| In the winter of 1912, when he was seriously down on his luck, Henri Matisse took a trip to Tangier that transformed him and his art for life. “Once the rain stopped, he quickly got to work exploring the city’s lush vegetation, distinct architecture, and varied population in his numerous drawings and paintings,” writes Lauren Moya Ford in her review of the new book Matisse in Morocco. “The trip was so productive that he returned later that same year, and some might say that he never fully left.” Read more below. Like Matisse, we could all use some escapism these days. However, we can take comfort in images from the millions-strong anti-fascist “No King” protests across the United States, or news that scientists were finally able to recreate the alluring Egyptian blue pigment. We also celebrated Juneteenth this week with a series of articles, including a guide to 30 monuments of Black Americans in New York City you might not know about, and reflections on the afterlives of slavery in the art world in a strong opinion piece by Damien Davis. In another eye-opening essay, Erika Hirugami points to a common blind spot in the discourse about immigration in the art establishment: the erasure of undocumented people. It’s an important read. Also in this edition: a corrective show about the artist Marisol, Ali Banisadr's gripping panoramas of wreckage and chaos, Susumu Shingu’s light-as-air kinetic sculptures, Malaysian shadow puppetry, and much more. Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend. — Hakim Bishara, Managing Editor | | |
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| | Inspired by the colors and textiles around him, the artist’s two trips to Tangier became an impetus for growth and exploration. | Lauren Moya Ford |
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NEWS THIS WEEK | | | Artists and photographers immortalized last weekend’s “No Kings” protests, countering the normalization of state violence with a clear picture of dissent. A team of researchers has concocted not one but a dozen recipes for Ancient Egypt’s prized blue pigment. Museum visitors sit on and crush Italian artist Nicola Bolla’s Swarovski-encrusted “Van Gogh” chair sculpture at Verona’s Palazzo Maffei. The National Museum of the American Latino is on the chopping block as the Trump administration targets the Smithsonian Institution. Sculptor Joel Shapiro, who traversed the boundaries of Minimalism with his emotive, large-scale bronze works, has died at the age of 83. |
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| NYC SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS | | | Our list of long-running museum and noncommercial exhibitions includes John Singer Sargent, Jane Austen, Lorna Simpson, and so many more. |
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JUNETEENTH | | | In the art world, as in America at large, spectacle is welcomed more readily than structural change. | Damien Davis
Workshops inspired by contemporary artists, performances, comedy, food, screenings, and so much more. | Rhea Nayyar and Mary Ghebremeskal
From Harriet Tubman to Duke Ellington, the city boasts a wealth of public art honoring Black individuals, the subject of a timely new book. | Maya Pontone |
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| LATEST REVIEWS | | | A retrospective rescues aspects of her career from her long-running reputation as “glamorous girl artist,” including her politics, humor, and sense of self. | Martha Buskirk
An exhibition of Ligon’s well-known works at the Brant Foundation shows how language fails us and confronts us with silence. | Natalie Haddad
Banisadr makes images that are relentless in their toiling motion — he paints as if bedlam is foundational to the world. | Seph Rodney |
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| | | Her intimate photographs of women include humor and playfulness, and speak to her closeness to her subjects. | Alexis Clements
Burn Me! at The Box examines how fire has shaped art and life west of the San Bernardino Mountains — in the last six months and far earlier. | Claudia Ross
Echoes from the Borderlands, which transcribes a sound installation tracing the border, insists on the land’s inextricability from the history to which it bears witness. | Mariana Fernández |
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MORE ON HYPERALLERGIC | | | In a county of over one million undoc+ individuals, why is “undocumented” a bad word in the arts sector? | Erika Hirugami
A new exhibition at the Japan Society in NYC will center the sculptor’s animated artworks, maquettes, and inspiring sense of gratitude for the miracle of being alive. | Rhea Nayyar
In the north of the country, Wayang kulit Kelantan is being revitalized through contemporary storytelling and the long-overdue inclusion of women. | Andrew Nachemson
This week: when Toni Morrison edited Barbara Chase-Riboud, trans women artists in Mexico, Jane Austen paraphernalia, a pigeon pageant on the High Line, and much more. | Lakshmi Rivera Amin
Residencies, fellowships, grants, and open calls from the Grand Canyon Conservancy, the Dedalus Foundation, and more in our monthly list of opportunities for artists, writers, and art workers. |
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AT THE STUDIO | | | This week, artists envision an art museum in Nashville and pine for a loft to paint in. | | Want to take part? Check out our submission guidelines and share a bit about your studio with us through this form! All mediums and workspaces are welcome, including your home studio. |
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THIS MONTH’S MINI | | | Ed Ruscha’s canned meat paintings, Manhattan cruising and art sites, and more. | Natan Last |
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MEMBER COMMENT | | M Geiger on “Let It Burn” | | I followed the link that reported the fire. It appears that only the master’s house burned, surrounding buildings, presumably slaves quarters and work buildings, were undamaged.
Many of these places are an important part of many African Americans’ search for their ancestors, and an educational experience for the rest of us. The article implies that while the house was privately owned, the rest of the property is under park service supervision. Perhaps it would be fitting to donate the mansion property to the park service and create a tribute to the men and women who built and maintained it for their owner. |
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