Frida, Diego, and Raphael
Blockbuster exhibitions at The Met and MoMA, the Brooklyn Museum announces African art gallery, and things to do during a beautiful spring week.
The largest-ever Raphael exhibition in the United States just landed at The Met this past weekend — how could that not be worth your while? Sublime Poetry is arranged kind of like a church, with a nave channeling you from entrance to altar, and I can confirm it's a near-religious experience. And a massive undertaking — eight years, 170 works, 60 global collections, to lay out just the bare facts. Don't miss Natalie Haddad's interview with curator Carmen C. Bambach on how it all came together.
Most cities could coast off such a blockbuster for a couple years, but this is New York. So you'll get about a week's rest before the next wave of openings and events, including the Brooklyn Fine Art and International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) print fairs next week, not to mention Duchamp at MoMA and Greater New York at MoMA PS1 the week after. Add to that a couple of 70+ degree days, and we've got ourselves a spring!
Inside the Met Museum’s Historic Raphael Exhibition
How do you talk an institution into loaning its most treasured object — a work by Renaissance master Raphael? And then how do you do it about 60 more times? Haddad spoke to The Met's curator to find out what it was like to curate the first comprehensive exhibition on the artist in the United States.
Mondays at Pratt Institute: Weekly Openings of Work by Graduating Artists
Free and open to the public, Pratt Shows celebrate the school’s graduating students. MFA and BFA work is on view this spring in Brooklyn, New York.
A Look Back at Those Who Built NYC Art
Frank O’Hara’s Curatorial Eye
Though best remembered for his poetry, O’Hara championed artists like Helen Frankenthaler and organized several shows at the Museum of Modern Art during the Cold War. | Nathan Gelgud
Remembering Asher Remy-Toledo, Media Art Luminary
The Colombian-born cultural producer, who died in February at age 62, cultivated community and experimentation for New York City artists, including me. | Claudia Hart
NYC Today
See Photos From New York’s Historic Anti-Trump Marches
“Art is a way that we get to connect with each other, to witness each other, and to give a little bit of a buoy to keep going,” one protester told Hyperallergic. | Bella Bromberg
Social Malpractice in the Age of Cultural Compliance
Art in Odd Places founder Ed Woodham talks about developing the Social Malpractice workshop at the School of Visual Arts, which studies and resists the ways developers and other organizations instrumentalize social practice to their own ends.
From Our Critics
Néstor David Pastor López
Frida and Diego: The Last Dream at the Museum of Modern Art
"Still, Frida-mania may not care for nuance unless it sells, which was very much the case at MoMA."
John Yau
Kevin McNamee-Tweed and Tajh Rust at Alexander Berggruen Gallery
"In Rust and McNamee-Tweed, we find two artists who keep looking and discovering, despite the grim circumstances of the everyday world."
What Else Is Happening?
- The Brooklyn Museum is embarking on a $13 million project to create a 6,400-square-foot permanent home for its nearly 5,000-object African art collection on the third floor.
- The internet is obsessed with The Met's newly acquired Mannerist painting by Rosso Fiorentino, in which a "looksmaxxing" baby Christ "mogs" St. John the Baptist.
- We spoke to faculty at the New School about its plans to lay off 15% of its full-time staff by mid-June due to a $48 million deficit.
- Hyperallergic contributor Solomon J. Brager and graphic novelists Jason Little and Jeanne Thornton will be reading at Pete's Candy Store! (Thurs Apr 2) [Rally Reading Series]
- The Bronx Museum's hosting its free First Friday party this week! Bring a book and enjoy activities, DJ, and complimentary snacks and beverages. (Fri Apr 3) [Bronx Museum]
- The opening and keynote for Palestinian Youth Movement's exhibition The Architecture of Genocide, a 3D map of Gaza's infrastructure before and after US-backed Israeli attacks, is this Friday at the Chocolate Factory in Astoria. (Fri Apr 3) [Palestinian Youth Movement]
- The opening reception for an exhibition featuring paintings by Vic Liu made in collaboration with abolitionist organizer Mariame Kaba is at the Bedford branch of the Brooklyn Public Library this Saturday! (Apr 4) [thewarehousenyc.com]
- Bring a well-loved garment that needs a little care to a mending workshop at Welcome to Chinatown. (Sat Apr 4) [Viet Creative Society of NYC]
- The Typewriter Project — a series of site-specific installations in which passersby add a line to a poem — will be at the New York Public Library starting this Saturday. (Apr 4–16) [Poetry Society of New York]
- New York Restoration Project will distribute nearly 4,000 trees across all five boroughs, also beginning this Saturday! (Apr 4–May 16) [nyrp.org]
- The Film-Makers' Cooperative is screening rarely seen Stan Brakhage titles from the late 1970s on 16mm. (Tues Apr 7) [filmmakerscoop.com]
- The Bronx Documentary Center just opened applications for its free photography program for Bronx residents aged 55+. [bronxdoc.org]
