A powerful new exhibition by internationally acclaimed Irish artist Brian Maguire opens Friday, Sept. 5, at the USF Contemporary Art Museum (USFCAM) in Tampa. Titled La Grande Illusion, the show begins with an artist conversation and reception, and the exhibition will remain on view through March 7, 2026, according to USFCAM.
Spanning nearly two decades of work, La Grande Illusion brings together large-scale paintings that reflect Maguire’s lifelong commitment to exposing global injustices and human rights crises. Recognized as one of Ireland’s most significant cultural figures, the artist has transformed painting into a form of visual testimony, bearing witness to the lives of those too often marginalized or forgotten.
Admission to the exhibition is free, and highlights projects Maguire undertook between 2007 and 2024 in locations across the globe, including Mexico, the Mediterranean, Syria, Sudan, the United States, and the Amazon. His artistic process is rooted in direct engagement—living and working with communities affected by violence, displacement, and oppression. The resulting canvases are both visceral and empathetic, dramatizing human suffering while underscoring its universal resonance.
La Grande Illusion reflects a period of extraordinary productivity in Maguire’s career. Works on view trace his journeys to Juárez, Mexico (2012–15), the Mediterranean refugee crisis (2016), Aleppo, Syria (2017), South Sudan (2018), the Amazon rainforest (2022), Arizona (2022), and Brazil (2022–23). Across these sites, his paintings grapple with urgent themes: migration, economic inequality, the drug and gun trades, sexual violence, and environmental destruction.
“By embedding himself in the places and communities at the heart of these struggles, Maguire elevates their stories onto monumental canvases, offering a platform for populations silenced by war, exploitation, and neglect,” according to USFCAM.
OPENING CELEBRATION
Friday, September 5
ARTIST CONVERSATION
6pm, USF Theatre 2 (THR) – 3829 USF Holly Drive, Tampa, FL 33620
Join us in USF Theatre 2, adjacent to the museum, at 6pm for a conversation with artist Brian Maguire, film director Mark Mc Loughlin, and CAM Curator-at-Large Christian Viveros-Fauné. Free and open to all.
OPENING RECEPTION
7–9pm, USF Contemporary Art Museum (CAM) – 3821 USF Holly Drive, Tampa, FL 33620
A free opening reception follows the conversation until 9pm at USFCAM. For questions or more information send an email at caminfo@usf.edu, or call 813-974-4133.
MUSEUM VISITOR INFO
Admission: Exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Hours: Monday–Friday 10 a.m. to 5p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday 1–4 p.m. Closed Sundays and USF Holidays. Special Hours September 5: 7–9 p.m.
Address: 3821 USF Holly Drive, Tampa, FL 33620.
Parking: Visitor parking in lot 3B. USF parking permits required, and available at the pay station in the CAM parking lot. Payment is via the ParkMobile app (use zone 9302), or by Visa, MasterCard, or Discover.
Contact: 813-974-4133; caminfo@usf.edu; www.cam.usf.edu.
Linktree: Please visit https://linktr.ee/irausf for the latest info, additional events, and to connect with our social media.
ABOUT USF CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM
USF Contemporary Art Museum (USFCAM) organizes and presents significant and investigative exhibitions of contemporary art from Florida, the United States and around the world. Serving as a teaching laboratory, USFCAM’s curatorial initiatives and educational programs are designed to present the students, faculty, and community with current issues of contemporary art practice, and to explore the role of the arts in society. USFCAM publishes relevant catalogues, presents critically recognized traveling exhibitions and commissions new projects by national and international artists. USFCAM maintains the university’s art collection, comprising more than 5000 contemporary art works. The Contemporary Art Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.