Being in Venice on Christmas Eve, I had to attend Midnight Mass in the Basilica di San Marco. I was attending not as an active parishioner, but out of a deep sense of curiosity: how would one of the largest and most famous cathedrals in the world “do” Midnight Mass? (Catholic roots run deep!) For […]
Midnight Mass, San Marco style Read More »
I have a soft spot for paper. While my hand was injured, I kept sane by sewing papers together with a sewing machine, and this show at Bellevue Art Museum, about all the ways you never thought to use cut paper, really spoke to me. I’ve been thinking about how to expand my paintings as
Visiting Arles, France made a huge impression on me. This is where Vincent Van Gogh had the most productive painting period of his life – one of the most productive of any artist’s life, in fact. Almost everything he painted at Arles is recognized as a masterpiece, and is recognizable by even casual observers: his
Met Faves – Van Gogh and *Real* Art History Read More »
“Accumulations” are what Yayoi Kusama called these multiple soft sculpture phalluses that she patiently sewed and placed in rooms, in platforms mounted on floors and walls, and even in two rowboats. Kusama made these pillow-esque, polka-dotted, cartoon-like, engorged phalluses as a way to get over her fear of sex – and one vintage 1960s photo
Accumulations, Courtesy of Yayoi Kusama Read More »
I love Robert Motherwell because of his smarts. While so many of his (male) contemporaries were making fools of themselves in bars, he was making poetic work – about poetry – and other big themes, and writing intelligently about it too. I read the wall text for this painting at the Met and was reminded
The Homely Protestant Read More »
December 26, 1931 New York art critic Henry McBride describes Diego Rivera as “the most talked-about man on this side of the Atlantic.” At this point, he’s installed as artist-in-residence at special studio space within MoMA, creating a total of eight “portable murals” that are exhibited for five weeks from December to January. The exhibition,
365 Days of Art: December 26 – Diego Conquers NY Read More »
December 21, 2006 A group of Philadelphia donors raises $68,000,000 to keep the painting The Gross Clinic by favorite son Thomas Eakins in Philadelphia. A month earlier, the painting breaks auction records (highest price for an Eakins painting, and highest price for an American portrait) when it sells jointly to the National Gallery of Art
365 Days of Art: December 21 – Donors Raise $68M to Keep Painting in Philly Read More »
December 14, 1866 Roger Fry, British artist and art critic, is born. He holds many roles in his lifetime, including writer, painter, member of London’s Bloomsbury group, expert on Italian Old Master paintings, inventor of the term “post-Impressionists,” and Curator of Paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
365 Days of Art: December 14 – Roger Fry is Born Read More »
December 12, 1970 Artists with police whistles protest at the opening of the Whitney Annual because of the few women the Whitney historically exhibits. Faith Ringgold recalls: In the fall of 1970 Poppy Johnson, Lucy Lippard and I, formed an ad hock [sic] women’s group to protest the small percentage of women in all past
December 5, 1960 Dieter Roth is awarded the William and Noma Copley Foundation Award for his artist books. He’s credited as the inventor of this genre, where the book isn’t meant to be read in the way we might read a paperback novel, but to be appreciated as a work of art. For Roth, books
365 Days of Art: December 5 – Dieter Roth Receives Award for Artist Books Read More »
December 3, 1961 The Museum of Modern Art finally realizes their mistake in hanging Henri Matisse’s Le Bateau upside-down, and straightens the picture after six weeks. It takes a stockbroker/art lover that long to convince MoMA; they finally act on one of her letters.
365 Days of Art: December 3 – MoMA Rehangs Matisse, Right-Side-Up Read More »
December 2, 1938 Miss Iris Barry of MoMA replies to Joseph Cornell’s letter of November 3: Dear Mr. Cornell: I am sorry to have kept you so long for an answer about the three films you so kindly let us examine. We should like to acquire THE PAPER DOLL (Paper White) and the untitled Eclair
365 Days of Art: December 2 – MoMA Writes Back to Cornell Read More »
December 1 has been acknowledged since 1989 as a Day Without Art, in order to remember artists who have died from AIDS. Many museums and galleries have closed, held vigils, hung walls with black, sent staff to volunteer at AIDS organizations, held special AIDS-related exhibitions, or otherwise used this as a day for mourning and
365 Days of Art: December 1 – Day Without Art Read More »
November 30, 2010 The National Portrait Gallery removes a film from the first-ever gay portraiture exhibition, Hide/Seek, after receiving complaints from a Catholic organization and members of Congress. The video, created by David Wojnarowicz, features footage of ants crawling on a crucifix, and is made in the heyday of the AIDS epidemic. It is a
365 Days of Art: November 30 – National Portrait Gallery Censors AIDS Film Read More »
November 18, 1931 The Whitney Museum of American Art opens on West 8th Street in New York City. It goes through a couple of iterations before becoming a museum, beginning with Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney’s empathy for the struggles faced by young, unknown, American artists at the turn of the century. As a sculptor herself, Whitney
365 Days of Art: November 18 – The Whitney Opens Read More »
November 10, 1930 Frida and Diego arrive in San Francisco, where he has mural commissions to work on. November 10, 1943 The New York Times reports “Unique Collection of Art Treasures Taken Away by Germans in Italy,” referring to the trucks carrying artwork for Goring’s birthday party. November 10, 1936 Arshile Gorky’s painting Organization is
November 9, 1943 Jackson Pollock’s first solo show opens at Peggy Guggenheim’s Art of This Century gallery. He has not yet painted the dripping works for which he’ll be most famous. November 9, 1966 John Lennon meets Yoko Ono at her art opening at Indica Gallery in London. The work above impresses Lennon; after climbing
November 7, 1929 The Museum of Modern Art opens in NYC. Its first exhibition is Cezanne, Gauguin, Seurat, Van Gogh.
365 Days of Art: November 7 – MoMA Opens Read More »
November 5, 1945 Jackson Pollock moves from New York City to Long Island, to a farmhouse in Springs. This is a shocking move at the time, since NYC is the center of the art world. The yard and barn where he keeps his studio become the backdrops for some of the most iconic Pollock moments:
November 4, 1922 Howard Carter discovers King Tut’s tomb. November 4, 1966 The Arno River floods Florence, killing 113 and damaging millions of masterpieces. The scramble to deal with the sheer volume of works, as well as the race against time to avoid further damage by mold, leads to new developments in art conservation.
November 3, 1938 Joseph Cornell writes a letter to an employee named Iris Barry at MoMA’s Film Library. He’s a very polite correspondent: Dear Miss Barry, Between the increasing activity of the Film Library and an injury I sustained on my vacation a few weeks ago, it hasn’t been very convenient for me to speak
October 30, 2010 Hide/Seek, the first major museum exhibition to explore themes of sexual identity in portraiture, opens at the National Portrait Gallery. More than 100 works of varying media by artists including Georgia O’Keeffe, Jasper Johns, Annie Liebowitz, and Andy Warhol, are on display. The show not only explores the contributions of LGBTQ artists,
365 Days of Art: October 30 – Hide/Seek Opens Read More »
October 27, 1918 Egon Schiele completes his final two artworks, drawings of his wife in bed with the Spanish flu. She dies the next morning, as did 20 million others in this worldwide epidemic. Schiele himself dies three days afterwards, also of the flu. October 27, 1923 Roy Lichtenstein is born. October 27, 1932 The
October 21, 1830 Eugene Delacroix, who has been working on Liberty Leading the People, writes to his brother: My bad mood is vanishing thanks to hard work. I’ve embarked on a modern subject — a barricade. And if I haven’t fought for my country at least I’ll paint for her.” October 21, 1959 The Solomon
October 20, 1942 Peggy Guggenheim opens the Art of This Century art gallery at 30 W. 57th Street in New York. A press release calls gallery a “research laboratory for new ideas” that will “serve the future instead of recording the past.” Guggenheim specializes in the work of European modernists and Surrealists like Picasso, Mondrian,
365 Days of Art: October 20 – Peggy Guggenheim Opens Art of This Century Gallery Read More »
October 17, 1961 The Museum of Modern Art hangs Henri Matisse’s Le Bateau upside-down–the mistake isn’t noticed or corrected for six weeks! Insert your abstract art joke here…
365 Days of Art: October 17 – MoMA Hangs a Matisse Upside-Down! Read More »
October 14, 1943 During World War II, it’s common to lodge Allied soldiers in cultural institutions. While many of them are emptied of their portable treasures, stationary pieces like frescoes, mosaics, even hidden artworks, remain. For example, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples provides bunking quarters, as well as a pharmaceutical ward where flammable alcohol
365 Days of Art: October 14 – Marshall Telegram to Eisenhower Shows Concern for Artworks Read More »
October 5, 1990 A Cincinnati jury acquits the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center and its director of misdemeanor obscenity charges, for displaying Robert Mapplethorpe’s exhibition, The Perfect Moment.
365 Days of Art: October 5 – Jury Acquits Arts Center of Obscenity Charges Read More »
September 27, 2006 Munch’s The Scream and Madonna go on view in a special five-day exhibition to celebrate their return to the Munch Museum–damages and all–after being stolen by masked gunmen two years earlier. Before conservation begins, 5,500 people view the damaged paintings.
365 Days of Art: September 27 – Munch Museum Celebrates Return of Damaged Paintings Read More »
September 24, 2002 The Barnes Foundation, possibly the best collection of Post-Impressionist works in the world, announces a petition to move from Merion, Pennsylvania to Philadelphia. The need for a petition, and the reason this request rocks the art world so thoroughly, is because collector Albert C. Barnes has left his collection of personal favorites
365 Days of Art: September 24 – Barnes Foundation Announces Plans to Move Read More »
September 19, 1965 Masuo Ikeda’s exhibition of prints closes at MoMA.
365 Days of Art: September 19 – Masuo Ikeda Exhibition Closes at MoMA Read More »
September 15, 1941 Driving back home to New York from an exhibition in San Francisco, Arshile Gorky and Mougouch (Agnes Magruder) are married in Nevada. September 15, 1991 A 47-year old art vandal attacks Michelangelo’s David with a hammer. While declaring that a 16th-century painter’s model has given him orders to do so, he breaks
365 Days of Art: September 15 – Gorky Marries; David Struck by Hammer Read More »
September 14, 1943 SS General Karl Wolff, Supreme Leader of All SS Troops and Police in Italy, receives the following instructions from Hitler: As soon as possible I want you and your troops to occupy the Vatican and Vatican City, as part of the German counter measures against this unspeakable “Badoglio treachery,” secure the Vatican’s
September 13, 1501 About a month after signing the contract for his first commission, Michelangelo picks up his tools early in the morning and begins carving the statue of David. He will work on it for over two years. September 13, 1900 American Impressionist Childe Hassam arrives in Gloucester, Massachusetts to paint. The area is
September 4, 1972 Thieves steal 18 paintings from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. It is the largest art theft in North America until the Boston Museum of Fine Arts robbery almost 20 years later. They enter through the skylight, tie up the guards and steal a rare Rembrandt landscape (he usually paints portraits), two
365 Days of Art: September 4 – Thieves Steal 13 Paintings in Montreal Read More »
September 3, 1968 Protesting police brutality in Chicago during the Democratic National Convention, painter Barnett Newman demands that his painting be removed from an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago. America is stunned in front of their televisions, watching cops in riot gear executing “Gestapo tactics on the streets of Chicago,” as Senator Abraham
365 Days of Art: September 3 – Barnett Newman Protests Police Brutality Read More »
August 31, 2006 Norwegian police announce the recovery of Munch’s The Scream and Madonna, which were stolen almost exactly two years prior, in a daylight raid. Neither the Chief of Police nor the director of the Munch Museum provide details of the sting operation, but state that the damage to the works is less than
365 Days of Art: August 31 – Stolen Munch Paintings Recovered Read More »
Another big day in the history of art! August 27, 1498 At age 25, Michelangelo receives his first big commission: a statue of Mary and Jesus for a cardinal. He selects the Carrera marble himself from the quarry and carves the statue from that single piece of stone. The 450 ducats he’s paid make him
August 22, 2004 Gun-wielding men in masks raid the Munch Museum in broad daylight and steal The Scream (one of several versions),as well as Munch’s Madonna. About seven months later, a suspect is arrested, but the paintings are still missing. For ten months, the museum is closed for a overhaul of security systems. The city
365 Days of Art: August 22 – The Scream is Stolen by Masked Men Read More »
August 21, 1911 The Mona Lisa is stolen from the Louvre, but it takes 24 hours to notice that it is missing. What in the world?? Yes, guards, and visitors too apparently, believe that the famous painting has been officially removed for photographs or other legitimate museum business. The same visitor has to report his
365 Days of Art: August 21 – Mona Lisa is Stolen, but Theft Goes Unnoticed Read More »
August 5, 2011 At the National Gallery of Art, in her second assault this year at that institution, Susan Burns attacks The Plumed Hat, by Henri Matisse. She slams the painting repeatedly against the wall, but thankfully damages only the frame. I don’t think it deserves what Burns was hoping to dish out, but this
365 Days of Art: August 5 – Matisse Painting Attacked Read More »
Three events today, about women in the art world: July 26, 1971 Diane Arbus commits suicide. She is a photographer, known for her black-and-white, usually head-on photos of folks that might make other folks cringe: a man in rollers and make-up, presumably half-way through his transformation to drag queen (this photo is spat on by
July 13, 1941 Peggy Guggenheim arrives in the US from Europe with plans to open an art gallery. This simple-sounding plan leads to the creation of Art of This Century, probably the most influential art gallery ever, with her artists becoming commercially successful, and introducing the fine arts into pop culture. She is known for
365 Days of Art: July 13 – Peggy Guggenheim Arrives in US with Plans to Open Art Gallery Read More »
July 9, 1823 Stephen Salisbury, from Worcester, Massachusetts (holla!) writes home to his son about having his portrait painted by Gilbert Stuart at Stuart’s studio in Boston: Your aunt &c. has prevailed on me to Sit before Stuart for a likeness, which he has accomplished to their Satisfaction, as well as my own.” His wife
365 Days of Art: July 9 – Portrait Subject Describes Sitting for Gilbert Stuart Read More »
July 1, 1948 Willem de Kooning begins teaching at Black Mountain College, an experimental art college near Asheville, North Carolina. Famous colleagues include Josef Albers, Buckminster Fuller, John Cage, and Merce Cunningham. July 1, 1968 John Lennon’s first art exhibition, with Yoko Ono, entitled You are Here, opens in London. July 1, 1989 On the
June 27, 2004 The exhibition And or Versus: Adventures in Images, which is the 15th anniversary exhibition of the opening of the contemporary/modern Yokohama Museum of Art in Yokohama, Japan, closes. It features work by artists as varied as Salvador Dali, Richard Long, Yayoi Kusama, and Andy Warhol. The image above is from Kusama’s solo
365 Days of Art: June 27 – 15th Anniversary Exhibition Closes at Yokohama Museum of Art Read More »
June 21, 1998 Kiki Smith’s exhibition, Night, closes at the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden. The show explores the natural world after the sun’s gone down, and features works in black glass, bronze, and other media, including animal scat.
365 Days of Art: June 21 – Kiki Smith Exhibition Closes at Hirshhorn Read More »
June 15, 1983 An exhibition at the outdoor sculpture center in upstate New York, Storm King Art Center, called–simply and appropriately enough–A Landscape for Modern Sculpture, closes. The exhibition features large-scale works by Louise Bourgeois and others.
365 Days of Art: June 15 – Sculpture Exhibition Closes at Storm King Read More »
June 13, 1985 A man is arrested for setting fire to and destroying a painting of King Philip IV of Spain by Peter Paul Rubens hanging in the Zurich Kunsthaus. Sadly, only the frame survives the arson. When a guard notices smoke, all exits are closed and an inspection of all visitors is begun. The
365 Days of Art: June 13 – Rubens Painting Destroyed by Arson Read More »
June 11, 1970 Dieter Roth’s first US exhibition receives a tongue-in-cheek review in the International Herald Tribune, which says that the gallery owner “will sell it to anyone with $21,000 and a bad cold.” The reason for the bad cold is that the exhibition stinks. Literally stinks. Inspired by an artist whose work Roth thinks
365 Days of Art: June 11 – Dieter Roth Exhibition Receives Humorous Review Read More »
June 8, 1939 Augusta Savage opens an art gallery on 125th Street in Harlem called the Salon of Contemporary Negro Art. The opening reception is well-attended, with 500 people. It is noted that Black and white folks are in attendance. There is buzz surrounding this well-known artist. The unfortunate thing (it is said) is that
365 Days of Art: June 8 – Augusta Savage Opens Gallery Read More »
May 31, 1947 Peggy Guggenheim’s gallery, Art of This Century, closes its doors. Peggy wanted to return to Europe, and confided that the gallery business had completely tired her out. Although it was only open for five years, I’d have to say it became one of the most influential art institutions ever by bringing modern
365 Days of Art: May 31 – Art of This Century Closes After Five Influential Years Read More »
May 30, 1937 Three exhibitions close at MoMA: Twelve Modern Paintings, featuring Paul Klee, Joan Miro, and Jean Arp, Prehistoric Rock Pictures, and a Cezanne show. Director Alfred Barr made comparisons between all three and saw the Modern and Prehistoric shows as companion pieces, sharing elements like primitive figures, scratched surfaces, and distorted scale and
365 Days of Art: May 30 – Three Exhibitions Close at MoMA Read More »
May 17, 1984 The Guerrilla Girls are born! The backstory: An International Survey of Painting and Sculpture opens on this day at the Museum of Modern Art. Curator Kynaston McShine writes that any artist not included in the show should rethink “his” career. The exhibit features 169 artists. All are white. All are from the
365 Days of Art: May 17 – The Guerrilla Girls Are Born! Read More »
May 11, 2008 The Guggenheim Hermitage Museum in Las Vegas, a partnership between the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and the Guggenheim Foundation, closes after a seven-year partnership. I never understood the need for an art museum in Vegas. The Liberace Museum, sure.
365 Days of Art: May 11 – Guggenheim Las Vegas Closes Read More »
April 27, 1506 Arbiters in Milan, who have gotten involved in a dispute between Leonardo and a patron, rule that Leonardo is required to finish the commissioned Virgin of the Rocks within two years, and will be paid 200 lire. Notoriously slow on his follow-through, he had accepted the commission 23 years earlier with no
365 Days of Art: April 27 – Arbiters to Leonardo: After 23 Years, Finish the Painting! Read More »
April 21, 1988 Hans-Joachim Bolhmann, who we’ve met before this year, throws two bottles of sulfuric acid on five paintings by Albrecht Dürer in Munich’s Alte Pinakothek. The injured works include Lamentation for Christ, the Paumgartner Altar and Mater Dolarosa or Virgin of Sorrows. The Virgin of Sorrows is hit directly in her face, and
365 Days of Art: April 21 – Serial Art Vandal Throws Acid at Five Dürer Paintings Read More »
April 1, 2011 A museum visitor at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC leapt at Paul Gauguin’s painting, Two Tahitian Women, tried to tear it from the wall, and pummeled it with her fists while yelling that it was “evil.” Luckily, the painting was protected by plexiglass, and the woman was quickly apprehended.
365 Days of Art: April 1 – “Evil” Gauguin Painting is Attacked Read More »
March 29, 1977 At the Kunsthalle Hamburg, Hans-Joachim Bohlmann damaged the painting The Goldfish by Paul Klee by spraying sulfuric acid on it. This was the first of many attacks on artwork in Bohlmann’s career as a serial vandal; he damaged over 50 artworks between 1977 and 2006, causing millions in damage, and untold hours
365 Days of Art: March 29 – Serial Art Vandal Strikes for First Time Read More »
March 27, 1968 The exhibition Dada, Surrealism, and Their Heritage opens at the Museum of Modern Art. Featured artists include Barnett Newman, Giorgio de Chirico, Jackson Pollock, Frida Kahlo, Bob Arneson, Robert Motherwell, Joan Miró, Robert Rauschenberg, Joseph Cornell, Jasper Johns, and Max Ernst.
365 Days of Art: March 27 – Dada-Inspired Exhibition Opens at MoMA Read More »
March 21, 1986 Barnett Newman’s Who’s Afraid of Red, Yellow and Blue III was slashed open with a boxcutter, by an unbalanced painter who did it in the name of art. Sort of. Here’s the story. By purchasing the painting, the Amsterdam Museum of Modern Art (Stedelijk Museum) opened itself up to controversy. To put
March 19, 1946 Arshile Gorky Receives an art fellowship of $1,000 from the New-Land Foundation in New York.
365 Days of Art: March 19 – Gorky Receives Fellowship Read More »
March 18, 1990The largest art robbery in history occurs at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, where 13 paintings valued at $100 million are stolen. Disguised as Boston police officers, the two thieves claimed to be responding to a call. In Boston, in the early morning hours of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, this sounded
365 Days of Art: March 18 – Thieves Steal 13 Works in Biggest Art Theft EVER Read More »
March 17, 2012 Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture opens at the Tacoma Art Museum in Tacoma, Washington. This show, which originated at the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, is the first major museum exhibition to focus on gender and sexuality. It drew international attention not only for this reason, but also because of
365 Days of Art: March 17 – Hide/Seek Opens at Tacoma Art Museum Read More »
March 16, 1941 The National Gallery of Art opens in Washington, DC.
365 Days of Art: March 16 – National Gallery of Art Opens Read More »
March 13, 1858 The Elgin Marbles, sculptures taken from the Acropolis in Athens, and their poor conservation were the subject of a letter, written by the superintendent of the “moving and cleaning the sculptures” at the British Museum: I think it my duty to say that some of the works are much damaged by ignorant
March 12, 1931 Art collector Lillie Bliss dies and bequeaths her art collection to found the Museum of Modern Art, with one condition: that the fledgling museum is established financially by the end of three years, or it will forfeit the artworks. Exactly three years later, on March 12, 1934, after raising $600,000, MoMA proves
365 Days of Art: March 12 – Bequest of Art Collection Sets Foundation for MoMA Read More »
March 6, 1945 The exhibition Arshile Gorky opens at the Julien Levy Gallery, featuring paintings created during the previous year, including How My Mother’s Embroidered Apron Unfolds in My Life. André Breton, who helped Gorky title the paintings, writes a glowing foreword for the catalogue. Here’s the kicker: because Levy had forgotten to mail out
February 28, 1974 Tony Shafrazi spray-painted Picasso’s painting Guernica, which hung in the Museum of Modern Art, with the words “KILL LIES ALL.” Luckily, the paint was easily removed due to heavy varnish on the painting’s surface. Shafrazi was protesting the announcement, the day before, of the release on bail of U.S. Lieutenant William Calley,
365 Days of Art: February 28 – Picasso Painting Vandalized in Vietnam War Protest Read More »
February 25, 2011 The Globe and Mail (Toronto) reported the donation of a collection of lithographs by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The collection was one of the largest in the world that was privately held, and belonged to a New Yorker by the name of Ross Scott. He’d died two years previously, willing the collection of
365 Days of Art: February 25 – Paper Reports Donation of Toulouse-Lautrec Collection Read More »
February 21, 1945 The New Haven, CT police department announced that the case of nine slashed paintings at the Yale Art Gallery and Peabody Museum in Cambridge, MA was solved. Edward Morse was taken into custody and voluntarily committed himself to Middletown State Hospital after confessing to the vandalism. Morse had slashed the portraits with
365 Days of Art: February 21 – Connecticut Detectives Solve Case of 9 Slashed Paintings Read More »
February 20, 1872 The Metropolitan Museum of Art opens in New York City.
365 Days of Art: February 20 – The Metropolitan Museum of Art Opens Read More »
February 17, 1923 King Tutankhamun’s burial chamber is opened by archaeologist Howard Carter. The brouhaha of the traveling Tut exhibition in the late 70s (which was revived with a less newsworthy sequel just a couple of years ago) was a big part of my childhood. I desperately, desperately wanted to see it at the Field
365 Days of Art: February 17 – King Tut’s Burial Chamber is Opened Read More »
February 14, 1968 A retrospective of Adolph Gottlieb’s work opens and runs concurrently at the Guggenheim and the Whitney. This is the first time two museums jointly present one exhibition and open the show at the same time. (To my knowledge, it’s still the only time it’s happened).
365 Days of Art: February 14 – Gottlieb Retrospective Opens at Two Museums Read More »
February 7, 2013 Eugène Delacroix’s painting Liberty Leading the People is vandalized at the Louvre-Lens Museum by a 28-year old woman who wrote “AE911” on its surface with a permanent black marker just before closing time. She was immediately confronted by a security guard and a visitor, and arrested. The graffiti apparently refers to the
365 Days of Art: February 7 – Delacroix Painting Vandalized by 9/11 Conspiracy Theorist Read More »
February 6, 1871 The Board of Trustees of The Metropolitan Museum of Art discussed the plan that led to the construction of the Museum’s first building. At this point in time, the Met had few artworks, no permanent home, and no staff. The Trustees, along with the recently established American Museum of Natural History, decided
February 5, 2013 Ice Age Art: Arrival of the Modern Mind opened at the British Museum. The exhibition presented artwork (not archaeological artifacts) between 10,000 and 40,000 years old, created during the last Ice Age. The distinction between art and artifacts represented humans’ arrival at complex thought, as illustrated by an embrace of abstraction, symbolism,
365 Days of Art: February 5 – Ice Age Art (No Artifacts!) Exhibited at British Museum Read More »
February 1, 1931 The Museum of Modern Art puts on its Tenth Loan Exhibition, a show of paintings and lithographs by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Odilon Redon. At this point, MoMA had been open for just two years, was located next to the Plaza Hotel at 730 Fifth Avenue, and had no permanent collection yet.
365 Days of Art: February 1 – MoMA’s Tenth Exhibition Opens Read More »
January 30, 2011 A special five-day exhibition of never-before-exhibited autochrome photographs, using low-oxygen enclosures to keep them from fading, closes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Some background: what are autochromes? They’re photos made from a process that was developed in the early 20th century, transparent color images on glass that must be viewed either
January 27, 1972 The Renwick Gallery, whose collection is devoted to American crafts, design, and decorative arts from the 19th century to the present, opens in Washington, DC as a branch of the National Collection of Fine Arts (now the Smithsonian American Art Museum). It’s situated very close to the White House in a National
365 Days of Art: January 27 – The Renwick Gallery Opens in Washington DC Read More »
January 25, 1504 Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, and other citizens and artists are consulted as to the best location for Michelangelo’s David. After two years of work by Michelangelo, Florentine authorities had to acknowledge that the more than six-ton statue couldn’t be placed on the roof of the Cathedral of Santa Maria de Fiore,
January 22, 2010 A visitor at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art accidentally fell into The Actor, a 105-year-old painting by Pablo Picasso, causing a 6-inch gash in the canvas. (It was a student doing research for a college class. Oops! As a teacher leading field trips, this was my nightmare). It has since
365 Days of Art: January 22 – Museum Visitor Accidentally Damages a Picasso. Oops! Read More »
January 21, 1943 The exhibition Georgia O’Keeffe Paintings 1915-1941 opens at the Art Institute of Chicago. It is O’Keeffe’s first museum retrospective. By the way, January 21 is a slow day in art history. Thank God for Georgia O’Keeffe at my favorite museum, or I would’ve been stuck talking about Jeff Koons today. Yecccch.
January 15, 1759 The British Museum opens in London.
365 Days of Art – January 15: The British Museum Opens Read More »
January 14, 1506 The Vatican Museums got their start on this date with the purchase of the sculpture of Laocoön and his Sons. Earlier, the marble sculpture had been discovered in a vineyard in Rome. After sending Michelangelo and another artist to evaluate the find, Pope Julius II decided to purchase it from the owner
365 Days of Art – January 14: Origin of Vatican Museums Read More »
January 13, 1911 A discharged Navy cook named Ligrist attacked The Night Watch by Rembrandt, one of the most popular paintings in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. He used a shoemaker’s knife, but luckily could not cut through the thick varnish on the painting. (Painters, take note!) This was the first, but not last, time this
365 Days of Art – January 13: Rembrandt Painting Attacked with Knife Read More »
Jan 12, 1773 The Charleston Museum, in Charleston, SC, was established in 1773 while South Carolina was still a British colony. Its founding was inspired in part by the creation of the British Museum in 1759. Operations were off to a rocky start in the early years, since museum business was suspended during the Revolutionary
365 Days of Art – January 12: First US Museum Opens Read More »
January 8, 1963 The Mona Lisa, on loan from the Louvre, is unveiled at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC in a star-studded opening reception. The exhibition was made possible almost entirely due to the efforts of Jackie Kennedy, the First Lady. The Kennedys, and especially Jackie, brought a well-known love of art
365 Days of Art – January 8: Mona Lisa, on Loan, Unveiled in US Read More »
January 4, 1997 Russian-born performance artist Alex Brener added his own touch–a spray-painted green dollar sign–to Kazimir Malevich’s painting Suprematisme while it hung in the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art in Amsterdam. This was his comment on the “corruption and commercialism” of the art world. According to Brener, “Malevich wanted to change to the world
365 Days of Art – January 4: Malevich Painting Vandalized Read More »
January 2, 1921 The de Young Museum sprang from the Fine Arts Building that was part of the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition. Artworks from the exposition were combined with other works to form a permanent museum, San Francisco’s first. It opened to public on January 2.
365 Days of Art – January 2: De Young Museum Opens to the Public Read More »
Ivan Albright (1897 – 1983) was an American painter and printmaker whose work dealt mainly with themes of life and death, decay, and the effects of time. His depiction of exaggerated aging as well as the all-over eruptions of growths and details lend his work a dark and unsettling quality, suggesting a sort of vanitas
Six Degrees of Ivan Albright Read More »
Today, we observe the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy. As the details of that day and the aftermath are reexamined, one theme that stands out is how important art was to JFK and to Jackie. This story begins and ends with John Singer Sargent watercolors, and includes a private art exhibition arranged
JFK and the Power of Art Read More »
I recently made a presentation to docents at the Tacoma Art Museum about Robert Henri. I thought it would be easy, since his The Art Spirit, a compilation of charismatic lectures to his students, propelled me through many of my painting classes in college. The first thing I learned is that I’ve been pronouncing his
The First Thing to Know About Robert Henri Is How to Pronounce His Name Read More »
In college, I painted quite a few landscapes. We went outside every day, rain or shine, and painted the hills and trees of our rural campus. I got pretty good at it; I even sold a few, but nothing transcendental. After the second semester, my professor told me what I already knew: that they were
Transcendental Landscapes Read More »
Thanks to the Tacoma Art Museum and their Open Art Studio, where I made this print.
So, Which One of You Is the Man in the Relationship? Read More »
While walking in Chinatown today, I stopped to help a man who had just dropped his Rollerblades on the sidewalk. As I bent down and picked one up, I recognized the man; he leads art tours every Saturday afternoon in New York City. We started chatting, and he showed me his notes from his afternoon
55 Galleries in One Day! Read More »
By popular demand, I’ll close out the saga of the Abe Lincoln paintings which were refused exhibition by the Slater Museum, against its own contest rules. The Ethics Commission of the City of Norwich convened hearings to hear testimony against defendant Vivian Zoe, Director of the Slater Museum, and sponsor of the contest to replace
The Abe Lincoln Debacle: Ethics Commission Rules It Was, In Fact, a “Debacle” Read More »
I’m still thinking about the recent show at Leslie Lohman Gay Art Foundation which by the way, was just transformed into the Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art –congratulations to them! The exhibition was The Pop-Up Museum of Queer History, in its second incarnation. Earlier in 2011, it popped up in a Brooklyn
The Pop-Up Museum of Queer History Read More »
As I was walking down the street the other day, I saw a large banner that proclaimed a new museum opening, right in my neighborhood. This was news, and how could I not have known about it, just three blocks from my place? It’s called the Museum of Motherhood. I wandered over and poked my
The Museum of Motherhood Read More »
Every time I throw away an abused, no-longer-serviceable paintbrush, I think of the Reverend Howard Finster: “LIFE:TIME ART-SUPPLIES WORE OUT BY HOWARD FINSTER” Just look at all those dried-up Sharpies! He staple-gunned every single one he ever used–along with every pencil nub, every squeezed-out tube of paint–all around the walls of this little outdoor building.
Wore Out Art Supplies Read More »
Here is the piece which I donated to the fundraiser/auction for the New Bedford Art Museum this year. I have a special place in my heart for the Art Museum (not to mention New Bedford), since I lived a mere three blocks away during grad school. This year’s theme was New Bedford/Southcoast Through the Lens.
New Artwork: New Bedford Waterfront Read More »
What does Dorothy say in the Wizard of Oz: that you really don’t need to search any further than your own backyard? Well the Harvest Gallery Wine Bar is a hidden gem in Dennis, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. I’d never heard of it, even though I’ve been visiting my parents in West Dennis for years.
Road Trip: Harvest Gallery Wine (and Art) Bar, Dennis MA Read More »
I’m still digesting the Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty show. I feel a bit wrong to even write that. But in my defense, there was much to chew on. Other people have written more (not to mention better) about the show, so I’ll leave that for them. But some things, for me, were especially notable: The
Alexander McQueen and the Spectacular Spectacular Read More »
What a delightful afternoon at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT. I’ve been out of the CT loop for a while, but I was pleased to learn that the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company donated their excellent collection of 190 artworks to the Florence Griswold Museum in 2001. (I remember visiting
The Florence Griswold Museum Read More »
Remember how the Abraham Lincoln portraits had to be made to a certain size, in order to fit the existing, heirloom frame which had housed the original portrait? Well, the wrong measurements were provided in the Call for Artists, so all of the portraits–including the winning submission–turned out not to fit the frame. (Read all
The Abraham Lincoln Situation: Karma Edition. The End? Read More »
CTMuseumQuest.com, the website devoted to exploration of each and every one of Connecticut’s museums, has featured Maura McGurk’s art blog in its recent article about the Norwich Arts Center Gallery. The article discusses the Abraham Lincoln portrait contest. The website has identified over 650 museums and historical sites in Connecticut (not bad for the third-smallest
Maura McGurk’s Art Blog Featured on CTMuseumQuest.com Read More »
I made these artist trading cards to give out at the Women in Arts exhibition I was involved with at the Queens Museum of Art. I put a female artist (some well-known, some not) on the front, or a recreation of her work. I respected copyrights by using older works, my own photographs as stand-ins,
Trading Cards: They Work for Ballplayers AND for Artists Read More »
Maura McGurk and other artists discuss their views of the judging of the Lincoln portrait contest sponsored by the Slater Museum in Norwich, CT. The Slater has defended itself against charges by the artists and others that it acted in an unethical manner by changing the contest rules, and notifying the participating artists of the
Maura McGurk Interviewed by The Norwich Bulletin Read More »
Maura McGurk’s blog regarding the Lincoln portrait contest sponsored by the Slater Museum is quoted extensively in The New London Day. The Day reveals the backlash among the contest entrants, the artistic community, and citizens of Norwich, CT regarding so-called “unethical” practices in the portrait judging. Lincoln artists cry foul, by Claire Bessette, The Day
Maura McGurk Blog Featured in The New London Day Read More »
The orphaned portraits were on the move Saturday, as the paintings rejected by the Slater Museum were moved from their current storage space in a kitchen to the Wauregan Gallery in Norwich. The Lincoln Orphans Exhibit will be on display at the Wauregan Gallery, 200 Main St, Norwich, CT. The showcase of creative Lincoln interpretations,
The Abe Lincoln Debacle: Procession of the Orphans Read More »
Well, I always wanted the press to write about my artwork, but I didn’t think it would happen this way: The Day of New London, CT wrote an article about the Lincoln portrait contest. Although the reporter didn’t interview me personally, she quoted from my earlier blog post. And I learned something new about the
More Unethical News from Slater Museum Read More »
This Abraham Lincoln portrait, painted by Norwich, CT local son John Denison Crocker, was ripped from its frame in City Hall in 1994. The Slater Museum and the City of Norwich sponsored a contest with a purchase prize for the best copy of the original portrait. Although I’m normally an abstract painter, I thought it
Museum Reneges on Promise to Exhibit All Lincoln Portraits–What Would Honest Abe Say? Read More »
This isn’t about Lincoln’s assassination. (For that, The Conspirator movie which comes out this week looks pretty good). This is about the theft of a portrait of Lincoln, painted by John Denison Crocker, which hung in City Hall in Norwich, Connecticut for almost 130 years until it was stolen in 1994. The thief cut it
The Abraham Lincoln Caper: True Crime Read More »
The Day Job exhibition, as a concept, resonated with me because I’m still in a state of exuberance-decompression-worry (it depends on the day) over recently having left my own day job, in an office. This was a varied and interesting show, and here are some of my favorites: Dawn Hunter, a professor of art. About
Day Job at The Drawing Center Read More »
I like Montreal. It’s a walkable city, with interesting neighborhoods (next time, I want to spend more time in the Latin Quarter) and a charming feel. We had time for just two museums and a gallery or two, but it was great to see “new” artists who don’t appear frequently in American or European collections.
Vermont Studio Center: Montreal Read More »
The Bread and Puppet Museum has to be seen to be believed. None of the pictures you’ll see here can possibly do it justice, but I found myself snapping away anyway, to the point where I ran down the batteries in my camera less than halfway through the place. Located in Glover, VT, the Museum
Vermont Studio Center: The Bread and Puppet Museum Read More »
It started on September 12, 2001. The day after the terrorist attacks, a sign appeared in Johnson, VT: “YOU CAN RUN BUT YOU CAN’T HIDE. VENGEANCE IS MINE SAYETH THE LORD.” As a response, Vermont Studio Center co-founder Louise von Wiese began putting “Art Is Peace” and Pax Cultura signs around campus. They are present at
Vermont Studio Center: Pax Cultura Read More »
Or, Classicism, Propaganda . . . and Jury Duty I’ve always thought that history could best be taught through art and music. So cheers to the Guggenheim for putting together a great history lesson with Chaos and Classicism: Art in France, Italy, and Germany, 1918-1936. The show blew my mind, and I haven’t been able
Chaos and Classicism at the Guggenheim Read More »
Maura McGurk was chosen as a Featured Artist for the exhibition Paint! at climate/gallery. Her painting Over and Out was selected by juror Jason Andrew, Director of Norte Maar for Collaborative Projects in the Arts, as one of the ten Best in Show. McGurk says the painting was inspired by a layover in Salt Lake City,
Maura McGurk Again Chosen as Featured Artist at climate/gallery Read More »
Maura McGurk was chosen as a Featured Artist of climate/gallery based on submission of her painting Lament. This painting was part of the exhibition NEVER THINK small and was judged by Kathy Murphy, publisher of Modern Painters Magazine, as one of the Best in Show. McGurk said the work was inspired in part by her
Maura McGurk Selected as climate/gallery Featured Artist Read More »
I should have met the Reverend Howard Finster in 2000. He used to sit on his front porch in Summerville, GA once or twice a week, at a scheduled time, to make himself available to his fans. That included banjo players looking to jam, young art students, fans of the musical group REM…I didn’t realize
