East Coast Debut of Hank Willis Thomas: LOVERULES — From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation at Zimmerli This Fall

New Brunswick, N.J. (July 29, 2026)—Nearly 90 of the most iconic works by conceptual artist and activist Hank Willis Thomas (born 1976; Plainfield, N.J.) travel to the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University—New Brunswick. Opening Sept. 2, LOVERULES — From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation will be the largest exhibition of Thomas’s work in New Jersey to date. It will be on view in tandem with Hank Willis Thomas Selects the New Jersey Arts Annual.

“We are thrilled to be presenting the work of Hank Willis Thomas, one of the country's most thought-provoking artists,” said Maura Reilly, director of the Zimmerli Art Museum. “Thomas’s work not only asks us to consider how meaning is produced, but also how love itself might serve as a transformative force for change, especially now, at this fraught historic moment.” She added, “Having Hank also serve as the juror for the New Jersey Arts Annual reflects our commitment to supporting the outstanding artists of our region.” 

Thomas’s practice reframes aspects of American culture, in particular, ideas of history, power, and the formation of collective memory. Working across photography, sculpture, and installation, Hank Willis Thomas examines how images shape perception, identity and value. Thomas and Schnitzer will discuss the artist’s work on Thursday, Sept. 17, during a Conversation and Reception, which is free and open to the public. All event details, including schedule, location, RSVP information and parking registration, are available at  go.rutgers.edu/zamsept17.

"The first time I saw Hank Willis Thomas's art, I was overwhelmed by his creative genius," said Jordan D. Schnitzer, an ARTnews Top 200 Art Collector and President of Schnitzer Properties. "His themes, one image after another, force us to deal with issues that far too long have plagued society by not respecting or accepting each other irrespective of race, gender, sexual orientation or religion. I started collecting his work almost eight years ago and I am excited to share our collection with all of you at the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University." 

The exhibition brings together Thomas’s key conceptual series, which often draw on the visual language of advertising to reveal how meaning is constructed and circulated. Prints from B®anded (2003) and Unbranded: Reflections in Black by Corporate America (2008) examine the ways that the Black community has been promoted in corporate communications, reinforcing generalizations across class, culture and gender. Visitors can also experience an immersive presentation of part two of Unbranded: A Century of White Women (2015), which unpacks the myriad ways advertisements have used the white, female body.

Hank Willis Thomas: LOVERULES — From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation and Hank Willis Thomas Selects the New Jersey Arts Annual are on view from Sept. 2 to Dec. 20, 2026. Celebrating contemporary art from across the Garden State, the New Jersey Arts Annual showcases work by leading regional artists. It is the Zimmerli's first time hosting the New Jersey Arts Annual, in partnership with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.  

As a part of the Zimmerli’s commitment to access, gallery texts will be available in both English and Spanish. In addition, content featured on the Zimmerli guide of the Bloomberg Connects app will be available in nearly 50 languages.  

LOVERULES is organized by the Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, and curated by Shamim M. Momin, Director and Chief Curator of The Bronx Museum. Lead sponsorship is provided by the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation. Additional support was provided by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, Bloomberg Philanthropies and the museum’s donors, members, and friends. This exhibition is made possible through generous support from donors to the Zimmerli’s Major Exhibition Fund: Kathrin and James Bergin, Sundaa and Randy Jones, Heena and Hemanshu Pandya, and Mark L. Pomerantz.

The Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation’s contemporary art collection is one of the most notable in North America. The Foundation has shared its art with millions across the U.S. and internationally through groundbreaking exhibitions, publications, and programs. Founded by ARTNews Top 200 Collector Jordan D. Schnitzer—whose passion for art began in his mother’s contemporary art gallery in Portland, Ore.—the Foundation has organized over 180 exhibitions from its collection and additionally loaned thousands of artworks to over 130 museums at no cost to the institutions. Schnitzer began collecting contemporary prints and multiples in 1988 and today is North America’s foremost print collector. His Foundation’s collection consists of thousands of works, including a wide variety of prints, sculptures, paintings, glass, and mixed media works.

ZIMMERLI ART MUSEUM | RUTGERS  

The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is one of the largest and most distinguished university-based museums in the country. Its far-reaching exhibitions and public programs explore creative expression from antiquity to the present day, with a focus on underrepresented artists and overlooked historical narratives. The institution stewards more than 75,000 works of art across all media, with strengths in post-war American art, nineteenth-century French art and cabaret culture, Soviet nonconformist art, and global Japanism. As a teaching museum and public collection, the Zimmerli is a critical educational hub for over 55,000 visitors annually. Rutgers stands among America’s highest-ranked, most diverse research universities. Founded in 1766, it is the nation’s eighth-oldest institution of higher learning.   

VISITOR INFORMATION 

Admission is free. The museum is located at 71 Hamilton Street (at George Street) on the College Avenue Campus of Rutgers University in New Brunswick. The Zimmerli is a short walk from the NJ Transit train station in New Brunswick, midway between New York City and Philadelphia.  

The Zimmerli Art Museum is open Wednesday and Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. The museum is closed Monday and Tuesday, as well as major holidays and the month of August. For the most current information, including safety protocols, parking and accessibility, visit zimmerli.rutgers.edu.  

SUPPORT 

The Zimmerli’s operations, exhibitions, and programs are funded in part by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and income from the Avenir Endowment Fund and the Andrew W. Mellon Endowment Fund. Additional support comes from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Arts Institute of Middlesex County, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the donors, members, and friends of the museum. Generous support for bilingual text is provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.

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Digital Images Available Upon Request