October 31, 2024

International Center of Photography (ICP) presents We Are Here: Scenes from the Streets, through January 6, 2025

“The International Center of Photography (ICP) presents We Are Here: Scenes from the Streets, an in-depth exploration into 50 years of contemporary public life documented through the lens of over 30 street photographers from around the world, beginning in the 1970s. Guest curated by Isolde Brielmaier, PhD, with Noa Wynn, Independent Curatorial Assistant, We Are Here opens at ICP on September 25, 2024 and runs through January 6, 2025.

Featuring works by photographers from Algeria, China, Egypt, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, South Africa, the USA, and beyond, We Are Here reframes our understanding of ‘the street’ and the activities and exchanges that occur in diverse public and community spaces. In a world fraught with misunderstanding and societal tension, the exhibition highlights street photography’s unique viewpoints on local culture and unfolding events. Documenting both dramatic and everyday moments—from street style to protests—the works in We Are Here testify to the resilience and similarities of the human experience.” — International Center of Photography

Devin Allen, A Freddie Gray protest in Baltimore, Md., 2015. © Devin Allen
Shoichi Aoki, from the series FRUiTS, 1998. Courtesy Shoichi Aoki
Martha Cooper, Kids climbing a fence in an abandoned lot, Lower East Side, NYC from the series
Street Play, 1978. © Martha Cooper
Farnaz Damnabi, Untitled, Birjand, Iran, 2017. Courtesy of Farnaz Damnabi and 29 Arts In Progress
gallery
Debrani Das, Cartwheels of Pushkar, from the series Anonymous, 2022. © Debrani Das
Corky Lee, Chinatown Community Young Lions performing at the Lunar New Year parade in
Chinatown, New York, 1996. © Corky Lee/Corky Lee Estate
Daidō Moriyama, Pretty Woman, 2017. © Daidō Moriyama Photo Foundation
Melissa O’Shaughnessy, Canal Street, New York, 2017. © Melissa O’Shaughnessy
Jamel Shabazz, Man & Dog on the Lower East Side, 1980. Courtesy Jamel Shabazz
Trevor Stuurman, Untitled (A Day in Dakar), 2023. © Trevor Stuurman

“We Are Here invites viewers to confront the richness and complexities of our modern, multifaceted life, emphasizing our shared humanity beyond geographic and cultural divides,” Brielmaier said of the exhibition. “Today’s world moves fleetingly, but these images prove that though circumstances might change, humanity is not going anywhere; the stories of our lives will remain.”

“Street photographers often navigate the complexities of power dynamics and privilege,” Elisabeth Sherman, ICP Senior Curator and Director of Exhibitions and Collections said. “We hope this exhibition sparks reflection and conversation about the historical and current dynamics of public spaces that are shaped and mediated by gender, race, and socio-economic status, and how we critically understand the ways they govern our lives.”

“As we end ICP’s 50th anniversary celebration with We Are Here, we are reaffirming our mission to educate the public on the power of visual storytelling and to foster international dialogue about what it means to be a concerned photographer today,” said Bob Jeffrey, ICP

Images courtesy International Center of Photography (ICP).

October 29, 2024

Jean Tinguely at Pirelli HangarBicocca, October 10, 2024 – February 2, 2025  

“For me the machine is above all an instrument that permits me to be poetic. If you respect the machine, if you enter into a game with the machine, then perhaps you can make a truly joyous machine—by joyous, I mean free.” — Jean Tinguely

“From October 10, 2024, to February 2, 2025, Pirelli HangarBicocca presents ‘Jean Tinguely’, the most comprehensive retrospective held in Italy since the artist’s death.

The aim of the exhibition is to highlight the radical and experimental nature of Jean Tinguely, one of the artists who shaped the history of 20th century art, and to underline his contemporary relevance and status even today. 

The show includes a nucleus of 40 works made from the 1950s to the 1990s, which will fill the 5,000 square meters of the vast Navate space at Pirelli HangarBicocca. Comprising many of his most important pieces, from his pioneering experimental kinetic sculptures to his monumental machines, the exhibition invites visitors into a unique and enthralling audio and visual environment.” — Pirelli HangarBicocca

Jean Tinguely. Méta-Maxi, 1986. Installation view, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, 2024. On loan from the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection. CourtesyPirelli HangarBicocca, Milan. Jean Tinguely:© SIAE, 2024. Photo Agostino Osio
Jean Tinguely. Cercle et carré-éclates, 1981. Installation view, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, 2024. MAH, Musée d’art et d’histoire, Ville de Genève. Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan. Jean Tinguely:© SIAE, 2024. Photo Agostino Osio
Jean Tinguely. Requiem pour une feuille morte, 1967. Installation view, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, 2024. Collection Fonds Renault pour l’art et la culture, France. Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan. Jean Tinguely:© SIAE, 2024. Photo Agostino Osio
Jean Tinguely. Plateau agriculturel, 1978. Installation view, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, 2024. Museum Tinguely, Basel. Donation Micheline und Claude Renard. A cultural commitment of RocheCourtesyPirelli HangarBicocca, Milan. Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024. Photo Agostino Osio
Jean Tinguely. Exhibition view, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan, 2024. Foreground:Jean Tinguely,CaféKyoto, 1987. Museum Tinguely, Basel. Donation Niki de Saint Phalle. A cultural commitment of Roche. Background:Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle, Le Champignon magique, 1989. Niki Charitable Art Foundation, Santee. Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan. Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024. Photo Agostino Osio
Jean Tinguely. Méta-Matic No. 10, 1959. Replica (2024) Veduta dell’installazione in Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milano, 2024. Museum Tinguely, Basel. A cultural commitment of Roche Courtesy Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milano. Jean Tinguely: © SIAE, 2024. Foto Agostino Osio

“‘I am a movement artist. I started with painting, but I got stuck, I was at a dead end’ (from ‘Tinguely talks about Tinguely’. interview broadcasted by Belgian Radio Television on December 13, 1982). This is how the artist, one of the most subversive figures of the last century, described himself. Tinguely focused all his experiments on overcoming two-dimensionality, tirelessly researching the movement of matter and objects, and constant change, with the aim of overturning the notion of a permanent, definitive composition. This artistic attitude speaks to broader existential issues, such as the uncertainty and transience of the human condition and the evolution of social and political contexts.” — Pirelli HangarBicocca

The “Jean Tinguely” exhibition is organized by Pirelli HangarBicocca in collaboration with Museum Tinguely, Basel. The exhibition project is curated by Camille Morineau, Lucia Pesapane and Vicente Todolí with Fiammetta Griccioli.

October 24, 2024

The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition, October 10, 2024 to January 26, 2025 at the Brooklyn Museum

“The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition opened on the occasion of the Museum’s 200th anniversary. This extensive group show highlights the remarkable creativity and diversity of Brooklyn’s artistic communities. Reflecting on a rich history of fostering creativity and championing artists of all backgrounds, the Museum’s bicentennial is an opportunity to honor the borough’s artistic heritage while looking ahead to its bright and creative future. Artists were selected through a collaborative effort led by esteemed Artist Committee members Jeffrey Gibson, Vik Muniz, Mickalene Thomas, and Fred Tomaselli, all of whom are Brooklyn Museum Artist Trustees. The selection process consisted of two phases: invitations from the Artist Committee and a public Open Call that garnered nearly 4,000 applications.

Showcasing a snapshot of Brooklyn’s creative output over the past five years, the artists in this exhibition explore and challenge contemporary themes that resonate both locally and globally, such as migration, cross-cultural exchange, identity, history, and memory. The presentation also highlights collective care, healing, joy, solidarity, uncertainty, and turbulence, intertwined with material experimentation.” — Brooklyn Museum

Installation views of “The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition” at Brooklyn Museum, October 10, 2024 – January 26, 2025. Photos by Corrado Serra.

“For years artists have been asking us to organize a big Brooklyn artists exhibition, and now we’ve done it!” says Anne Pasternak, Shelby White and Leon Levy Director, Brooklyn Museum. “Brooklyn has more artists than anywhere, and we are thrilled to expand the ways we support the excellence of our incredible borough.”

The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition is organized by Jeffrey Gibson, Vik Muniz, Mickalene Thomas, and Fred Tomaselli and coordinated by Sharon Matt Atkins, Deputy Director for Art; Lauren Bierly, Senior Exhibition Project Manager; and Jennie Tang, Special Exhibition Administrator; with support from Kimberli Gant, Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art; Carmen Hermo, former Associate Curator, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art; and Catherine Morris, Senior Curator, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Brooklyn Museum.

October 21, 2024

Marina Apollonio: Beyond the Circle at Peggy Guggenheim Collection, October 12, 2024 – through March 2, 2025

“Having selected a primary form, such as a circle, I study its structural possibilities as a means of activating it, aiming for the best results with the maximum economy.” — Marina Apollonio

“From October 12, 2024, through March 2, 2025, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection presents Marina Apollonio: Beyond the Circle, the most comprehensive museum retrospective in Italy dedicated to Marina Apollonio, a leading figure in the international Optical and Kinetic avant-garde whose work was championed by Peggy Guggenheim.

Marina Apollonio: Beyond the Circle is a deserved tribute to the Triestine artist, tracing her career from 1963 to the present. The show highlights her rigorous visual investigations, encompassing painting, sculpture, drawing, as well as static, moving, and environmental works, black-and-white or chromatic paintings, and experimentations in a variety of media and techniques. The fact that this homage is presented in the galleries of Palazzo Venier dei Leoni is particularly fitting, not only because Venice is Apollonio’s adoptive city, where she lived as a girl and took her first steps as an artist, but also because it highlights the role of visionary collector Peggy Guggenheim in her career. Indeed, in 1968, after having visited the artist’s solo exhibition at the Galleria Paolo Barozzi in Venice, Guggenheim commissioned Rilievo n. 505 (ca. 1968), currently part of the museum’s collection, which testifies to her support of young Italian avant-garde artists.” — Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Installation views of Marina Apollonio: Beyond the Circle at Peggy Guggenheim Collection, October 12, 2024 – March 2, 2025. Photos by Matteo De Fina. Courtesy Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

Organized by independent art historian and curator Marianna Gelussi, the exhibition features about one hundred works on loan from the artist’s collection, as well as from national and international museums, including the Neue Gallery in Graz; the Fondation Villa Datris in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France; the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome; MART in Rovereto, Italy; the Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Turin; the Kunsthalle Recklinghausen and the Museum Ritter in Waldenbuch, Germany; and the Museum Haus Konstruktiv in Zurich.

Title image: Marina Apollonio. Dinamica circolare 6Z+H, 1968. Enamel on wood, rotating mechanism. Diameter: 100cm. Collection of the artist, Padua © Marina Apollonio.

October 17, 2024

Flow States – LA TRIENAL 2024 at El Museo del Barrio, October 10, 2024 – February 9, 2025

“El Museo del Barrio announces commissioned projects, exhibition highlights, illustrated catalogue, and opening week programming for Flow States – La Trienal 2024, the museum’s second large-scale triennial of Latinx contemporary art. Organized by El Museo del Barrio’s chief curator Rodrigo Moura, curator Susanna V. Temkin, and guest curator María Elena Ortiz, the exhibition will feature 33 artists working across the United States, Puerto Rico, and—for the first time—geographies that reflect the complexities of diasporic flows, with artists based in the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.

Emphasizing plurality and a sense of movement, the exhibition’s title, Flow States, borrows from the psychology of creative focus and the fluidity of geographic boundaries and cultural exchanges. As such, the phrase reflects the ever-changing paths of Latinx artistic diasporas that inform the exhibition. Participating artists share interests in transformation, hybrid belongings, collective memories, porosities of landscape, and material exchanges. These threads come together against a background of displacements and migrations that continue to transform our local and global ecosystems.” — El Museo del Barrio

Installation view of Cosmo Whyte, Persona Non Grata, 2024, in Flow States – LA TRIENAL 2024 at El Museo del Barrio, New York. Courtesy the artist and Anat Egbi Gallery, Los Angeles / New York. Commissioned for LA Trienal. Photograph by Matthew Sherman/Courtesy of El Museo del Barrio, New York.
Installation view of Flow States – LA TRIENAL 2024 at El Museo del Barrio, New York. Photograph by Matthew Sherman/Courtesy of El Museo del Barrio, New York.
Installation view of Flow States – LA TRIENAL 2024 at El Museo del Barrio, New York. Photograph by Matthew Sherman/Courtesy of El Museo del Barrio, New York.
Installation view of Flow States – LA TRIENAL 2024 at El Museo del Barrio, New York. Photograph by Matthew Sherman/Courtesy of El Museo del Barrio, New York.
Installation view of Flow States – LA TRIENAL 2024 at El Museo del Barrio, New York. Photograph by Matthew Sherman/Courtesy of El Museo del Barrio, New York.
Installation view of Flow States – LA TRIENAL 2024 at El Museo del Barrio, New York. Photograph by Matthew Sherman/Courtesy of El Museo del Barrio, New York.
Installation view of Flow States – LA TRIENAL 2024 at El Museo del Barrio, New York. Photograph by Matthew Sherman/Courtesy of El Museo del Barrio, New York.
Installation view of Maria A. Guzman Caprón, En Tu Mirada [In Your Eyes], Las Curlies, and Aquí Para Ti [Here for you], 2024, in Flow States – LA TRIENAL 2024 at El Museo del Barrio, New York. Courtesy the artist.
Photograph by Matthew Sherman/Courtesy of El Museo del Barrio, New York.
Installation view of Flow States – LA TRIENAL 2024 at El Museo del Barrio, New York. Photograph by Matthew Sherman/Courtesy of El Museo del Barrio, New York.

“For the second edition of LA TRIENAL, we have broadened the geographic scope to emphasize the multiplicity of the Latinx cultural experience as a lens to frame the contemporary artistic landscape. Importantly, this edition acknowledges the resonances and connections among Latinx, Filipinx, Caribbean, and Indigenous identities,” says Moura.

“Flow States – LA TRIENAL 2024 presents itself as a summit in which the works of the selected artists reflect affinities and solidarities, as well as distinct perspectives and individualized points of departure. Together, they offer strategies for resistance and diverse imaginations for the future,” says Temkin.

Commenting on the significance of the exhibition at this particular moment, Maria Elena Ortiz, guest curator and curator at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, adds: “This exhibition validates Latinx art, focusing on its diasporic realities to expand on the mainstream notion of Latino. Breaking away from national boundaries, it is an opportunity to admire the work of emerging voices, celebrate underrepresented artists, and include other narratives into the discourse.”

“Flow States – LA TRIENAL 2024 demonstrates El Museo del Barrio’s unwavering commitment to championing Latinx art and amplifying the voices of underrepresented artists. This edition extends our reach beyond the United States and Puerto Rico to include new geographies that reflect the complexities of diasporic flows, with artists based in the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. We invite audiences to challenge established narratives and find their own stories mirrored in the powerful works of art that will be on display,” says Patrick Charpenel, Executive Director, El Museo del Barrio.

October 15, 2024

The Appearance: Art of the Asian Diaspora in Latin America & the Caribbean through December 14, 2024 at Americas Society

“Opening at Americas Society on September 4, 2024, the exhibition The Appearance: Art of the Asian Diaspora in Latin America & The Caribbean, is the first show in New York City to center on the artistic production of the Asian diaspora in the region from the 1950s to the present. 

Focusing on postwar and contemporary art, the exhibition showcases the work of twenty-nine artists from fifteen countries working in a range of artistic mediums including painting, sculpture, performance, photography, and video. 

The Appearance sheds light on the often-overlooked experiences and artistic trajectories of Asian diasporic subjects and collectives across Latin America and the Caribbean, contextualizing them within histories of transoceanic migration, displacement, and resettlement.

The exhibition includes the artworks of artists like Kazuya Sakai in Argentina, Albert Chong in Jamaica, Wifredo Lam in Cuba, Mimiam Hsu in Costa Rica and Tomie Ohtake, Mario Ishikawa and Tikashi Fukushima in Brazil.” — Americas Society

Installation views of The Appearance: Art of the Asian Diaspora in Latin America & The Caribbean at Americas Society, September 4 – December 14, 2024. Photos: Arturo Sanchez.

Curated by Tie Jojima and Yudi Rafael, this exhibition “mobilizes ‘appearance’ as an open-ended framework whose elusiveness is symptomatic of the conditions of Asian diasporic experiences and whose potential meanings and symbolisms are in constant negotiation and transformation,” said the curators.

Images courtesy Americas Society.

October 14, 2024

Rubens’s Workshop at Museo Nacional del Prado, through February 16, 2025 

“On display in Room 16B of the Villanueva Building until February 16, 2025 and benefiting from the collaboration of the Comunidad de Madrid, this exhibition features more than 30 works including paintings executed by Rubens himself, works by his assistants and others resulting from different degrees of collaboration between them. 

Through the figure of Peter Paul Rubens, one of the most prolific and successful painters of the Early Modern age, the exhibition aims to reveal how European artists produced their paintings in workshops, making use of numerous collaborators. 

Shown alongside these paintings is a recreation of Rubens’s workshop which includes all the tools he needed for his artistic activities: canvases and panels, easels, brushes, pigments and binders, palettes and mahlsticks, as well as various elements that evoke the painter himself, such as a cloak and hat inspired by portraits of him.” — Museo Nacional del Prado

“If I had done the entire work with my onw hand, it would be worth twice as much” — Rubens, 1621

Installation view of “Rubens’s Workshop” at the Museo Nacional del Prado. Photo © Museo Nacional del Prado. 
Allegory of Painting. Attributed to Jan Brueghel the Younger. Oil on copper, c. 1625–30. Courtesy of the JK Art Foundation.
The Death of Decius Mus. Peter Paul Rubens and workshop. Oil on panel, 1616–17. Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado.
Achilles discovered by Odysseus and Diomedes. Peter Paul Rubens and workshop (Anthony van Dyck). Oil on canvas, c.1617–18. Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado.

“In this room many young painters sat, all painting different pieces which had been sketched out by Mr. Rubens.” — Otto Sperling, 1621 

“It is impossible for me to accept the young man whom you recommend. From all sides applications reach me […]. Some young men remain in Antwerp for several years with other masters, awaiting a vacancy in my studio.” — Rubens, 1611 

“Your excellency must not think that the others are mere copies, for they are so well retouched by my hand that they are hardly to be distinguished from originals.” — Rubens, 1618 

“He never let me understand clearly whether this picture was to be a true and entire original or merely retouched by my hand.” — Rubens, 1621 

 Images courtesy Museo Nacional del Prado.

October 10, 2024

Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350 at The Met Fifth Avenue, October 13, 2024 – January 26, 2025

“This fall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art will present the first major exhibition in the United States focusing on early Sienese painting. Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350 will examine an exceptional moment at the dawn of the Italian Renaissance and the pivotal role of Sienese artists—including Duccio, Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti, and Simone Martini—in defining Western painting. In the decades leading up to the catastrophic onset of the plague around 1350, Siena was the site of phenomenal artistic innovation and activity. While Florence is often positioned as the center of the Renaissance, this presentation will offer a fresh perspective on the importance of Siena, from Duccio’s profound influence on a new generation of painters to the development of narrative altarpieces and the dissemination of artistic styles beyond Italy. The exhibition will be on view October 13, 2024, through January 26, 2025.” — The Metropolitan Museum of Art 

Installation views of Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350, on view October 13, 2024–January 26, 2025 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photos by Eileen Travell, Courtesy of The Met.

“Siena was an epicenter of artistic innovation and ambition in the 14th and 15th century. Its impact on the development of European art and on the development of painting cannot be emphasized enough,” said Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and Chief Executive Officer. “This monumental exhibition will bring together the most important group of early Sienese paintings ever assembled outside of Siena—offering a once-in-a-lifetime chance to explore the influence of this extraordinary artistic center.” 

Stephan Wolohojian, John Pope-Hennessy Curator in Charge of European Paintings at The Met, said, “The distinctive artistic language of Duccio, the Lorenzetti brothers, Simone Martini, and their contemporaries completely recast the course of European painting. Examining the bold work of these Sienese artists allows us to trace the germination of many of the key ideas that preoccupied artists working in Italy in the following centuries.”

Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350 is curated by Stephan Wolohojian, John Pope-Hennessy Curator in Charge of European Paintings at The Met; Laura Llewellyn, Curator of Italian Paintings before 1500 at the National Gallery, London; and Caroline Campbell, Director of the National Gallery of Ireland; in collaboration with Joanna Cannon, Professor at the Courtauld Institute of Art.

Title image: Duccio di Buoninsegna, (Italian, active by 1278–died 1318 Siena). The Virgin and Child with Saints Dominic and Aurea. Tempera and gold on panel. Framed: central panel 24 3/16 x 15 3/8 in. (61.5 x 39 cm); left wing 17 11/16 x 7 1/16 in. (45 x 18 cm); right wing 17 11/16 x 8 1/16 in. (45 x 20.5 cm). National Gallery, London.

October 2, 2024

Dark Matter at Mercer Labs, Museum of Art and Technology, October 4 – 30, 2024

Mercer Labs, Museum of Art and Technology, located in Lower Manhattan at 21 Dey St., is thrilled to announce a new exhibition Dark Matter – Nightmare Before Midnight, conceptualized, directed and produced by Roy Nachum. Running from October 4 – 30, 2024, Dark Matter invites visitors to explore the depths and darkness of the human psyche and paranormal expression. The multi-sensory, interactive exhibition of 15 installations will be accessible exclusively in the evening, from 8 PM to 12 AM.

“Dark Matter examines the role of darkness in art history. Revealing how the subconscious uncertainty and the unknown has shaped artistic movements and expressed cultural anxieties across time,” says Nachum. “The exhibition is a mirror to our fears and fascinations with the unknown.”

Dark Matter – Nightmare Before Midnight: “The Map Room”
Dark Matter – Nightmare Before Midnight: “The Map Room”
Dark Matter – Nightmare Before Midnight: “The Map Room”
Dark Matter – Nightmare Before Midnight: “The Map Room”
Dark Matter – Nightmare Before Midnight: “4DSOUND”

Nachum is an experimental artist known for his comprehensive and multi-disciplinary artistic practice that spans across various mediums, including painting, sculpture, architecture, installation and technology. Nachum is a bridge builder, breaking down barriers and uniting people through art.

Images courtesy Mercer Labs.

September 30, 2024

Ray Smith: Nepantla at Ethan Cohen Gallery, through November 7, 2024

“Ethan Cohen Gallery presents Ray Smith: Nepantla, the artist’s first solo exhibition with the gallery. At a juncture of polarizing identity politics, Smith’s exhibition is particularly poignant not only in its monumentality and virtuosity but also in the sensitivity he brings to each subject. Smith’s works are timely and highly personal yet, Smith’s paintings address concepts that transcend identity and resonate to the very core of the human condition. Simultaneously Smith’s approach to painting subverts the norms of American art history.

Organized less as a conventional gallery presentation and more in line with an institutional approach, the exhibition’s unique tenor is further compounded by the raw quality of Ethan Cohen’s cavernous new Chelsea gallery. The works on view are not limited to a current body of work, rather the exhibition was conceived around one of Smith’s most seminal paintings Guernimex III (La Olympiada, 1989-1990), which is set in dialog with Smith’s most recent monumental sculptures Lagrimas de Espuma/Foam Tears, 2014 – 2024 and Cocoon 2014 – 2024. The extent of the works included encompass five decades of paintings and sculptures and draw on loans from private collections with the aim of highlighting the breadth of Smith’s oeuvre while focusing on the specific concept of Nepantla.” — Ethan Cohen Gallery

The term was first used by the indigenous people of central Mexico, the Nahaus, in the Florentine Codex, which preserves the knowledge of the ilamatlācah or “wise old women”–

“Tlachichiquilco in tihuih in tinemih tlālticpac: nipa centlami, nipa centlami. In tlā nipa xiyāuh in tlā noceh nipa xiyāuh ōmpa tonhuetziz: zan tlanepantlah in huīlōhua in nemōhua.”

“We travel along a mountain ridge while we live on earth, an abyss yawning on either side. If you stray too far one way or the other, you will fall away. Only by keeping to the middle way does one walk on and live.”

Installation views of Ray Smith: Nepantla at Ethan Cohen Gallery, September 19 – November 7, 2024. Photos by Yao Zu Lu. Courtesy of Ray Smith Studio and Ethan Cohen Gallery.

September 27, 2024

What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD Magazine at Norman Rockwell Museum, through October 27, 2024

Norman Rockwell Museum presents a landmark exhibition exploring the art, satire, and cultural impact of MAD Magazine, one of the longest-running humor publications in America. A counter-cultural touchstone and a venue for some of the nation’s best satirical art and writing, MAD rapidly evolved from a comic book series into a smash-hit magazine that spoke truth to power for seven decades. What, Me Worry? The Art and Humor of MAD Magazine presents a selection of 150 iconic original illustrations and cartoons from MAD’s longtime regular contributors, dubbed the ‘Usual Gang of Idiots,’ as well as next-generation visual satirists who found a home within the magazine’s zany zeitgeist.

“MAD was a groundbreaking magazine that influenced generations of readers and set the bar, and the tone, for contemporary humor and satire. We are delighted to present original selections from the magazine’s brilliant, irreverent artwork that captured and lampooned nearly all aspects of American life, and we are grateful to the collectors and artists who have made originals available for the exciting installation,” said Norman Rockwell Museum Chief Curator Stephanie Haboush Plunkett.

“MAD was much more than a magazine to my generation. It represented a portal to adulthood,” reflected exhibition co-curator Steve Brodner, widely considered among today’s foremost satirical illustrators and caricaturists. “MAD was a heat-seeking missile designed to blow open the hypocritical core of most things. In so doing, it engendered in readers an ability to come closer to what might today be called critical thinking.” Brodner continued, “This exhibition distills that time in print when MAD stood alone in publishing: smart, snappy, current, and bravely idiotic. Its mission connected with us every issue. MAD gradually changed the world, one kid at a time.”

Richard Williams. Alfred E. Neuman and Norman Rockwell, 2002. Cover illustration for Mad Art: A Visual Celebration of MAD Magazine and the Idiots Who Create It (Watson Guptill, 2002). Oil on canvas
James Halperin Collection, Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, HA.com. MAD and all related elements ™ & © E.C. Publications. Courtesy of DC
Sam Viviano. Alfred E. Neuman for President, 2008. Cover illustration for MAD No. 495, November 2008. Digital. Design Director: Ryan Flanders. MAD and all related elements ™ & © E.C. Publications. Courtesy of DC
Kelly Freas (1922-2005). Alfred E. Neuman as Scarecrow, 1958. Cover illustration for MAD #43 (EC, 1958). Acrylic on board. James Halperin Collection, Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, HA.com. MAD and all related elements ™ & © E.C. Publications. Courtesy of DC
Kelly Freas (1922-2005). Quid, Me Vexari? (What, Me Worry?), 1959. Cover illustration for MAD #51 (EC, 1959). Ink and gouache on illustration board. James Halperin Collection, Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, HA.com. MAD and all related elements ™ & © E.C. Publications. Courtesy of DC
Bill Elder (as “Eldder” in tribute to Charles Addams) (1921-2008). It’s so funny the way Poppa’s eyes bug out because he doesn’t have the Sanofranized label, 1955. Illustration for MAD #26 (EC, 1955)
Ink and ink wash on paper. James Halperin Collection, Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, HA.com. MAD and all related elements ™ & © E.C. Publications. Courtesy of DC
Norman Mingo (1896-1980). Jack in the Box, 1967. Cover illustration for MAD #113, (EC, 1967). Opaque watercolor over graphite. James Halperin Collection, Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, HA.com. MAD and all related elements ™ & © E.C. Publications. Courtesy of DC
Don Martin (1931-2000). Pay Toll Fifty Feet, 1980. Back cover illustration for MAD #213, (EC, 1980). India and colored inks on Bristol board. James Halperin Collection, Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, HA.com
. MAD and all related elements ™ & © E.C. Publications. Courtesy of DC

“During recent eras in American society, MAD Magazine was a crucial venue for cultural commentary and norm-busting humor delivered through predominantly visual media. Its popularity, controversial nature, and overall impact together affirm the profound potency of illustration and visual communication,” said Norman Rockwell Museum Director/CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt.

Norton Moffatt continued, “Norman Rockwell Museum is pleased to present this exhibition in the spirit of our mission to present, inform, and inspire new conversations about the role and relevance of illustration art in society and culture. As we do this, we are keenly aware that MAD Magazine raised issues—often presciently—that continue to drive contemporary debates and struggles over power, privilege, social justice, and the many social divisions that remain to be worked through.”

The exhibition is co-curated by acclaimed illustrator and art journalist Steve Brodner and Norman Rockwell Museum Chief Curator Stephanie Haboush Plunkett, in collaboration with an eleven-member advisory group led by former MAD art director Sam Viviano. The advisory group consists of MAD contributors and other leading illustrators, humorists, writers, and scholars.

Images courtesy Norman Rockwell Museum.

September 25, 2024

Maḏayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala at the Asia Society Museum, September 17, 2024 – January 5, 2025

“Asia Society Museum presents Maḏayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala, the first major exhibition of Aboriginal Australian bark paintings to tour the United States. On view from September 17, 2024, through January 5, 2025, the exhibition comprises more than 70 modern and contemporary masterpieces from the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia and other major museums and private collections in the United States and Australia, including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Museum and Gallery of the Northern Territory, and the University of Melbourne.

Conceived, developed and curated by leaders of the Yolŋu people of northeastern Australia, Maḏayin places Indigenous voices at the forefront, reinforcing the important role of Indigenous artists in global contemporary art and curatorial practice.” — Asia Society

“The land has everything it needs. But it couldn’t speak. It couldn’t express itself. Tell its identity. And so it grew a tongue. That is the Yolŋu. That is me. We are the tongue of the land. Grown by the land so it can sing who it is. We exist so we can paint the land,” Djambawa Marawili, Yolŋu leader and artist, explained.

Gunybi Ganambarr. Born 1973; Ŋaymil clan. Garraparra, 2018. Natural pigments on eucalyptus bark. 64 3/16 x 21 1/4 x 2 3/8 in. (163 x 54 x 6cm). Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia. The 2017-2019 Kluge-Ruhe Maḏayin Commission. Museum purchase with funds provided by Lilla and Chris Ohrstrom.
Djambawa Marawili. Born 1953; Maḏarrpa clan. Americalili Marrtji (Journey to America), 2019. Natural pigments on eucalyptus bark. H. 106 5/16 x W. 39 3/8 in. (270 x 100 cm). Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia. The 2017-2019 Kluge-Ruhe Maḏayin Commission. Purchased with funds provided by Geoffrey Hassall OAM and Virginia Milson.
Narritjin Maymuru. About 1916–1981; Maŋgalili clan. Yiŋapuŋapu (Sand Sculpture for Yirritja Mortuary Ceremonies). Before 1972. Natural pigments on eucalyptus bark. H. 38 3/8 x W. 21 in. (97.5 x 53.3 cm). Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia. Edward L. Ruhe Collection. Gift of John W. Kluge.
Dhambit Munuŋgurr. Born 1968; Gupa-Djapu’ clan. Bänhdharra (Ocean), 2019. Natural and synthetic pigments on eucalyptus bark. H. 78 11/32 x W. 42 17/32 in. (199 x 108 cm). Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia. The 2017-2019 Kluge-Ruhe Maḏayin Commission. Purchase with funds provided by Roslyn Oxley and Tony Oxley.
Wilson Manydjarri Ganambarr. Born about 1945; Ḏäṯiwuy clan. Djambarrpuyŋu Mäna (Shark of the Djambarrpuyŋu Clan). 1996. Natural pigments on eucalyptus bark. H. 76 x W. 22 3/4 in. (193 x 57.8 cm). Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia. Gift of John W. Kluge, 1997.
N. Marawili. About 1939–2023; Maḏarrpa clan. Baratjala, 2018. Natural pigments on eucalyptus bark. H. 63 25/32 x W. 44 1/2 in. (162 x 113 cm). Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia. The 2017-2019 Kluge-Ruhe Maḏayin Commission. Museum purchase.
Woŋgu Munuŋgurr, Mäma Munuŋgurr, Mawunbuy Munuŋgurr, Natjiyalma Munuŋgurr. Gupa-Djapu’ clan. Djapu’ Miny’tji (Djapu’ Clan Design), 1942. Natural pigments on eucalyptus bark. H. 74 1/2 x W. 41 7/16 in. (189.2 x 105.3 cm). University of Melbourne. Donald Thomson Collection.
Woŋgu Munuŋgurr. ca. 1880–1959; Gupa-Djapu’ clan. Maḏayin Miny’tji (Sacred Miny’tji), 1935, Natural pigments on eucalyptus bark. H. 56 5/8 x W. 23 7/8 in. (143.8 x 60.6 cm). Donald Thomson Collection, The University of Melbourne.

Maḏayin is one of the first exhibitions of Aboriginal Australian art in New York City since Asia Society’s seminal 1988 exhibition Dreamings: The Art of Aboriginal Australia and subsequent exhibition The Native Born: Contemporary Aboriginal Art from Ramingining in 2003–2004. “The Dreamings exhibition marked a major turning point in the international reception of Aboriginal art as fine art and has been credited with inspiring John W. Kluge to begin building his collection, leading to the creation of the Kluge-Ruhe Collection,” says Yasufumi Nakamori, Director of Asia Society Museum and Vice President for Arts and Culture. “It is therefore especially fitting for Asia Society to host Maḏayin, one of the largest and most important exhibitions of Aboriginal Australian art mounted in the Western Hemisphere in over 30 years.”

Maḏayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala was organized by the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia in partnership with the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre in Australia.

Title image: Detail of Narritjin Maymuru. About 1916–1981; Maŋgalili clan. Yiŋapuŋapu (Sand Sculpture for Yirritja Mortuary Ceremonies). Before 1972. Natural pigments on eucalyptus bark. H. 38 3/8 x W. 21 in. (97.5 x 53.3 cm). Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia. Edward L. Ruhe Collection. Gift of John W. Kluge.