New York
April 12, 2023
IN THIS ISSUE:
We pick 15 shows to see this month
Reviews of Peter Shear at Cheim & Read, Lemko artist Nikifor at the Ukrainian Museum, and Free Black Potter Thomas W. Commeraw at NYHS
A closer look at the photography of Barkley L. Hendricks
Claudia Andujar talks about her activism and current exhibition at The Shed
15 Art Shows to See in New York This Month
What better feeling is there than waking up one morning to find that the skeletal trees outside your window are again in full bloom? Thank you, spring, for your return, and thank you, New York City, for your year-long supply of good art to see.
This month, our list of recommendations includes Shellyne Rodriguez’s loving portraits of her Bronx community, Susan Bee’s colorful fables, a tribute to Afro-Hispanic painter Juan de Pareja at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and more.
See our full list of highlights this April!
For more recommendations, check out our Spring 2023 New York Art Guide.
SPONSORED
The People’s Ball: A Night of Style, Imagination, Freedom, and You!
Not invited to the Met Gala? Not to worry! Brooklyn Public Library’s People’s Ball on Sunday, April 30, 7pm, is a free, inclusive event that eschews elitism and honors the colors, textures, and styles that comprise the city’s urban runway. Come celebrate and be celebrated by your friends and neighbors as you dance, party, and pose.
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LATEST REVIEWS
Peter Shear Lets Paint Be
The position Shear has been defining in his work is one that accepts, contemplates, and reimagines the possibilities of abstract painting. | John Yau
Peter Shear: Following Sea
Mar. 23–May 13
Cheim & Read, 547 West 25th Street, Chelsea (cheimread.com)
The Artist Who Sailed With Saints
Born with a speech impediment that made him unintelligible to many people, Lemko artist Nikifor turned to drawing as a means of communication. | Aga Sablinska
Nikifor: The Ultimate Outsider
Jan. 19–Apr. 15
Ukrainian Museum, 222 East 6th Street, East Village (theukrainianmuseum.org)
Reclaiming the Story of Free Black Potter Thomas W. Commeraw
For too long, the New York potter was mistakenly identified as White and of French descent. | Annabel Keenan
Crafting Freedom: The Life and Legacy of Free Black Potter Thomas W. Commeraw
Jan. 27–May 28
New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, Upper West Side (nyhistory.org)
CLOSING SOON
Duke Riley’s Burlesque Spin on the Trappings of Museum Display and Folk Art
Riley’s nautical-themed exhibition brims with antic details that constitute a feat of serious world-building. | Louis Bury
Duke Riley: DEATH TO THE LIVING, Long Live Trash
Jun. 17–Apr. 23
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway (brooklynmuseum.org)
SPONSORED
The Public Theater Explores the Hurricane Katrina Diaspora in shadow/land
Written by Erika Dickerson-Despenza and directed by Candis C. Jones, this lyrical meditation on legacy, erotic fugitivity, and self-determination is on view in NYC. Learn more.
A CLOSER LOOK
A Photographer’s Fight for Yanomami Sovereignty
Over the past five decades, activist and photographer Claudia Andujar has worked with the Amazon’s Yanomami people to defend their native rights. | Silvia Benedetti
The Yanomami Struggle
Feb. 3–Apr. 16
The Shed, 545 West 30th Street, Hudson Yards (theshed.org)
The Never-Before-Seen Photographs of Barkley L. Hendricks
Most people know the artist for his paintings gracefully embodying the Black experience in America. In an upcoming exhibition, his photographs take center stage. | Briana Ellis-Gibbs
Barkley L. Hendricks: Myself When I Am Real
Apr. 13–May 26
Jack Shainman Gallery, 513 W 20th Street, Chelsea (jackshainman.com)
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NEW & UPCOMING MUSEUM SHOWS
What That Quilt Knows About Me
Mar. 17–May 28
American Folk Art Museum, 2 Lincoln Square, New York, Upper West Side (folkartmuseum.org)
Cecily Brown: Death and the Maid
Apr. 4–Dec. 3
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, Upper East Side (metmuseum.org)
Jaune Quick-to-See Smith: Memory Map
Apr. 19–Aug.
Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort Street, Meatpacking District (whitney.org)
Daniel Lind-Ramos: El Viejo Griot: Una historia de todos nosotros
Apr. 20–Sept. 4
MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City (momaps1.org)
Tracey Rose: Shooting Down Babylon
Apr. 23–Sept. 10
Queens Museum, Grand Central Parkway and Van Wyck Expressway (queensmuseum.org)
