Art Literacy

Legend has it that, in 1969, while walking down Chicago’s East Ontario street, Stefan T. Edlis, who died in 2019, was awestruck by a building that appeared to be under construction and covered in black tarp. He thought at first that this was simply an intriguing construction site. In fact, it was a conceptual artwork by Christo who, with his partner Jeanne-Claude, sheathed various structures in fabric. Beneath it was the new site of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, opened two years earlier. That initial curiosity would lead Edlis to be a lifelong supporter of the MCA Chicago and other hometown arts institutions.

“Having known him half my life, I have this feeling that, when he was ‘duped’ by Christo, he was the opposite of bemused—he was delighted,” the MCA’s current director, Madeline Grynsztejn, recently told ARTnews.

And such a genuine affection for challenging conceptual art would come … Read the rest

Watercolor paints come in two forms: in tubes of liquid paint and in pans of dried paint that must be hydrated. Which type to use is a matter of preference, but there are a couple of instances where pans are clearly the better choice. If you like to paint en plein air—a practice ushered in by Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Frédéric Bazille—you’ll likely find that watercolor pans, many of which come in compact carrying cases that can double as palettes, are the most convenient option. They are also a good choice if you paint only occasionally, as you don’t have to worry about your materials drying out. Whatever your reasoning, choosing the right professional paint will make all the difference in your work. For our top recommendations of highly pigmented, rich, flowing pan watercolor paints, browse the list below. 

ARTNEWS RECOMMENDS
Daniel Smith Watercolor Half Pans and … Read the rest

Monday, March 29

Roberts Projects Adds Dominic Chambers
Roberts Projects in Los Angeles now represents Dominic Chambers. In his practice, Chambers explores the lived Black experience through figurative paintings which depict fleeting moments of leisure, contemplation, and camaraderie. Chambers has exhibited at institutions including Luce Gallery in Turin, the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, and the August Wilson African American Cultural Center in Pittsburgh. He will present a solo exhibition at the gallery in 2022.

Rainin Fellowship Names Inaugural Recipients
The Oakland-based Kenneth Rainin Foundation has announced the inaugural recipients of the Rainin Fellowship, which is administered by United States Artists and supports artists in the Bay Area. The four fellows for 2021, who each get an unrestricted $100,000 grant, are choreographer and performance maker Amara Tabor-Smith; actor, director, playwright, and educator Margo Hall; the People’s Kitchen Collective, an artistic and activist project focusing … Read the rest

As galleries and collectors alike continue to adjust to buying and selling art online more than a year into the pandemic, Art Basel launched the first of its 2021 Online Viewing Rooms, which opened to VIPs on March 24 and runs until March 27.

In the past year, Art Basel has expanded its OVRs beyond just replacing its three staple fairs—in Hong Kong, Basel, and Miami Beach—with adding thematic editions focused on specific art-historical periods. Previous editions were devoted to 20th-century art and art made only during 2020. This iteration takes the title of “Pioneers,” and features 100 galleries from around the world, all of which are able to show only eight works at any given time. (As in past editions, galleries are able to swap out works as the fair progresses.)

The art on view in “OVR: Pioneers” centers around artists who have “broken new aesthetic, conceptual, or socio-political … Read the rest

The London-based Reuben family has been revealed as the buyer of a $15.4 million Vincent van Gogh landscape purchased during Sotheby’s Impressionist and modern art sale in Paris on Thursday. Scène de rue à Montmartre (Impasse des deux frères et le Moulin à Poivre), from 1887, made its auction debut there after more than a century in private hands. A representative for the Reubens confirmed that the family had purchased the work.

The Reuben family collection, which comprises modern and contemporary art, including works by Picasso, Modigliani, Warhol and Basquiat, is jointly owned by British billionaire Simon Reuben, his brother David and daughter Lisa. Lisa, who ranks on the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list, manages the collection and has previously worked as a specialist in Sotheby’s contemporary art department in London.

In Thursday’s Paris evening sale, the van Gogh was offered twice. When it was initially offered, Lisa Reuben … Read the rest