (2024), Oil on linen. Photo credit: Pierre Le Hors
Mckinney’s technique deepens the allure of her work, drawing on art history, color theory, and portraiture traditions. Her figures emerge from dark grounds, recalling the tenebrism used by artists for centuries to focus the viewer’s attention and heighten the atmosphere. The compositions also contain direct references to Modern painting, not only through the gestural strokes of paint, but also through the inclusion of paintings within paintings with allusions to works by artists such as Matisse and Picasso. This layering of historical references and techniques transforms Mckinney’s domestic spaces from ordinary rooms into settings that feel luxurious and exclusive, mirroring the idea of rest as a coveted commodity.
Launched in 2011, the RAW exhibition series is now a biennial event dedicated to major solo exhibitions by living women artists. Funded by Alan Davis and Mary Lou Dauray, the RAW series continues the legacy of Alan Davis’s parents, Leonard and Sophie Davis, and celebrates the contributions of female artists with major solo exhibitions, addressing the persistent inequity in exhibiting and acquiring art by women. Marking the tenth iteration of this pioneering series, the Mckinney exhibition underscores the Museum’s long-standing mission to support, celebrate, and advance the careers of living women artists.
“The Recognition of Art by Women series is central to the Norton’s mission,” said Ghislain d’Humières, the Museum’s Kenneth C. Griffin Director and CEO. “Each exhibition offers an opportunity to showcase the work of exceptional women artists and to highlight their lasting impact on the field. Danielle Mckinney’s exhibition continues this legacy, reflecting the power and diversity of artistic voices that define the RAW program.”
In celebration of the series’ decennial anniversary, the Norton also will present a concurrent group exhibition, Recognition of Art by Women: In Retrospect, bringing together works by the nine artists previously exhibited through the RAW series for the first time. The exhibition will reflect on the RAW series’ impact on the Norton and the breadth of talent brought forward. The exhibition will celebrate each individual artist’s contributions and the indelible marks they each left on the South Florida community and beyond. The exhibition will be on view through September 27, 2026.
