Lyman Allyn Art Museum will open “Louise McCagg: The Artist’s Eye” on Sept. 7.

Presenting modern and contemporary art from the collection of artist McCagg (American, 1936–2020), this exhibition celebrates friendship and collaboration. It will showcase McCagg’s sculptures and works on paper in conversation with the work of notable artists such as Elaine de Kooning, Romare Bearden, Louise Bourgeois, Philip Guston, Sol LeWitt, Yoko Ono, Alice Neel, and Cindy Sherman, among others.

A recent gift to the Lyman Allyn, the McCagg collection is eclectic and personal, reflecting McCagg’s artistic interests and friendships and her family’s geographic reach. A Connecticut native, Louise McCagg cultivated artistic friendships in Connecticut, Michigan, Eastern Europe, and New York City, where she was a member of the women-run A.I.R. Gallery collective in Brooklyn. In her own work, McCagg produced portrait face masks of friends and colleagues, playing with scale and materiality to configure various sculptural installations, exploring relationships, identity, and artistic community.

With over 40 dynamic sculptures, paintings, and works on paper by both celebrated and lesser-known artists, “The Artist’s Eye” explores remarkable artworks compiled by a feminist and politically active artist and collector.

The opening reception is 5-7 p.m. Sept. 27. Museum members are free, and non-members are $10. To register, call (860) 443-2545 ext. 2129 or email info@lymanallyn.org.

Related programming includes a Gallery Talk with McCagg’s daughters, artist Xanda McCagg and author Tory McCagg, and Lyman Allyn Curator Tanya Pohrt at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 24. Members are $10, and non-members are $15.

The exhibition remains on view through Dec. 15. The museum is located at 625 Williams Street, New London. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues.-Sat. and 1-5 p.m. Sun. It is closed Mondays and major holidays. Call (860) 443-2545, ext. 2129, or visit lymanallyn.org.