Author: Iris
As the third anniversary of Russia’s war in Ukraine approaches, the United Nations’ cultural arm UNESCO has granted “temporarily enhanced protection” to two Ukrainian heritage sites – the Odessa Literary Museum and the Babin Yar National Historical Monument. One of the cultural properties is the Babin Yar National Historical Memorial Reserve in Kiviv, commemorating the more than 33,000 Jews, as well as Roma and Soviet prisoners, who were murdered by the Nazis in a two-day pogrom in 1941. In March 2022, a Russian projectile struck near the site, killing five people. The Memorial to the Victims of the Holocaust was…
As the year 2024 winds to a close, it’s a fitting moment to reflect on the artists who have shaped its creative landscape. Judy Widener is one such artist whose work continues to captivate and inspire. She began painting at just five years old, wielding her brushes with a vision that seemed beyond her years. Her art is not just about imagery—it’s about breathing life onto the canvas. Widener’s portfolio is as diverse as her experiences, encompassing everything from equine portraits to playful snapshots of childhood, lush tropical scenes, and abstract expressions of emotion. She refuses to be tied down…
The beloved Jack Hanley Gallery in New York will close this month, marking its 37th anniversary, the gallery said late Tuesday. Jack Hanley Gallery, currently located in Tribeca, first opened in Austin, Texas in 1987 as Trans-Avant Garde Gallery. Founding dealer Jack Hanley moved the gallery to San Francisco in 1990 and renamed it the current gallery. Briefly, Hanley was still running a space in Los Angeles during the 2000s. Then, in 2008, the gallery closed its two spaces in California and moved again to New York, where it remained until the end. Related articles “We would like to express…
In 1973, gallerist Tibor de Nagy called Joyce Kozloff. His voice shook as he told her that Clement Greenberg had just left the back room after a fiery review of her latest work. Greenberg mocked the artist’s Three Facades (1973), which was based on the ornate brick and tile tapestry on the facade of a Mexican church, saying that it “looks… Looks like ladies’ embroidery”—as if that’s a bad thing. Kozlov told us that “Tibor was horrified” and asked her to “take it away.”Joyce Kozloff, Striped Cathedral (1977), acrylic on canvas, 72 x 180 inches (~1.8 x 4.6 m) (image…
After 12 years of photographing queer youth in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, photographer Samantha Box realized around 2018 that this kind of documentation no longer appealed to her. “I don’t believe in documentary photography anymore,” she told art news during a visit to her Bronx studio in October. “I don’t believe in the ability to ask multiple questions or even create space for questions. I don’t think I should necessarily be doing this job.” To create her “Invisible” series, Box spent eight hours each night documenting the lives of queer young people who relied on Sylvia House, the city’s…
A famous story from Ovid’s first century narrative poem Metamorphosis The story goes like this: After the sun god Apollo killed the snake dragon Python, Cupid, the god of love, shot two arrows at Apollo in revenge. The first caused Apollo to fall madly in love with the fairy Daphne, while the second caused Daphne to insult Apollo, forcing her to turn into a laurel tree to escape his advances. This ancient Roman story of unrequited love and conquest was the basis for the world’s first opera daphne The play was written and composed by Ottavio Rinuccini and Jacopo Peri…
Naomi Beckwith, deputy director and chief curator of the Guggenheim Museum, will curate Documenta 2027, a high-profile art exhibition that takes place every five years in Germany Hosted once in Kassel. She is the first black woman to curate the festival in its 69-year history and the first since Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev in 2012. Two American-born curators run the festival. Her appointment comes shortly after the last election in 2022, following a lengthy selection process and facing turmoil in the years that followed. In the process, and against the backdrop of Israel’s war in Gaza, the entire selection committee resigned before…
ArtAlina CohenBidding for Maurizio Cattelan, comedian2019, Sotheby’s Contemporary Evening Sale, 2024. Courtesy Sotheby’s.What a year it has been. In the United States, the 2024 news cycle is dominated by a dramatic and unpredictable presidential election. Across the world, uncertainty prevails, with more than 60 other countries holding national elections with the power to immediately change governments. Amidst the deafening political updates, arts journalism occasionally manages to get a word in. For a minute, everyone was lamenting the state of the art market. Next, a banana sold at auction for $6.2 million. Over the course of nine days, animal-themed Banksy murals…
A poetic series created by Vermont photographer Kelly Burgess. Emotional narratives and personal experiences form the thematic core of her photography. Burgess’s images are imbued with intimacy and introspection, often drawing inspiration from his own life to explore universal themes of love, loss, memory and the human condition. Through a multidisciplinary approach that combines photography and writing, she invites viewers to reflect on their own emotional landscapes and personal histories. In addition to his fine art photography practice, Burgess is a regular editorial contributor to the following publications new york times and wall street journal. “Under the Shadow of the…
As the year 2024 draws to a close, it’s a perfect time to reflect on the artists who have produced interesting works. Among them is Judy Gittelsohn, whose vibrant and deeply personal works stand as a testament to the power of storytelling through art. Gittelsohn’s paintings are more than visual compositions—they are narratives shaped by her life’s journey. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, she was surrounded by the lush beauty of the Pacific Northwest, a backdrop that nurtured her creative instincts. Her childhood was steeped in family life, with shared meals, summers spent swimming, and trips to Cannon Beach.…