By Michael Mills Situated, as it is, at the confluence of Caribbean and Latin American cultures, the greater Miami area can’t help being the epicenter of the South Florida art world. Broward and Palm Beach counties may have increasingly vibrant art communities of their own, but Miami-Dade has Art Basel/Miami Beach, as well as the Wynwood Arts District. Here are some expected … [Read more...]
2014-15 arts preview: The season in Broward County art
By Michael Mills For years the Broward County art community has been eclipsed by Miami-Dade and even Palm Beach County, with their glitzy, high-profile events such as Art Basel Miami Beach and Art Palm Beach. Although Broward doesn’t have a Wynwood-style concentration of galleries and studios, it now has pockets of comparable art activity like FATVillage, North Beach, … [Read more...]
2014-15 arts preview: The season in Palm Beach County art
Whether you are an artist or an admirer of beauty, you should thank the lucky stars (and planets) for aligning once again to bring Palm Beach County robust art by local and international artists. It is not the most exciting lineup ever, but as usual diversity is the big hero saving us from the villain: predictability. That there will be something for everyone is always good … [Read more...]
At the Norton, a summery look at iconic toys
If there was a heaven for toys, it probably would look and feel like the Norton Museum of Art’s new exhibition. This is what a toy gets for enduring decades and co-existing with digital era’s sharp apps: a show of its own at a major local museum. If such heaven existed, then Matchbox cars, Hot Wheels cars and Barbie dolls arrived at it last week, with the opening of Wheels & … [Read more...]
Ann Norton show seeks respect for Chilean surrealist
The first time I came across his name was a couple of years ago at the Boca Museum of Art. I was there to do a story, in which I ended up mentioning this one painting I had really liked. But I did not know then whose work it was, who was this Matta guy other that a Chilean artist whose name sounded like plant in Spanish. Ironically, this is what Roberto Matta tried hard to … [Read more...]
At the Four Arts, pages of faith, pages of light
If Hollywood can bring us a Noah with special effects, monks should be able to bring us a radiantly abstract Bible. And that’s exactly what they have done. After 15 years, elegantly crafted pages of gigantic size and glowing imagery are spreading the light. As far as the message goes, time will tell. The Saint John’s Bible is the first illuminated handwritten Bible to be … [Read more...]
Norton’s ‘Industrial Sublime’ a poem of water, iron, stone and sky
If New Yorkers won’t come to New York, the city will come to them, in the form oil paintings, watercolors and oil pastels with impressionist, cubist and realist tones. A rich selection of works depicting the pros and cons of the booming city makes up Industrial Sublime, which opened March 20 at the Norton Museum. The gallery rooms are filled with cityscapes by famous and … [Read more...]
Invention on display at Fine Craft Show astounds
By Myles Ludwig Imagination is abloom at the Palm Beach Fine Craft Show at the Convention Center. It is a springy bouquet of masterfully individualized techniques and unexpectedly fused materials – textiles, woods, wire, mesh, beads, stone, ceramics, and glass and more — that have come together in a magical display of exciting, surprising forms that erase the imaginary line … [Read more...]
Flagler silver exhibit takes us back to Age of Acquisition
Nobody uses a 137-year-old silver set of 1,250 pieces from Tiffany & Co. to eat lunch anymore or gets a glossy water pitcher as retirement gift. A pen and porcelain plates will do. Sometimes it takes such a decline in popularity to make an art exhibition happen. If it wasn’t for silver’s falling demand, the current show at the Henry Morrison Flagler Museum may not have … [Read more...]
Whimsical jewelry captivates at Norton’s Webb exhibit
A gypsy monkey, a turtle and twin frogs are having the time of their life, and not just because they are made of gold, rubies and diamonds. Framed by elegant green walls, these bejeweled animals are among 80 jewelry pieces enjoying a great deal of attention at the Norton Museum of Art. On view since January, David Webb: Society’s Jeweler is like an expensive Christmas … [Read more...]