Below is a selection of photographs taken of “Figures of Speech” at the High Museum of Art in January. Or, as many of us like to call late 2019/early 2020, Pre-Covid. The exhibit, showcasing a range of Virgil Abloh’s artwork, was not the one I intended to visit that day. It was, however, the one that impacted me the most.

You won’t see photos of Mr. Abloh’s clothing designs here. That’s because what struck me was the range of work on display that did not necessarily include what he accomplished at his day job. Some of it seemed to be done for the sake of art itself, to assert a position, or to express love.

Joy Division—my favorite band—played at the entrance to the exhibit. I lost my hat while inside. “You’re obviously in the wrong place” is a line from Pretty Woman and, frequently, from inside my own head.

Clearly, my meeting Virgil Abloh’s work was meant to be.