Books
Alma Thomas Opens Up Our Crowns
The cornrows of Thomas’s paintings, often inspired by her own garden, evoke the infinitely diverse ears of native corn and the sisterhood of braiders across the diaspora.
Alma Thomas
Art
The Phillips Collection Celebrates a Century by Centering Black Abstraction
With two stellar retrospectives, one time-based installation, and several commissions by local artists, the Phillips Collection has dedicated its galleries to highlighting abstract work by Black artists.
Art
The Magnificent Abstractions of Alma Thomas
Thomas was a major artist who in her lifetime was unjustly denied the acclaim she merited. This show is a brave beginning.
Art
When Abstraction Exploded in Form and Meaning
Can non-representational art reflect social change?
Art
Color Field, Then and Now
I fear that the visual culture in which these works were admired is now one of those distant “you had to be there” moments, which are impossible to reconstruct.
Art
The Met’s Wrong Turn on Revisionism
When an exhibition is as puzzling as this one, it’s useful to step aside and reflect.
Art
Scouting Out the Armory Show, a Theme Park for the Wealthy
Amid the big, blue chip baubles, there are flickers of truly powerful and personal work at the latest edition of the vast Armory Show art fair.
Art
A Black Woman Stands Out Among the Washington Color School Artists
Alma Thomas was the sole black female artist in what became known as the Washington Color School, and the current exhibition reveals some of the complexity of her art.
Art
Under No Obligation
We should all be inspired by Alma Thomas’s optimism.
In Brief
The Obamas Give the White House a Modern Art Makeover
Since John Adams first took up residence there in 1800, the White House has been adorned with a relatively safe, traditional collection of art.
Art
The Triumph of Revisionism: The Whitney’s American Century
With America Is Hard to See, the exhibition inaugurating its luminous new Renzo Piano building, the Whitney has reclaimed its role among the city’s museums as the engine of the new.