The contemporary art scene in Palm Beach County may not contain as much of the risqué or emergent as can be found in our flashy neighbor to the south, Miami Beach — and we really needn’t be jealous; after all, we have old money — but there is a steady undertow of the new pushing towards the surface, and slowly (and I do mean slowly) beating down the fine art-and-antique … [Read more...]
Lighthouse ArtCenter looks to emerging artists
When Nicholas Whipple was looking for a venue to showcase his light sculptures, he put out feelers to galleries in the Wynwood section of Miami. Luckily for Whipple, 28, of Hobe Sound, a set designer and master carpenter at the Maltz Theatre in Jupiter, he found a space closer to home. In an exhibit opening Friday, Next Wave: Emerging Young Artists, the Lighthouse ArtCenter … [Read more...]
Vickrey’s world too fragile for the real one
Whimsy and wonder dominate in the world that Robert Vickrey creates in his painting. On first glance, there’s not much that is dark or foreboding. In fact, within moments of entering the exhibit, Robert Vickrey: The Magic of Realism, now on view at the Boca Raton Museum of Art until June 19, one feels, well, comforted. And that’s because the symbolic images are reassuringly … [Read more...]
Hudson River painters captured glory of a rising nation
In the final room of the exhibit Hudson River School Masterpieces from the New-York Historical Society, now on view at The Society of the Four Arts through Sunday, there are two striking portraits of the men considered to be the fathers of the movement: Thomas Cole and Asher Durand. One could also pronounce them the fathers of American art because, during their lifetimes, they … [Read more...]
Two small shows at Boca museum reveal deep riches
Two of the current shows at the Boca Raton Museum of Art are easy to miss. But you don’t want to. One gives us the dramatic touch of Goya, the playful Miró and the erotic side of Picasso. The other is a good bite of Latin American art. And I’m not talking Diego Rivera, Amelia Pelaez or Frida Kahlo. Believe it or not, Latin America has more where they came from. More than … [Read more...]
‘southXeast’ artists mix genres with whimsy, skill
There's something to be said for the sort of tradition that manages to intrigue upon each arrival, and when it does so in the guises of filigreed robots, childhood make-believe, or the lipsticked grit of a Bayou starlet -- all the better, I say. So unfolds this year’s southXeast: Contemporary Southeastern Art at Florida Atlantic University’s galleries, which presents the … [Read more...]
‘Extraordinary’ apt description for Flagler’s Urban retrospective
Certain media, subjects and sizes benefit an artist more than others. And something in the creation process usually gets lost, while going from one to another. Some highlight skill while others harm it. Some encourage innovation while others enforce limits. It is hard to be consistently extraordinary. But the Flagler Museum’s current show focuses on a man who was. Named … [Read more...]
God of ‘Cassadaga’ is in the photographer’s details
The interstate is really the one road that leads to Cassadaga, I-4 to be exact, and it takes travelers from both the east and west coasts of central Florida to this small hamlet of spiritualists, mediums, psychics, and healers. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this 116-year-old Volusia County community draws both believers and naysayers, those seeking … [Read more...]
Fine art fair draws a different crowd to Convention Center
It’s remarkable. In a few short weeks, International Fine Art Expositions (IFAE) has transformed the Palm Beach County Convention Center from an über-cool, contemporary art warehouse that housed their Art Palm Beach fair into a refined country-manor home for the current American International Fine Art Fair (AIFAF). At the entrance, a four-spout fountain sits, surrounded by … [Read more...]
California Impressionists captured optimistic moment in time
Glancing at the viewer, a woman shields her face from the sun. She stands in a garden resplendent with color. Red geraniums dance at her feet alongside the stone pathway where she stands. Alongside her, a woman kneels and tends to the garden. Throughout the painting, titled Red and Green by Joseph Kleitsch, patches of shade and bright sunlight compete for dominance. A moment … [Read more...]