Global contemporary art events and news observed from New York City. Suggestion? Email us.

Archive for the 'Art News' Category

New York – Jonathan Lyndon Chase: “Wind Rider” at Company Gallery Through November 21st, 2020

Friday, November 13th, 2020

Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Wind Rider (Installation View), via Company
Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Wind Rider (Installation View), via Company

Hyper-loaded with material and imagery that spans a range of cultural signifiers so often ascribed to the American cowboy as a standard of heterosexual, white heroism, painter Jonathan Lyndon Chase has opened a powerful new show at Company Gallery, titled Wind Rider.  Rich subject matter and made all the more nuanced and powerful by the artist’s own experiences and history, the show is a fluid, charged affair, mixing memory and iconography into a series of pieces that open new lines of discourse and awareness.   (more…)

Somerset – Nicole Eisenman: “Where I Was, It Shall Be” at Hauser & Wirth Through January 10th, 2020

Thursday, November 12th, 2020

Nicole Eisenman, Where I Was, It Shall Be (Installation View), via Hauser & Wirth
Nicole Eisenman, Where I Was, It Shall Be (Installation View), via Hauser & Wirth

Having established herself as a central figure in American painting throughout the 1990s, Nicole Eisenman has only continued to grow and expand her impact and practice over the following decades, building her practice outwards into a range of media formats and frameworks that explore her particular experience of the construction of 2-dimensional, and now 3-dimensional space.  Marking her first show with Hauser & Wirth in the gallery’s picturesque Somerset compound, the artist showcases a diverse multidisciplinary language through mixed media works on paper, sculpture and painting. (more…)

John Waters Donates Collection to Baltimore Museum of Art

Thursday, November 12th, 2020

John Waters has donated his collection of 372 contemporary art works to the Baltimore Museum of Art. “I’ve always said you have to know good taste to have good bad taste,” Waters says. (more…)

Golden Lion-Winning Performance from 2019 Venice Biennale to go on view in Berlin Swimming Pool

Thursday, November 12th, 2020

Sun & Sea (Marina), the Venice Biennale performance that earned the Lithuanian Pavilion its Golden Lion last year, will go on view next year at E-Werk Luckenwalde outside of Berlin. “The Luckenwalde presentation will be essentially the same work as Venice, except for the qualities that the venue brings to the piece when experiencing it—an empty swimming pool comes with a whole different kind of underlying catastrophe, at least for me,” says curator Lucia Pietroiusti. (more…)

Nick Cave Work the Subject of Legal Battle in Kinderhook, NY

Wednesday, November 11th, 2020

An outdoor installation by Nick Cave at Jack Shainman’s Kinderhook, NY space is causing controversy in the town, as residents rally to have the work removed, claiming it’s signage and therefore not legally displayed. “It’s an artwork,” Cave says. “It’s freedom of expression. It’s not complicated.” (more…)

The Met to Have Joint Board Chairs for First Time

Wednesday, November 11th, 2020

The Met will have two joint chairs for the first time, with Hamilton E. James and Candace K. Beinecke taking over at the museum.  “These are exceptionally challenging times,” says former chair Daniel Brodsky, “and the opportunity to have two leaders with strong yet different experiences is a win-win for the museum.” (more…)

Uffizi Galleries Director Eike Schmidt Test Positive for Coronavirus

Wednesday, November 11th, 2020

Uffizi Galleries director Eike Schmidt has tested positive for Coronavirus.  Schmidt is asymptomatic and working from home. “I can dedicate all my time and energy to the Uffizi as usual,” he said. (more…)

Tracey Emin Interviewed in The Guardian

Tuesday, November 10th, 2020

Tracey Emin has an interview in The Guardian this week, opening her show at the Royal Academy just as the UK descends back into COVID-10 lockdown. “They sold 16,000 advance tickets but when Boris announced the second lockdown, we knew we couldn’t open,” she says. (more…)

Glenn Kaino Interviewed in LA Times

Tuesday, November 10th, 2020

Artist Glenn Kaino has an interview this week in the LA Times, as he prepares to open a show of new work at MOCA Los Angeles, and looks back at his career. “They’re intended to create moments of visibility for things that are invisible around us. Most people don’t feel seen, understood. Making things visible is a form of empathy,” Kaino says of his new works.  (more…)

Senga Nengudi Profiled in NYT

Tuesday, November 10th, 2020

Artist Senga Nengudi has an interview in the NYT This week, discussing several decades of work and its intersections with her life.“I felt that you could live forever and still be an artist,” she says. “You can live to 100 and still have the ability to express yourself.” (more…)

Shanghai Opens Art Week as Covid Resurgence Looms

Tuesday, November 10th, 2020

The art world’s attention has turned to Shanghai as the city holds its annual art week, even as positive COVID-19 tests are popping back up in the city. “I think that at this point any display of normalcy is a good sign and an ‘in-real-life’ fair is one manifestation,” says Mathieu Borysevicz, founder of Shanghai gallery Bank. (more…)

Lawsuit Over Estate of Robert Indiana Nears Conclusion

Tuesday, November 10th, 2020

An end is in sight in the lawsuit over the estate of Robert Indiana, Art Newspaper reports, after the late artist’s lawyer James Brannan settled with with Morgan Art Foundation. “I think this is a great deal for the Star of Hope Foundation [established by the artist before he died] and Bob’s legacy,” Brannan says. (more…)

New York – Brian Calvin: “Waiting” at Anton Kern Gallery Through December 5th, 2020

Tuesday, November 10th, 2020

Brian Calvin, Minor Difference (2020), via Anton Kern
Brian Calvin, Minor Difference (2020), via Anton Kern

Artist Brian Calvin returns to Anton Kern this fall for his seventh solo show with the gallery, continuing his unique approach to portraiture and figuration that twists cartoonish color and form into a nuanced depiction of the human visage. (more…)

Sotheby’s Sued by NYS Over Tax Law Violations

Monday, November 9th, 2020

Sotheby’s has been sued by the State of New York over its role in allowing a collector to escape taxes on works purchases.  The company sold $27 million tax-free to Porsal Equities, although the auction house allegedly knew the client a dealer buying tax free. “Millionaires and billionaires cannot be allowed to evade taxes while every day Americans pay their fair share,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. “Sotheby’s violated the law and fleeced New York taxpayers out of millions just to boost its own sales.” (more…)

New York – Hélio Oiticica at Lisson Gallery Through December 12th, 2020

Monday, November 9th, 2020

Helio Oiticica (Installation View), via Lisson
Helio Oiticica (Installation View), via Lisson

Taking over both New York City Lisson Gallery spaces this fall, the Brazilian master Hélio Oiticica has a set of works on view documenting his engaging and expansive practice, underscoring his luminary role in the pioneering development of Brazilian contemporary art.  An influential and all-consuming vision, Oiticica’s work ranged across visual art, music, theater, literature and more, each of which is explored here in this pair of exhibitions. (more…)

Art World Outpouring of Works and Messages Follow Biden Election Win

Monday, November 9th, 2020

A piece in the Art Newspaper catalogs artists’ response to Joe Biden’s win over Donald Trump in the presidential election last week, with a selection of works and images circulating online.“We still must come to terms with the extent to which the structures of governance have been damaged and the government itself delegitimated—wantonly and steadily—by Donald Trump and the third-rate bottom feeders whom he empowered as his wrecking crew,” says artist Martha Rosler. (more…)

Los Angeles – Senga Nengudi at Sprüth Magers Through December 18th, 2020

Friday, November 6th, 2020

Senga Nengudi, Sandmining B (detail) (2020), via Sprüth Magers
Senga Nengudi, Sandmining B (detail) (2020), via Sprüth Magers

Always deeply connected to the human body, Senga Nengudi’s work invokes ritual, narrative and connections between cultures disparate in geography and time. For her newest show, on view now at Sprüth Magers’s Los Angeles exhibition space on the Miracle Mile, the artist has erected a series of large-scale installation works, offering profound insights into her way of thinking and working.

Senga Nengudi, Sandmining B (2020), via Sprüth Magers
Senga Nengudi, Sandmining B (2020), via Sprüth Magers (more…)

Comprehensive Digital Van Gogh Database Goes Live

Friday, November 6th, 2020

A new database of Vincent Van Gogh works has gone live courtesy several Dutch arts agencies, featuring an impressive collection of data on each work.  (more…)

NYT Looks at Impact of Second Lockdown on the Arts in Europe

Thursday, November 5th, 2020

A piece in the New York Times this month looks at the psychological and emotional impact of re-entering lockdown for the art world. “The British government has been supportive this financial year, but our real problem is looking into the future, and this builds up more problems,” says Tristram Hunt, the head of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. (more…)

London – Trevor Paglen: “Bloom” at Pace Through November 10th, 2020

Thursday, November 5th, 2020

Trevor Paglen, Octopus Live Stream (2020), via Pace
Trevor Paglen, Octopus (2020), via Pace

Taking over the Pace Gallery space at 6 Burlington Gardens in London, artist Trevor Paglen opens a show that seeks to find a shared physical and digital space, mining the artist’s long engagement with technology and aesthetics to present a set of new works that explore the society-shaping power of computing, and the massive troves of data collected every day online.   His new show, Bloom explores central themes of artificial intelligence, the politics of images, facial recognition technologies, and alternative futures, marking his second show with the gallery.   (more…)

David Hockney Sends New Works and Message of Hope as Europe Re-Enters Lockdown

Thursday, November 5th, 2020

David Hockney has released a series of new paintings from his self-imposed lockdown in Normandy. “Remember they can’t cancel the autumn either,” he said. (more…)

The Guardian Reports on Times Square’s New Role as a Hub for Protest and Art

Thursday, November 5th, 2020

The Guardian has a piece this week on how Times Square has become a new hub for protest art and installation.  “People needed to laugh, dance and sing, even if they were masked and socially distancing,” says performer Ebony Brown, who recently launched a performance in the area. “Ultimately, what we created was performance art, it just happened to be an act of multicultural, civic engagement. “We shut down Broadway on a Saturday night, reclaiming the streets in the name of all the lives stolen by racial violence and police brutality.” (more…)

Jersey City Approves New Tax to Fund Arts

Thursday, November 5th, 2020

Jersey City has approved a new tax specifically targeted for funding the arts, the New York Times. “It shows that the arts are important to people even in the toughest of times,” says Robinson Holloway, former chair of the Jersey City Arts Council. (more…)

Sam Orlofsky Out at Gagosian Over “Unacceptable and Repugnant” Behavior Towards Women at the Gallery

Wednesday, November 4th, 2020

Sam Orlofsky has been fired from his directorship at Gagosian as part of an investigation into what the gallery called “unacceptable and repugnant” behavior towards women. “I want to first emphasize emphatically that the behavior alleged is unacceptable and repugnant,” says Larry Gagosian in a letter to staff. ” The Gallery expects all employees to adhere to our values, which include mutual respect, dignity, collaboration, and honesty. The Gallery is committed to fostering a workplace where employees are safe, are empowered to do their best work, and can express concerns freely.”  (more…)