Books
The Lost Cultural Hubs of New York’s Gilded Age
Esther Crain's book The Gilded Age in New York, 1870–1910 chronicles the rise of the NYC metropolis and the roots of its role as an international cultural center.
Review
Books
Reader’s Diary: A Poetry of Alternate Takes
Marjorie Welish’s poetry, like Thelonious Monk’s music, is a montage of moving parts in which you’d be wise to expect the unexpected.
Art
Beuford Smith’s Americans
If you want to understand what happened in the 1960s or you want to know about race in America, Smith is one of the essential photographers to look at, as are the other members of the Kamonigen to have shows in recent years.
Art
Julian Schnabel’s Flowers
Do you ever feel like you are getting the hard sell or being bludgeoned into submission?
Books
Enjambed with Rotten Assets: Daniel Borzutzky’s 'The Performance of Becoming Human'
Borzutsky makes pathetic fallacy less an instrument of empathy than an agent of unsettlement, provoking strong reaction to the many historical and imaginary vignettes he creates.
Art
The Contradictory Al Taylor
Al Taylor's painting practice — an undertaking whose success was tied to its degree of artlessness — seemed to court, if not the “death of painting,” then a refutation of the traditional hierarchy that places painting at the top of the heap.
Art
A Curated Section Brings Body Politics to Volta NY
Wendy Vogel's curated section at Volta NY reminds us that we carry our identities with us always — even inside the artificial environment of an art fair.
Art
From Mysterious Erotica to Holy Bell Jars, Singular Projects at the Independent Art Fair
This year, the visions at the Independent Art Fair were multiple, with some galleries dedicating their booths to outsider and unknown artists, as well as work that is a bit more playful.
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
Feeling Anxiety and Relief at NADA New York
Some of the most memorable art at this year's NADA New York deals with distress, though the massive fair also offers respite.
Film
A Thriller About Parisian Terrorists Refuses to Pass Judgment
Bertrand Bonello’s Nocturama follows a group of Parisians as they plan and carry out coordinated terrorist attacks and then hole up in a luxury department store.
Art
Pipes Stream Poetry in an Interactive Response to Flint's Water Crisis
In the absence of a properly functioning political system, it is ever more vital for art to bestow parity.