Emma Acker– Visitors to the exhibition Cult of the Machine: Precisionism and American Art (March 24-August 12, 2018, de Young Museum, San Francisco; September 16, 2018-January 6, 2019, Dallas Museum of Art) first encounter the work of the Ukranian-born American artist Louis Lozowick in the introductory gallery of the show,
Hélène Valance— This spring, I had the luck to spend a few days in the Eolian archipelago off the coast of Sicily, in a house poised on the edge of a steep cliff overlooking the Mediterranean, with little in sight except the silhouettes of nearby volcanic islands. On my first
We recently had the great pleasure of interviewing Barbara Haskell, American art historian and curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art. She curated the current exhibition, Grant Wood: American Gothic and Other Fables, and edited the accompanying book. Yale University Press: Grant Wood hasn’t had a major exhibition in
David Ebony– This year’s Whitney Biennial, on view through June 11, is an extraordinary exhibition for a number of reasons. Widely regarded as the premier museum survey of contemporary art in the U.S., the Biennial, now in its 78th incarnation, is the first to take place in the Whitney’s new
A century after his death, the breadth and richness of American painter William Merritt Chase’s career are celebrated in a beautifully illustrated book, William Merritt Chase: A Modern Master, by Elsa Smithgall, Erica E. Hirshler, Katherine M. Bourguignon, Giovanna Ginex, and John Davis, and with a foreword by D. Frederick Baker. The
David Ebony— A latecomer to the art scene, Barnett Newman (1905-1970) held his first solo show in 1948, at New York’s Betty Parsons Gallery. He made a formidable impact on the art world when he introduced in that show the controversial works for which he is best known today. Decried
For your reading pleasure (and it is a pleasure): a sneak preview of an exciting, forthcoming book by Helen Molesworth, chief curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. The book, Leap Before You Look, is a dynamic new look at the legendary Black Mountain College, a major incubator
We’re delighted to share a sneak peek at a moving, enlightening, and important book we’re publishing this November: Christopher Rothko’s Mark Rothko: From the Inside Out. Below is an excerpt from one of the book’s 18 essays, a piece entitled “Ceci n’est pas un frigo.” “Refrigerators! Big, squashy refrigerators,” my
In honor of National Pie Day, we’d like to take a moment to congratulate the five winners of our American culinary history quiz! Jennifer A., Ilya K,. Kevin J., Claudia D., and Yayoi S. were the first five contestants to answer all of the questions correctly. We hope you enjoy
The exhibition and accompanying book Art and Appetite: American Painting, Culture, and Cuisine by Judith Barter explore depictions of food in American art. From colonial times to the present day, artists have used food as an entry point from which they could both celebrate and critique society, American values, and