Phew — we’ve made it to Saturday after a long week of nonstop fairs in New York City and openings all over. Read our on-the-ground reports from the Armory Show, Spring Break Art Show, Independent 20th Century, Art on Paper, Clio, and Salon Zürcher, along with some gems. Editor-in-Chief Hrag Vartanian’s interview with artist Stephen Morrison, whose floral paintings on view at Spring Break incorporate portraits of his beloved pitbull mix Tilly, is the sweetness we need to get through this topsy-turvy fall season. And our inaugural Armory Show Awards, which recognize standout booths in unexpected categories, cut through the art-fair monotony with a bit of humor. This week’s headlines include a deep-dive into the Newport Art Museum’s controversial decision to eliminate its staff curatorial positions in favor of a “guest curator” model that some say establishes a preoccupying precedent. Staff Reporter Isa Farfan has that story. In other news of institutional turmoil, Maya Pontone walks us through the unbelievable saga of Berlin’s Pergamonmuseum, whose reopening could be delayed by over two decades. There’s much more, including Diné artist Melissa Cody, Robert Earl Paige’s textiles, and a new feminist art book that falls short of inclusivity. |
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And don’t forget to get your tickets to Hyperallergic’s 15th-anniversary bash in Brooklyn on October 9! Early access tickets are available now for Hyperallergic Members. To become a member, visit hyperallergic.com/membership. |
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— Valentina Di Liscia, News Editor | |
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You’re currently a free subscriber to Hyperallergic. To support our independent arts journalism, please consider joining us as a paid member. | | Become a Member |
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| | | “Best Booth”? No, thank you. This year, we honor the real standouts at the fair, from the shiniest artworks to the most Duchampian. | Valentina Di Liscia, Hrag Vartanian, and Hakim Bishara
Is this year’s fair a reflection of a tired, oversaturated, and complacent art market, or am I looking for excitement and discovery where they can no longer be found? | Hakim Bishara
Contemporary artists with large followings beyond the traditional scope of the art world had little trouble unloading their latest works. | Aaron Short |
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SPONSORED | | | | This show at China Institute Gallery in NYC provides a rare opportunity to view excavated treasures from 1,600 years ago, on view for the first time in the US. Learn more |
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NEWS THIS WEEK | | | Protesters drench Columbia University’s famous “Alma Mater” statue in red paint, setting the tone for another year of protests demanding the school to divest from Israeli military interests. An investigation by German newspaper Der Spiegel identifies a pattern of “planning chaos” delaying Berlin’s Pergamonmuseum costly renovation project. A painting attributed to Rembrandt went under the hammer for a record-breaking $1.175 million after it was unearthed from an attic in Maine. Rhode Island’s Newport Art Museum is left with no staff curators after eliminating four positions this month. New York’s Cooper Union announced that tuition will be free for graduating seniors over the next four years. |
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AT THE FAIRS | | | | For its 13th edition, the fair brings its imaginative spirit to an environment that could certainly use it: a floor of a Tribeca office building. | Hrag Vartanian and Lakshmi Rivera Amin
What makes Stephen Morrison’s paintings of flower arrangements particularly special is that his beloved dog, Tilly, is integrated into the flowers themselves. | Hrag Vartanian |
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| | | | Highlights include Lenore Tawney’s fiber work, Selby Warren’s mixed-media paintings, and Julia Isídrez’s ceramics. | Rhea Nayyar
Seven galleries show work by artists from Ukraine and its diaspora in a special exhibition at the fair. | Lisa Yin Zhang
A miniature book fair, printmaking workshops, and generous price tags more than make up for the more gimmicky aspects of this Manhattan show. | Maya Pontone
At Clio and Salon Zürcher, I found a drag show, celestial paintings, and welcome spaces for artists to debut new directions. | Isa Farfan |
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SPONSORED | | | | Paintings from New England, Europe, New York, Newfoundland, and California are on view September 4–15 at Truro Center for the Arts in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Learn more |
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FROM OUR CRITICS | | | | The Diné artist demonstrates that traditional techniques and motifs are not static, but are dynamic bearers of emotional weight. | Ela Bittencourt
The 87-year-old artist is having one of those rare the-art-world-is-paying-attention moments, and it feels joyful and deserved. | Lori Waxman
“Drawing” with her own hair, the artist addresses cultural stereotypes and sociopolitical issues including feminism, personal agency, and aging. | Nancy Zastudil |
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| BOOKS WE'RE READING | | | | Mothers of Invention tells the story of how the movements, media, and styles of the past 50 years were inspired by feminism — through mostly White artists. | Bridget Quinn
The first major biography of the film director, screenwriter, artist, and photographer is scrupulous and affectionate. | Sophie Monks Kaufman
Rosina Buckland’s book dispels the whitewashed argument that Meiji-era art resulted from foreign influences that watered down local forms. | Nageen Shaikh |
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MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC | | | | Artists including Carrie Mae Weems and Shepard Fairey are joining large-scale campaigns to encourage voter turnout this election season. | Isa Farfan
This season in the nation’s capital offers poignant portraiture by Félix González-Torres, an archive of James Baldwin, Rosemary Feit Covey’s organic forms, documentary photography, and more. | Murat Cem Mengüç
The city’s arts scene is in full swing again, with Magdalena Suarez Frimkess, queer science fiction, light in Medieval Europe, Christina Ramberg’s fragmented figuration, and more. | Matt Stromberg
A posthumous encounter with Hans Franks’s cosmic art, Sydney Cash’s reinvorigrations of ‘30s-era glass, Frances Segismundo’s Zen-inspired work, and more. | Taliesin Thomas
This week: Audre Lorde beyond the famous quotes, women activists in Haiti, the Black Polar explorer you’ve never heard of, a walrus takes a sabbatical, and much more. | Lakshmi Rivera Amin Residencies, grants, and open calls from the City of Melbourne, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and more in our monthly list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers. |
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