NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Cheekwood Estate & Gardens is excited to bring the dark, bizarre and enduring humor of Charles Addams to Nashville and beyond this fall with Inside the World of Charles Addams, on view in the Cheekwood Mansion Oct. 8, 2022 – Jan. 8, 2023. Addams was a dominant force in 20th century visual humor whose legacy lives on through the several thousand cartoons he created over the course of his 60-year career. He is best known as the creator of The Addams Family®, and the television series, movies and animated features that spun off from his recurring characters depicting a strange, satirical version of the American family. Inside the World of Charles Addams is the first solo exhibition of his work in the Southeast.
“Charles Addams’ sophisticated, mischievous and macabre view of the world around him brought joy to multiple generations through his work,” says Vice President of Museum Affairs James W. Tottis. “There could be no better setting than Cheekwood to welcome the Addams family from their Central Park mansion to our mansion located within 55 acres of botanical gardens. We are immensely grateful to the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation for their generosity in providing access to these iconic and rare watercolors, gouaches and drawings.”
A significant contributor to The New Yorker for more than five decades and considered one of the great humorists of the 20th century, Addams incorporated dark humor and satire into his art through subtle suggestions, double entendre, visual puns and commentary on contemporary society, historic events and artistic triumphs. The exhibition includes his very first cartoon to appear in The New Yorker in 1932, alongside approximately 80 works of ink, gouache and watercolor on paper spanning Addams’ career from the 1930s through his death in 1988. All works are on loan from the Tee & Charles Addams Foundation.
Cheekwood is open Tuesday through Sunday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., and advanced reservations are required. Visit cheekwood.org to learn more and purchase tickets.
About Cheekwood
With its intact and picturesque vistas, Cheekwood is distinguished as one of the leading Country Place Era estates in the nation. Formerly the family home of Mabel and Leslie Cheek, the 1930s estate, with its 30,000-square-foot Mansion and 55-acres of gardens, today serves the public as a botanical garden, arboretum and art museum with furnished period rooms and galleries devoted to American art from the 18th to mid-20th centuries. The property includes 13 distinct gardens including the Blevins Japanese Garden and the Bracken Foundation Children’s Garden, as well as a 1.5-mile woodland trail featuring outdoor monumental sculpture. Each year, Cheekwood hosts seasonal festivals including Cheekwood in Bloom, Summertime at Cheekwood, Cheekwood Harvest and Holiday LIGHTS. Cheekwood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and nationally as a Level II Arboretum. It is a three-time voted USA Today Top 10 Botanical Garden and in 2021 was recognized by Fodor’s as one of the 12 Most Beautiful Gardens in the American South. Cheekwood is located eight miles southwest of downtown Nashville at 1200 Forrest Park Drive. It is open Tuesday through Sunday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., with extended days and hours of operation depending on the season. Check cheekwood.org for current hours and to purchase advance tickets required for admission.
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