| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net |    | Established in 1996 | Monday, April 10, 2023 |
| | A Swedish warship sank in 1628. It is still yielding secrets. | |
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In a photo provided by Anneli Karlsson/Vasa Museum/SMTM shows, Dr. Fred Hocker, director of research at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm. Researchers are learning more about those who died after the Vasa sank, including a woman known as G, who was long believed by scientists to be a man. (Anneli Karlsson/Vasa Museum/SMTM via The New York Times)
by Remy Tumin
NEW YORK, NY.- On the afternoon of Aug. 10, 1628, the Vasa, built by the Swedish to be one of the most powerful warships in the Baltic, set off from the palace docks in Stockholm. The Vasa did not even make it 1 mile. A strong gust of wind caused the 226-foot-long ship to keel over as water poured in through its open gun ports, which were on display for its maiden voyage. About 150 people were believed to be on board when it sank; about 30 died. Now, nearly 400 years later, advanced DNA testing is allowing researchers to learn more about the ships dead, including a woman known as G, whom researchers had long believed to be a man. They even named her Gustav in a museum display. Its fascinating to get a sense of who they are as individuals, but also what they tell us about what the Swedish population was like 400 years ago, said Fred Hocker, the director of the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, where ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day Installation view of Georgia O'Keeffe: To See Takes Time, on view at The Museum of Modern Art, New York from April 9 through August 12, 2023. Photo by Jonathan Dorado.
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| National Museum of African American History and Culture releases new book on Afrofuturism | | Exhibition of recent paintings by JJ Manford on view at Berggruen Gallery | | White Cube Bermondsey opens an exhibition of works by Marguerite Humeau | 
Photographs, essays explore ways Black people create empowering futures.
WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Culture has released a new book investigating the evolving concept of Afrofuturism, a lens used to reimagine the futures and possibilities of Black people across the globe and explore its expression through literature, music, art, film, fashion and activism. Richly illustrated, Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures features more than 125 photographs, many spotlighting items from Smithsonian collections. These include the Black Panther costume from Captain America: Civil War worn by Chadwick Boseman, the red Starfleet uniform worn by Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Nyota Uhura in the TV series Star Trek, a costume from Broadways The Wiz, the Parliament-Funkadelic Mothership, Sun Ras space harp and a space age-style costume worn by Nona Hendryx as a member of Labelle. The 216-page, hardcover book is the companion to the exhibitio ... More | | 
JJ Manford, Interior with Joan Brown and Porcelain Cat Vase, 2022. Oil stick, oil pastel and Flashe on burlap over canvas, 60 x 50 inches.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Berggruen Gallery is presenting In a Western Town, an exhibition of recent paintings by JJ Manford. This show marks his first solo exhibition with the gallery. In a Western Town will be on view through April 29, 2023. JJ Manford layers oil pastel and oil stick over Flashe on burlap or linen to construct vibrantly animated paintings that explore concepts of transcendent self-discovery and collective fantasy. In a Western Town presents thirteen new paintings inspired by the rich architectural landscape of California and the West. From ruminative renditions of Paolo Soleris experimental neighborhood of Arcosanti, Arizona to a kaleidoscopic depiction of the William Westerfeld House in San Franciscos iconic Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, this new body of work reflects Manfords interest in interior design and the intersection of structural landscapes and human life. A salient feature of his work ... More | | 
The artist was inspired by eusocial insects such as ants, termites and bees, whose complex cooperative societies enable them to build huge structures and to cultivate other organisms in symbiotic relationships.
LONDON.- Marguerite Humeaus exhibition at White Cube Bermondsey is structured as a journey, incorporating sound, moving image and sculpture and enlisting the collaboration of artificial intelligence as well as hives of skilled craftspeople in order to explore ideas of interdependence and collective intelligence. Leading us from the present and local to a distant, speculative future, Humeau entwines plural narratives around these themes from a human society in collapse, to a simulation of the secret life inside an insect community, and a projected future gathering of a newly-formed collective in the process of synchronising. The artist was inspired by eusocial insects such as ants, termites and bees, whose complex cooperative societies enable them to build huge structures and to cultivate other organisms in symbiotic relationships. Reflecting on the ants shepherding their aphids ... More |
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| Why Pope Francis is the star of AI-generated photos | | Pace presents an exhibition of work by Saul Steinberg at its arts complex in Seoul | | The Vancouver Art Gallery presents 'The Children Have to Hear Another Story: Alanis Obomsawin' | 
A handout image generated by AI showing Pope Francis in a Balenciaga puffer coat. The popularity of viral AI images of Francis has launched a race to depict the 86-year-old pontiff in odder and odder situations. (Handout via The New York Times)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Pope Francis wearing a long, white puffer jacket inspired by Balenciaga. Francis rocking aviators and revving a motorcycle down a busy street. Francis turning the tables in a dim nightclub. Francis in a tactical vest, preparing to fly a fighter jet. Francis sharing a beer at Burning Man. Over the past few weeks, dozens of photos have appeared showing the leader of the worlds Roman Catholics in strange scenarios, sending social media into a tizzy. Apart from the pontiff himself, the images all have something in common: They are fake, made by artificial intelligence tools that create images from short text prompts. Many public figures including basketball star LeBron James and various Real Housewives have popped up in AI-generated pictures recently, but the images with Francis have made the biggest splash ... More | | 
Saul Steinberg, Abidjan, 1973 © Saul Steinberg Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
SEOUL.- Running from March 31 through April 29, the show brings together works on paper and wood sculptures conveying the defiant humor, curiosity, and modernist attitude of an artist trying to make sense of the chaotic postwar period. This exhibition, which marks the artists first presentation in Seoul, focuses on his unique, worldly perspective, which was shaped by his experiences as an immigrant in America, a New Yorker, and an observant traveler both within and outside of the US. The Romanian-born artist emigrated to the United States from Europe in 1942 during World War II. In New York, he became an integral part of American Modernism. He married the artist Hedda Sterne, who was already connected to the citys pioneering artists. Establishing himself in New Yorks avant-garde community, he earned critical acclaim for his inventive drawings, prints, paintings, collages, and sculptures, which defied easy categorization by reflecting a multiplicity of artistic styles, rendere ... More | | 
Alanis Obomsawin filming Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of a Métis Child, 1986,
Courtesy National Film Board of Canada and the Artist.
VANCOUVER.- The Vancouver Art Gallery is presenting The Children Have to Hear Another Story: Alanis Obomsawin. The exhibition surveys the lifework of Alanis Obomsawin from the 1960s to the present, demonstrating her remarkable achievements in education, music, documentary cinema and activism that have mobilized Indigenous voices and ideas to transform society. The exhibition presents an in-depth view of one of Canadas most significant and influential figures in filmmaking, said Anthony Kiendl, CEO and Director of the Vancouver Art Gallery. We hope to inspire audiences of all ages to grow and engage through Alanis powerful messages of activism, justice and education. As a teenager, Obomsawin was struck by the realization that, for Indigenous sociopolitical conditions to improve, children from all backgrounds needed to hear a different story than the dominant narrative provided by Hollywood ... More |
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| Why Michael Roberts mattered | | April auctions at Bonhams Skinner | | At 81, Ann-Margret is finally living her rock 'n' roll dream | 
Through his long career at Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and other publications, the editor-artist-stylist-art director helped shape the course of fashion.
NEW YORK, NY.- The Jean Cocteau of the fashion world. Thats how the New Yorker editor Tina Brown described Michael Roberts, a British illustrator-writer-stylist-photographer-art director, when he joined the magazine in the mid-1990s as its fashion editor. Roberts, who died Monday at 75, after a brain aneurysm, in Taormina, Sicily, where he lived, worked for the magazine for more than a decade. He oversaw the style coverage and produced 23 witty, satirical covers, most in collage and gently poking fun at the fashion community. It gave me immense joy to see Michael sitting in this teeny office at The New Yorker, with his scissors and his construction paper, like the most sophisticated kid, creating these colorful, joyful, funny covers, said David Remnick, who has been the editor of The New Yorker since 1998. Michael had a deep knowledge of fashion and a winking irreverence for it, which is rare ... More | | 
Sewan Kazak Rug, Caucasus c. 1820, estimated at $2,000 4,000. Photo: Bonhams.
BOSTON, MASS.- Bonhams Skinner will offer an exciting series of sales in April across a number of collecting categories. Kicking off the month, European Furniture & Decorative Arts will feature a wide selection of material including an exceptional Spanish bone Inlaid two-part Bargueño. Collector's Choice: Wedgwood & Silver will present a strong selection of continental European silver including a Fabergé .875 silver kettle on a stand and tray. The Fine Wines sale is highlighted by a 3-liter bottle of Domaine de la Romanee Conti La Tache from 1971 and running online simultaneously, the Rare Spirits sale will feature a 1986 Bookers Bourbon, likely one of the few that still exist. Jim Dixon: Woven Gardens will offer beautiful silk rugs from East Turkestan, many rare and early examples from the Caucasus, and extraordinary and early fragments ranging from Turkey to China. Fine Books and Rare Manuscripts features a copy of the American ... More | | 
The actress and musician Ann-Margret in Beverly Hills, Calif., March 22, 2023. Ann-Margret, who first burst out in Bye Bye Birdie in 1963, is releasing a new album of old rock covers featuring guests like her Tommy co-star Pete Townshend. (Chantal Anderson/The New York Times)
NEW YORK, NY.- Ann-Margret has always spoken in a voice that falls somewhere between a purr and a coo. But at her home on a recent rainy day in Los Angeles, she broke up her usual gauzy tones with deep and gutsy growls. One, two, three oclock rock!!! she half-bellowed and half-yelled over a video chat, echoing the opening line from Rock Around the Clock, Bill Haleys raucous 1954 smash. A few minutes later, she snarled through the opening salvo of Splish Splash, the highly caffeinated 1958 hit by Bobby Darin, only to follow it with the outburst, I love rock n roll! Her tone was far more Joan Jett than Kim McAfee, the sprightly character she played in Bye Bye Birdie, the movie that simultaneously made her a household name and the hottest ... More |
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| As her music is reconsidered, a composer turns 135. Again. | | Gagosian presents an exhibition of relics, films, and video works by Chris Burden | | Alex Edelman, 'Just for Us' comedian, will bring show to Broadway | 
In an undated image provided by University of Arkansas Libraries Special Collections, the composer Florence B. Price. The work of Florence B. Price is having a renaissance, and new, foundational details about her life and racial identity are still being discovered. (University of Arkansas Libraries Special Collections via The New York Times)
NEW YORK, NY.- By any measure, a Florence B. Price renaissance is well underway. Seven decades after her death and nine after the groundbreaking premiere of her Symphony in E minor, her luminous music is enrapturing audiences worldwide. Most recently, the Chineke! Orchestra, based in London, highlighted that symphony on its debut North American tour, which has included stops at Lincoln Center and Jordan Hall in Boston, where Price herself performed as a New England Conservatory pupil. She has amassed a recorded catalog that includes recent Grammy Award-winning albums by the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Youth Symphony. This excitement stems from a half-century of scholarly and artistic work built ... More | | 
Installation view. Courtesy: © 2023 Chris Burden/Licensed by the Chris Burden Estate and Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Image: Rob McKeever.
NEW YORK, NY.- Gagosian is pleased to present Cross Communication, an exhibition of relics, films, and video works by Chris Burden, plus other materials that document his early performances. In his performances and audio/video works of the 1970s and 80s, Burden challenged his own mental and physical limitations while exploring the construction of agency and intent. Fascinated by the mediation of visual language in television advertisements, and by the formulas for fame they seemed to represent, he sought to reflect the emergent violence and complexity of American society. Employing unconventional guerrilla tactics to question the broad acceptance of consumer culture, Burden confronted audiences with their own moral culpability. And over the course of his career, he moved from performances in which his own body functioned as the medium to spectacular large-scale sculptures and installations, a number of which use ... More | | 
The solo performance will open on June 26 at the Hudson Theater.
NEW YORK, NY.- Alex Edelman, a comedian who grew up in an Orthodox Jewish home and turned the antisemitism of his online critics into material for his monologues, will bring his much-admired memoiristic show, Just for Us, to Broadway this summer. For the past five years, Edelman, 34, has been developing Just for Us and, with breaks forced by the pandemic, has performed it in Australia, England, Scotland and Canada, as well as in New York, Washington and, beginning next week, Boston, near where he grew up. The shows sold-out off-Broadway runs, which started at the Cherry Lane Theater in 2021 and moved last year to the SoHo Playhouse and then the Greenwich House Theater, won a special citation this year at the Obie Awards. The one-man show covers a lot of thematic territory, but it is built around Edelmans seemingly unlikely (and perhaps unwise) decision to drop in on a meeting of white nationalists gathered in Queens. The show is about the costs of sublimatin ... More |
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Barry Jenkins on Kerry James Marshall | PROGRAM
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 Marilyn Minter, an artist who resonates and repelsNEW YORK, NY.- The images are compelling a watery blur of color and shading. But collectors dont rush to own these Marilyn Minter paintings when they realize what they depict: vaginas. Ive been making them for about 10 years now, the artist said in a recent interview at her Manhattan garment district studio, her willowy, otherworldly presence accentuated by pale skin and mischievous eyes. I think theyre really beautiful. But nobody wants them. To some extent this is a metaphor for Minters entire career. The 74-year-old artist has been making sexually explicit paintings and photographs that are both challenging and compelling for nearly four decades. Only gradually has the world begun to catch up with her colorful, sensual images of mouths, eyes and body parts. And she has helped ... More  Bill Butler, cinematographer best known for 'Jaws,' dies at 101NEW YORK, NY.- Bill Butler, an Oscar-nominated cinematographer who played a prominent role in the American new wave movement of the 1970s and whose credits included Jaws, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and three of the Rocky sequels, died Wednesday. He was 101. His death was announced by the American Society of Cinematographers, which did not say where he died. Butler worked with a number of directors credited with re-imagining American filmmaking in the 70s, including Steven Spielberg, for whom he was the director of photography on Jaws, the 1975 blockbuster about a man-eating great white shark that established Spielbergs reputation and changed the way Americans looked at both film and the beach. Open-water shooting posed many challenges on what was a n ... More  Rashid Johnson creates brand new works for exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Hong KongHONG KONG.- Rashid Johnson is among an influential cadre of contemporary American artists whose work employs a wide range of media to explore the themes of art history, individual and shared cultural identities, personal narratives, literature, philosophy, materiality and critical history. For his first solo exhibition in Asia, Nudiustertian, Johnson has created brand new works, including Bruise Paintings, Surrender Paintings and Seascape Paintings, alongside his mosaics, continuing to work with a complex range of iconographies to explore collective and historical expressions of longing and displacement, while speaking to the times we live in. Nudiustertian is an obsolete English phrase meaning of or related to the day before yesterday or the very recent past. For Johnson, the exhibition Nudiustertian i ... More  Smithsonian's National Postal Museum showcase new objects in baseball exhibitionWASHINGTON, DC.- The National Postal Museums exhibition Baseball: Americas Home Run, on view since April 9, 2022, is being revitalized to include the display of new objects and artifacts that tell the story about how the game of baseball became an integral part of American history and tradition. The exhibition reopened to the public March 25 and is on view through Jan. 5, 2025. Exploring Americas national pastime through the unique lens of stamps, mail and memorabilia, the exhibition features hundreds of U.S. and international stamps commemorating great players and historic moments. Drawing on original artwork and archival material from the U.S. Postal Services esteemed Postmaster Generals Collection, the exhibition approaches the story of baseball from a unique, worldwide perspective ... More  Exhibition focuses on the power and politics of the seaLIVERPOOL.- JMW Turner with Lamin Fofana: Dark Waters focuses on the power and politics of the sea. Tate Liverpools location on the citys waterfront, combined with the citys maritime history, provides the perfect context to consider Turner (17751851) afresh. Conveying the intensity and diversity of life on the ocean, Turners work will be presented for the first time within an immersive sound environment created by artist Lamin Fofana (b.1982). Almost a third of Turners works feature the sea, from the paintings that first established his reputation to his late experimental canvases. By the end of his life, Turner had defined an entirely new marine aesthetic in British art and beyond. The exhibition features paintings, sketchbooks, and works on paper by Turner that capture a time of great change in our islands r ... More  C24 Gallery opens the first solo show by Roxa Smith at the galleryNEW YORK, NY.- C24 Gallery announced the opening of the first solo show by Roxa Smith at C24 Gallery, No Vacancy. The exhibition opened on Thursday evening, March 23rd and runs through Friday, May 12th. Roxa Smiths paintings and collages are color-filled meditations on the interior spaces and furnishings that symbolize experiences of family, culture and history. Smith has turned her plein air landscape painters eye indoors, to the rooms of her memory and imagination. She imbues her canvases with a sense of spaciousness that allows the eye to wander around a seemingly dense assortment of objects and furniture, as well as the views to the outside that she frequently includes in her compositions. Smith began painting her solitary chair series during the early days of the pandemic. Isolated f ... More |
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PhotoGalleries 
Gabriele Münter 
TARWUK 
Awol Erizku 
Leo Villareal
Flashback On a day like today, British painter Ben Nicholson was born April 10, 1894. Benjamin Lauder Nicholson, OM (10 April 1894 - 6 February 1982) was an English painter of abstract compositions (sometimes in low relief), landscape and still-life. In this image: Ben Nicholson, 1936 (gouache) 38.1 x 50.2 cm. (15 x 19 3/4 in.). Photo: Bonhams.
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