The ten-headed demon king Ravana from an ivory 20th century Indian set, Maryhill Museum of Art, Goldendale, Washington, 1970.04.01.
Checkmate! Chess Sets from the Maryhill Museum of Art
January 7 – April 26, 2020
Study Gallery and Print Study Center
Over the past 1000 years, the game of chess has spread across the world, crossing cultural and political boundaries. This exhibition looks at the wide range of chess sets made during the past 250 years by diverse cultures from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. While operating within a predetermined structure of the 32 game pieces, artists bring their own creativity and interpretation to each set, resulting in a wide variety themes and materials. Created with wood, glass, bone, and ivory, the sets include traditional designs, as well as abstract, non-figurative sets and narrative sets depicting mythological characters or historical figures.