Photography & Art

Paying Homage to the Genius of Black Artists

Sandra Bertrand

The film is strongest when it focuses on the individual artist, in some instances a long-overlooked glimpse into lives we often didn’t know existed.  Take, for instance, Edmonia Lewis, whose sculpture “Forever Free” from 1867 is an artistic marvel in white marble.  It portrays a black man and child, sculpted in a classical style that could stand beside any Greek sculpture in a major museum.  Lewis eventually went into exile in Rome, undoubtedly seeking out a more accepting environment for her inspiration. 

From West to East: The Blazing Trail of Abstract Expressionist Artists

A. S. Editors

While the CSFA cultivated its own, unique school of abstract art, it also exposed its students to New York abstract artists like Mark Rothko and Ad Reinhardt through summer sessions from 1947 to 1949. For students like Hultberg, Rothko's guest lectures about the New York art scene were inspiring enough to convince them to continue their studies on the East Coast. Briggs, Calcagno, and Schueler followed suit after 1950, a migration catalyzed by Still's decision to move to New York and the subsequent firing of MacAgy.

The Light That Shines on Germany

Eliot Hess

Family and friends ask me why I travel as much as I do. There is a simple answer to this question: to see the world while I can. I love to photograph the unexpected. I love showing others that the world is filled with wonderful surprises that bring us all together in peace and harmony. I never expected that Berlin, Nuremberg, Munich and the Bavarian countryside and their residents would be so welcoming. Given Germany’s turbulent and dark history, one would perhaps expect a different experience.

A Cross-Cultural Artistic Dialogue Between France and Bahrain

The Editors

The ambition of the ArtBAB is to bring Bahraini artists to the world, while also bringing the art world to the island nation through an annual fair. Strengthening Bahrain’s position in the Gulf as a regional arts hub, ArtBAB inspires entrepreneurship, art education and the development of artistic practice. Bahrain has been steeped in culture since the days of the Dilmun civilization in the Bronze Age, and has much to offer the art world. An archipelago of 33 islands, Bahrain is well-known as a source of oil and pearls. The cultural knowledge Bahrainis have marked an inherent distinction between people who adapt themselves to art and those who inherit it.

Artist Michelle Sakhai Visualizes the Tarot

The Editors

Sakhai created her own version of each major Arcana card, translating it with her vision of each card’s meaning and imagery, while honoring the sacred interpretation of the original Tarot cards.  According to Sakhai, “We live in a modern era and the cards could benefit from an updated rendition. My intention behind recreating them is to both connect us back to the source and the higher power, bringing healing to those who feel a connection with Tarot.”

Photographer David Hume Kennerly’s Exclusive Glimpse of Gerald Ford’s Presidency

The Editors

Kennerly’s collection of images includes the inner workings of the White House, the Ford family, and the end of Ford’s presidency after losing to Jimmy Carter in the 1976 election. This is the first time Kennerly's photos have been on display. Kennerly was named "One of the 100 Most Important People in Photography," by American Photo Magazine. He served as contributing editor for Newsweek for more than a decade and a contributing photographer for Time and Life magazines.

Photographer Gary Monroe’s Bygone Era of South Beach

The Editors

Influenced by photographers such as Garry Winogrand and Henri Cartier-Bresson, Monroe traversed South Beach capturing candid moments, daily activities, religious services, and community gatherings. Many of the Jewish residents during this time had retired from factory jobs in the Northeast. Some had survived the Holocaust and had immigrated to the U.S. from Europe decades earlier. They came to South Beach where, even on a modest retirement income, one could enjoy an active Jewish cultural and religious life as well as Miami’s warm sunshine, therapeutic ocean, and welcoming beaches.

The Whitney Biennial 2019: Youth Burning Bright

Sandra Bertrand

If you didn’t check your sociocultural memories at the door, you will be relieved to find Alexandra Bell’s series of 20 prints outlining the brutal rape in the Central Park jogger case from 1989 and its aftermath. Bell has edited her newspaper coverage to stress the blatant hostility of the press toward the accused Black and Latino young men, the Central Park Five (later found innocent).  Viewers will note that one full-page ad pronouncing “Bring Back the Death Penalty” was paid for by none other than Donald J. Trump.

Small Is the New Big at NAWA’s Latest Art Exhibit

Sandra Bertrand

For the National Association of Women Artists (NAWA), the Small Works exhibitions held in the summer and winter have become a treasured tradition among members and nonmembers alike. From July 10-August 21, 2019, the works on display at the NAWA Gallery in Manhattan prove that the size of an artwork does not have to determine its excellence or worth.  With a close study, viewers will find remarkable detail and precision at play in several mediums.  They will also find a surprising seriousness and boldness of intent often reserved for larger works.

The Serious and the Smirk: The Smile in Portraiture

Nicholas Jeeves

Such is the field upon which the mouth in portraiture has been debated: an ongoing conflict between the serious and the smirk. The most famous and enduring portrait in the world functions around this very conflict. Millions of words have been devoted to the Mona Lisa and her smirk – more generously known as her ‘enigmatic smile’ — and so today it’s difficult to write about her without sensing that you’re at the back of a very long and noisy queue that stretches all the way back to 16th century Florence. 

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