Toying with blob-like shapes and the illusion of depth, the Austrian self-taught artist Leopold Strobl packs mystery and expressive power into small-scale drawing-collages.
Ricco/Maresca Gallery
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Are Joe Massey’s Prison Drawings the Next Big Thing?
A remarkable cache of drawings by a now-deceased, African-American prisoner in Ohio might be just what the art market has been waiting for.
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Glimmers of Modernism from a 19th-Century Bordello
A brothel customer’s photographs of 19th-century prostitution, made with sympathy and imagination.
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The Somberness of 19th-Century Wedding Portrait Photos
An exhibition at Ricco/Maresca Gallery brings together 100 cabinet card portrait photos of newlyweds and a collection of vintage wedding cake toppers.
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Beast in Show: William Hawkins and the Animal Spirit
On almost every painting by William Hawkins you will find his birthdate and place of birth (“William L. H. Hawkins Born K.Y. July 27, 1895” or some variant thereof) prominently marked in bold strokes across the bottom or along the side of the image. In some pieces, the signature’s display is ample and vigorous enough to vie with the subject matter for the viewer’s attention. The self-taught African American artist who lived most of his life in Columbus, Ohio, and whose work came to the attention of gallerists and collections in the mid-80s, felt no need to be shy about his authorship or his Kentucky origins. Vibrantly declamatory, the lettering is of a piece with Hawkins’ depiction of his subjects — animals (real and fantastical) and buildings: beasts and bricks alike appear as if shot through with electric current propelling them outside the frame.