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

The retrospective, including several other works loaned from other countries, features paintings, sculptures and drawings.

From Barron's

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opened in 2021 with a retrospective dedicated to the grand master of Japanese animation.

From Barron's

His retrospective, Andy Goldsworthy: Fifty Years, at Edinburgh's National Galleries Scotland last year, was one of the top five paid exhibitions in its history.

From BBC

Elaine Risley, an artist in Vancouver, returns to her hometown of Toronto, where a gallery is exhibiting a retrospective of her paintings.

From The Wall Street Journal

The museum devotes a retrospective to the work of the itinerant Cuban-born artist, who sought to merge his far-flung array of influences into a singular personal style.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• reflective