(An Appropriate Distance)

 

FROM THE MAYOR'S DOORSTEP

The baroque Spanish painter Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617-1682) is best known for his rather sappy renditions of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, while Venice’s Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) may be best known for his lush Renaissance allegories with humanistic overtones. Yet in two small but peerless exhibitions at The Frick Collection, we may view radically different selections from their oeuvre. One show is “Murillo: The Self–Portraits” (through February 11); the other is “Veronese in Murano: Two Venetian Renaissance Masterpieces Restored” (through March 11). Read More 

I don’t have a lot to say about “Jimmie Durham: At the Center of the World,” at the Whitney Museum of American Art (through January 28). Therefore I shall just fold my discussion of it into my review of a show whose sheer beauty led me to linger at it a lot longer, “Modigliani Unmasked” at The Jewish Museum (February 4). Both artists are or were outsiders within their respective time frames, though what this meant for their careers varied.  Read More 

One of the nice things that distinguishes the three big shows of applied arts this autumn is that in one way or another their organizers espouse formal values, as opposed to sociopolitical significance. Such was true at the media preview of the clothing—and accessories---show at the Museum of Modern Art entitled “Items: Is Fashion Modern?” (through January 28).  Read More 

Do you like little animals, especially kitty cats? Do you groove with ancient Egyptian art & culture? And do you have (perhaps) a slight taste for the macabre? If you answered “yes” to any or all of these questions, you will enjoy “Soulful Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt” at the Brooklyn Museum (through January 21). Read More 

As I’ve said before, this is a big season for politics in art, and a determined contribution in this department is “Art and China after 1989: Theater of the World” at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (through January 7). At least, it’s meant to be a sociopolitical show.  Read More