Friday, November 22, 2019
Blum & Poe Now Represents Paul Mogensen
Paul Mogensen, the painter known for his stripped-down abstractions made via mathematical formulas and ratios, will now be represented by Blum & Poe gallery, of Los Angeles, New York, and Tokyo. The artist, who is based in New York, will continue to also be represented by Manhattan–based Karma gallery. Mogensen’s work will be the subject of a solo show at Blum & Poe’s L.A. space in 2020 and the gallery’s Art Basel Miami Beach presentation next month.
Expo Chicago Names Curators for 2020 Edition
Expo Chicago, which will return to the Windy City’s Navy Pier next year from September 24 to 27, has appointed Marcella Beccaria and Humberto Moro as curators. Beccaria, who serves as chief curator and curator of collections at the Castello di Rivoli Museo d’Arte Contemporanea in Turin, Italy, will organize the exhibition’s “In/Situ” program, which showcases video, film, large-scale sculpture, and site-specific works. Moro, the new deputy director and senior curator at the Museo Tamayo in Mexico City, will curate the “Exposure” section for solo and two-artist presentations from galleries ten years old or younger. In a statement, Beccaria said that “In/Situ” will “explore artworks that can answer fundamental questions,” and Moro said in a release that he hopes “to highlight the work of a diversity of identities, particularly by Latin American women, that are shaping the artistic discourse around the globe.”
Dallas Contemporary Names New Deputy Director
Carolina Alvarez-Mathies, who most recently served as director of external affairs for the New York–based nonprofit Creative Time, will join Dallas Contemporary as deputy director on December 15. Alvarez-Mathies has also worked as head of communications at El Museo del Barrio in New York. She said in a statement, “I am eager to bring my expertise, network, and a renewed vision for the future of cultural nonprofits to a forward-thinking museum in one of the most vibrant and fastest growing metro areas in the nation.”
NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale Appoints New Board Chair
Francie Bishop Good, artist and longtime arts advocate, will join NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale as the next chair of its board of governors. Good succeeds Stanley Goodman, who will continue to serve on the board’s executive committee. Good has been a member of the museum’s board for over 20 years. With her husband, David Horvitz, she has spearheaded initiatives focused on female artists. In 2018, the couple gave 100 works by women to the museum, among them Kara Walker, Cecily Brown, Tracey Emin, Catherine Opie, Cindy Sherman, and Lorna Simpson.
Thursday, November 21, 2019
Tate Acquires Helen Frankenthaler Work
The Helen Frankenthaler Foundation in New York has gifted the artist’s 1961 painting Vessel to Tate in London. Vessel is the first work by Frankenthaler to enter the museum’s permanent collection, and it is currently on view at Tate Modern alongside four other paintings on loan from the Foundation. Gregor Muir, director of collection, international art, at Tate, said in a statement, “Vessel transforms our ability to represent postwar American abstraction, while also reflecting the vital contribution made by women artists, such as Frankenthaler, during a critical moment in art history.”
Artadia Announces 2019 Atlanta Awardees
The nonprofit Artadia has named Danielle Deadwyler and Sonya Yong James as the awardees of its seventh cycle in Atlanta. Both artists, who were selected after studio visits with second round jurors, will receive $10,000 in unrestricted funds. Deadwyler, who works in film and performance, focuses on labor and the black body. James’s etchings and sculptures have been exhibited at the Albany Museum of Art in New York, the Zuckerman Museum of Art, the Hudgens Center for the Arts, and Atlanta Contemporary in Georgia, among other venues. Curator Louise Shaw and Gregory Harris, associate curator of photography at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, evaluated this year’s finalists: Deadwyler, Bojana Ginn, James, Gerald Lovell, and Courtney McClellan. Shaw and Harris said in a statement that the awardees “represent distinct practices that demonstrate a commitment to both artistic excellence and rigorous thinking about the creative process.”
Prescott College Establishes New MFA Program
The liberal arts school Prescott College in Arizona has created a new MFA program dedicated to social and environmental arts practice, with artist, activist, and educator Patrisse Cullors serving as faculty director. The program, whose curriculum will focus on “the intersections of art, social justice, and community organizing,” according to a release, is among the first of its kind in the United States. The 48-credit online program will offer students the opportunity to complete a residency at the Crenshaw Dairy Mart studio in Los Angeles. Cullors, who is the founder and chairperson of Reform L.A. Jails and a cofounder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network, said in a statement, “When art is centered through politics we are able to transform the material conditions for those most impacted by harm and violence. This program is going to lift up artists who are ready to be shape-shifters we so desperately need.”
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Galerie Eva Presenhuber to Open Second Zurich Space
Galerie Eva Presenhuber, which maintains spaces in Zurich and New York, will open a second location in the Swiss city on January 25. The new outpost will be situated in the Rämistrasse district, and it will be inaugurated with an exhibition of new works by Valentin Carron, who represented Switzerland at the Venice Biennale in 2013. Dealer Eva Presenhuber said in a statement, “With a continuously growing program, it became clear to me that I needed to think beyond our existing Zurich and New York exhibition spaces … I am incredibly excited that we now have the opportunity to host more influential artists in Switzerland, and in such a culturally relevant neighborhood no less.”
Art Design Chicago to Return in 2024
Art Design Chicago, the yearlong 2018 event that featured public programming at nearly 100 cultural institutions, will return in 2024, the nonprofit Terra Foundation for American Art announced. The 2018 edition involved 46 art exhibitions of artists whose work focuses on the city’s visual arts legacy, including Yasuhiro Ishimoto, Barbara Jones-Hogu, and Bill Walker. For the 2024 edition, the Terra Foundation will again offer curators and educators research and development grants, ranging from approximately $25,000 to $75,000. “At its core, Art Design Chicago is about leveraging the strength of the city’s cultural institutions to animate communities and encourage civic engagement and dialogue,” said Amy Zinck, executive vice president of the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Untitled, Art San Francisco Releases 2020 Exhibitor List
Some 60 international galleries will participate in the Untitled, Art San Francisco fair, which is scheduled to take place at Pier 35 on the Embarcadero from January 17 to 19. First-time exhibitors include Rutger Brandt Gallery (of Amsterdam), Galeria Kogan Amaro (São Paulo), Syntax Gallery (Moscow), Lyndsey Ingram (London), and Zidoun-Bossuyt (Luxembourg). Among the returning galleries are Night Gallery (Los Angeles), Anglim Gilbert Gallery (San Francisco), Polígrafa Obra Gràfica (Barcelona), and Fort Gansevoort (New York and Los Angeles). Other highlights include a presentation by Michael Rosenfeld Gallery (New York), which will spotlight artists included in the exhibition “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power,” currently on view at the de Young Museum, and a show of works by Wu Jian’an, Song Hongquan, and Pixy Liao organized by Chambers Fine Art (Beijing and New York). Enterprises that participated in the 2019 edition and will not be joining the 2020 fair include David Zwirner (New York, Paris, London, and Hong Kong), Mariane Ibrahim (Chicago), Bortolami (New York), Tina Kim Gallery (New York), Andrew Kreps (New York). A full list is available here.
Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit Appoints New Curator
Artist Jova Lynne, who has worked as a curatorial fellow at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit for two years, has been named a curator at the institution. Lynne succeeds Larry Ossei-Mensah, who is leaving the Museum to serve as one of the curators of the seventh Athens Biennale. She has previously worked at the Museum of Moving Image in New York and the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, and she is cofounder of FLEX COLLECTIVE and Bulk Space Artist Residency. Lynne said in a statement, “Detroit has a rich creative legacy, and I look forward to continuing to cultivate an ecosystem of exchange from the local to the international.”
Ryan Lee Gallery Adds Estate of Herbert Gentry
The New York–based Ryan Lee Gallery now represents the estate of Herbert Gentry. Gentry is best known for his vibrant abstract canvases whose style stood outside major art movements of the early 20th century, though his paintings have been associated with Art Informel and the expatriate artist group CoBRA. A major solo exhibition of his art was held at the Royal Art Academy in Stockholm in 1975, making him the first non-Scandinavian artist to receive a retrospective at the museum. Works by Gentry, who died in 2003 at the age of 84, can be found in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C., the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, and other major international institutions.
Paddle8 Announces New CEO
Valentine Uhovski, who previously served as head of partnerships, marketing, and social media at Tumblr, will join e-commerce and benefit auction platform Paddle8 as its next CEO. Uhovski succeeds former CEO Izabela Depczyk, who will transition into a key advisor for Paddle8’s expansion into markets in Europe and Asia. “Paddle8 is a phenomenal brand with incredible growth potential,” Uhovski said in a statement. “I’m thrilled to be at the helm at such an exciting time and am thankful to Izabela and the board for their belief in my vision for the future. There is so much more to accomplish with our immense community of partners, artists, and collectors.”
Monday, November 18, 2019
Art Dealers Association Reveals Exhibitors for 2020 Art Show in New York
ADAA’s The Art Show, which will take place at the Park Avenue Armory in New York from February 27 to March 1, has released the list of 72 exhibitors for its 2020 edition. First-time participants in the fair, which is run by the Art Dealers Association of America, include David Kordansky Gallery (of Los Angeles), Andrew Kreps Gallery (New York), Gallery Wendi Norris (San Francisco), and Franklin Parrasch Gallery (New York). Other exhibitors include Marianne Boesky Gallery, Matthew Marks Gallery, Pace Gallery, and David Zwirner. Over half the fair will be dedicated to solo presentations; among them are James Cohan showing embroidered pieces by Jordan Nassar, P.P.O.W presenting new paintings by Ramiro Gomez, and Sikkema Jenkins & Co. focusing on Jeffrey Gibson. The full list is here.
Wayne Thiebaud Painting Graces New Yorker’s Thanksgiving Cover
Though Thanksgiving is still a week away, the New Yorker is giving us a treat related to the holiday early—a new Wayne Thiebaud painting of a stuffed turkey that covers next week’s issue. Titled Stuffed (2019), the cover features a cooked bird on a bare table, along with some sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and onions. “I tried to fill it up as well I could,” the 99-year-old artist told the magazine in an interview.
Norton Museum of Art Appoints Chief Development Officer
Christine M. Myers, who has served as chief development officer at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., will join the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida, as its chief development officer on December 16. In her previous role, Myers worked with donors, curators, trustees, and other museum staff members to raise $35 million annually for exhibitions and programs. From 2000 to 2006, Myers was the National Gallery’s chief corporate relations officer, securing corporate backing for special exhibitions and other programs. She also has worked in various federal government positions, including as the associate director of presidential appointments and scheduling for President Ronald Reagan and as a staff assistant for the U.S. Secretary of Labor.
The Empire State Building Lights Up for New Met Exhibition
Green light will illuminate the Empire State Building in New York on Monday night to celebrate the exhibition “Making Marvels: Science and Splendor at the Courts of Europe” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Approximately 170 Renaissance and early Baroque curiosities—including musical instruments, automata, rare gems, and silver furniture—from both the Met’s holdings and over 50 private collections from around the world are featured in the exhibition, which runs from November 25 through March 1. Highlights from the show include the “Dresden Green,” the largest flawless natural green diamond in the world (on loan from Grünes Gewölbe in Dresden, Germany) and “The Draughtsman Writer,” the 18th-century automaton that inspired Brian Selznick’s 2007 book The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
Art World Conference to Expand Beyond New York in 2020
The Art World Conference, which launched in April at New York Law School, will hold additional sessions in Chicago and Los Angeles next year. In its inaugural edition, the event convened over 350 artists and arts professionals, including artists Mickalene Thomas, Brendan Fernandes, and Sharon M. Louden, among others. Programming at the Art World Conference in 2020 will include panel discussions, workshops, and conversations about a range of challenges and opportunities—from sales and grants to modes of community engagement—relevant to workers in the art world. The Los Angeles conference is slated to take place in February, with the New York iteration slated for May and the Chicago edition scheduled for September.
Crystal Bridges Names Chief Education Officer
Marissa Reyes, formerly the director of learning and public programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, will join the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, as its chief education officer on December 9. In her previous role, Reyes oversaw MCA’s educational programming, including lectures and gallery talks, school partnerships, and workshops. Before joining MCA, Reyes served as the associate director of programs at Urban Gateways: Center for Arts Education in Chicago. “Marissa has successfully demonstrated her ability to increase arts through community collaborations and innovative programs that have positively impacted diverse audiences,” Rod Bigelow, Crystal Bridges executive director & chief diversity and inclusion officer, said in a statement.
Wu Chi-Tsung Joins Sean Kelly
Sean Kelly Gallery, which has outposts in New York and Taipei, now represents Taiwanese artist Wu Chi-Tsung. The artist’s work combines the Western tradition of cyanotype photography and the Shan Shui (“mountains and water”) style of painting, which dates to 5th-century China. His 2016 series, “Cyano-Collage”, features large scale mountain ranges and seascapes. In 2019, he was the recipient of the Liu Kuo Sung Ink Art Award in Hong Kong, and in 2013 was awarded the WRO Media Art Biennale. His work has been exhibited in institutions worldwide, including the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in Taichung, the Long Beach Museum of Art in Los Angeles, CA, and the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, in Mexico City, among other museums. This past summer, Chi-Tsung’s artwork was included in the group exhibition “Abstract by Nature” at Sean Kelly’s New York gallery.