Good morning! The recent beheading of a sculpture of the Virgin Mary in labor was the first of two decapitations of artworks depicting women this month. In a must-read essay today, writer Ed Simon traces the roots of this wave of vandalism back to Protestant iconoclasts of the 16th and 17th centuries, also explaining the long tradition of art that honors Mary as a mother.
We also report on backlash against a St. Louis arts center’s decision to cancel an exhibition focused on Palestinian freedom, which was pulled just days before its opening. Maya Pontone has the details.
Read on for Alexis Clements’s review of a Hilary Harkness monograph at the corner of art history and funhouse erotics, Alice Procter on Käthe Kollwitz’s everlasting impact, and more. Have a lovely Thursday. — Lakshmi Rivera Amin, Associate Editor
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The vandal who beheaded Esther Strauss’s statue of the Virgin Mary in labor disregarded centuries-old depictions of the mother of God as just a mother. | Ed Simon
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SPONSORED
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Paintings, collages, and works on paper from the 1940s through the ’90s offer a glimpse into the evolution of this visionary artist. On view in Portland, Maine. Learn more
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LATEST REVIEWS
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An exhibition relishes in the opulence of the objects produced by Dutch globalism while disingenuously acknowledging its destruction on unpictured shores. | Leia Genis
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As images of violence have become more ubiquitous, it’s a devastating testament to Kollwitz's artistry that her works are still so moving. | Alice Procter
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A new volume of Hilary Harkness’s paintings enfolds us into surreal worlds of gender-bending militaries, feminine revenge, and alternative histories. | Alexis Clements
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MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC
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These artists from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Peru, Sudan, and Palestine use soil as a different kind of building medium in their works. | Michelle Mlati
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The show at Craft Alliance included a bowl with a keffiyeh pattern, watermelon imagery, and the phrase “from the river to the sea.” | Maya Pontone
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IN MEMORIAM
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Hope Alswang (1947–2024)
Museum director | New York Times
Nancy Azara (1939–2024)
Sculptor and co-founder of the New York Feminist Art Institute | New York Times
Alex Janvier (1935–2024)
Painter who blended First Nations motifs with abstraction |
Canadian Press
Shi Jin-hua (1964–2024)
Conceptual and performance artist | ArtAsiaPacific
Dorothy Lichtenstein (1939–2024)
President of Roy Lichtenstein Foundation | Artnews
Michael Tracy (1943–2024)
Artist devoted to architecture along the US-Mexico border | New York Times |
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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. |
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