This exhibition serves as both a reminder and an invitation to explore spaces between tradition and innovation in art. Just as passengers are urged to mind the gap between the train door and the platform edge, we encourage visitors to this exhibition to navigate the spaces between historical and contemporary narratives, various media and different interpretations of art.

Each work in this exhibition represents a snapshot of human experience preserved for future generations. Each connects us to the past while pointing toward the future. As we journey through each gallery, we are reminded that museums are not just places in which to store the past but living reflections of an evolving cultural landscape.

Acquisitions from the past five years have often filled major gaps in the collection in ideas, materials and techniques. They have also added depth and diversity to the museum's holdings. These works chart the evolution of materials and techniques in sculpture in the 20th and 21st century. They show changes in landscape painting and portraiture over the past two centuries. Each work invites us to contemplate time passing and the changing currents of art and social history. Passengers must be careful when navigating a gap, and we must approach these artworks with care and consideration. We must be mindful of the spaces between us and the stories they tell. The exhibition invites you to bridge the past and the present, embracing the elements of human creativity that unite us across time and space.

Curators: Nelda Damiano, Pierre Daura Curator of European Art; Shawnya L. Harris, deputy director of curatorial and academic affairs and Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art; Kathryn Hill, associate curator of modern and contemporary art; Callan Steinmann, head of education and curator of academic and public programs.