Mason’s expansive Chelsea studio became her tuning fork — the barometer she used to check that colors and shapes were humming at the right frequency.
Author Archives: Karen Chernick
Karen Chernick is a writer based in Philadelphia, by way of Tel Aviv. Her work has also appeared on Artsy, The Forward, Curbed Philadelphia, Eater, PhillyVoice, and Time Out Philadelphia.
Audrey Flack on the Gaps in Art History
The veteran photorealist painter talks to Hyperallergic about her work and her new film biography, Queen of Hearts.
The Remarkable Success Story of Rosalba Carriera, the Original “Queen of Pastel”
Partly thanks to Carriera’s skill and clever marketing, pastel portraits became one of the most popular art forms of the Rococo era.
Rare Film Footage of Artist Henry Ossawa Tanner in 1930s Paris
Tanner avoided the cameras for much of his life, but a new documentary on Black American creatives who moved to France finds candid home movie footage of him.
Writing the Untold Stories of Polish Women Artists
Polish art historian Marika Kuźmicz has begun a project to research the biographies of overlooked female artists, locate their archives, and make the information and images available in a free online database.
Hank Willis Thomas on Black Survival Guide and Creative Civic Action
Thomas and fellow artist Ebony Brown talk about interdependence and How to Live Through a Police Riot, an archival handbook that inspired his 2018 series.
Wendy Red Star Is Teaching Children About the Crow Nation With Her Art
“You don’t have to make things easy for them,” says Red Star about her new exhibition for children at MASS MoCA.
The Under-told Story of Paul Jennings, an Enslaved Man Who Helped Save George Washington’s Portrait
During the War of 1812, British troops intended to ransack the American capital. The First Lady took credit for saving White House valuables, but, as Jennings wrote in his memoir, this was “totally false.”
The Fascinating Story Behind a Missing Portrait by Arshile Gorky
The portrait is a window into the life and work of the painter and gallerist Anna Walinska, who gave Gorky his first solo exhibition in New York.
The Baroque Artist Who Captured the World in Her Still Lifes
Giovanna Garzoni’s tablescape was a map of the world, and she wanted to chart every detail.
An Ebay Purchase That Revealed the Everyday Lives of French Surrealists
Reading between the lines of contact information for friends, graphologists, psychoanalysts, and plumbers, Brigitte Benkemoun’s Finding Dora Maar reveals a map of a bygone France.
A Mouthwatering Museum Tour for Vegans
Museumgoers of the vegan variety don’t heap ham, cheese, and eggs onto their plates — and some don’t want to see the stuff when they’re strolling through the Prado Museum, either.