retrospective

American  

[re-truh-spek-tiv] / ˌrɛ trəˈspɛk tɪv /

adjective

1. directed to the past; contemplative of past situations, events, etc.

2. looking or directed backward.

3. retroactive, as a statute.

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noun

1. an art exhibit showing an entire phase or representative examples of an artist's lifework.

2. any exhibition or series of showings or performances, as of musical works or motion pictures, representing the work of an artist or performer over all or a major part of a career.

   a retrospective of John Ford's movies.

retrospective British  

/ ˌrɛtrəʊˈspɛktɪv /

adjective

1. looking or directed backwards, esp in time; characterized by retrospection

2. applying to the past; retroactive

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noun

1. an exhibition of an artist's life's work or a representative selection of it

Other Word Forms

• retrospectively adverb
• retrospectiveness noun

Etymology

Origin of retrospective

First recorded in 1655–65; retrospect + -ive

Example Sentences

A retrospective of her work was held at a gallery on the King's Road in 2017.

From BBC

The last David retrospective was in 1989, on the anniversary of the French Revolution, and if there is another, it probably won’t be until 2048, the 300th anniversary of his birth.

From The Wall Street Journal

Exhibitions include the group show “Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100” and the retrospective “Man Ray: When Objects Dream.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The San Diego Museum of Art presents a revelatory retrospective on the Spanish artist, whose work pulses with the power of the natural world and his own heritage.

From The Wall Street Journal

These are just a few of the labels that could be applied to Graciela Iturbide, the Mexican photographer who is currently receiving her first New York retrospective at the International Center of Photography.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• reflective