In the universe of Mexican art, one petite star has shined consistently bright despite the eclipse caused by male counterparts. If it were a constellation, its shape would be a thick unibrow and its name Friducha. That was famed Mexican muralist Diego Rivera’s name for his painter wife Frida Kahlo. Both are now the focus of a new exhibition organized by the Norton Museum of … [Read more...]
Season Preview 2021-22: The season in Miami-Dade art
By Sandra Schulman The return of the art fairs is the big news down south, though how much of the international set will fly in remains to be seen. The buzziest show of the season will undoubtedly be Bob Dylan’s expansive multimedia exhibit at the Frost Art Museum. Will the elusive Mr. Zimmerman make an appearance? The answer is blowing in the wind. Pérez Art … [Read more...]
At Gavlak, Deborah Brown mingles objects and fantasy
By Sandra Schulman For artist Deborah Brown, the pandemic allowed her the luxury to reconnect with both sentimental objects she lives with every day and the fantasy of self-portraits through a Western art history lens. Her new show at Gavlak in Palm Beach has the enigmatic title Return to Forever, a show that was delayed a year. “This show was supposed to take place in … [Read more...]
New sculpture on Boca’s ex-IBM campus a symbol of art and science
Jutting up from the green grass with the blue sky and Marcel Breuer’s iconic IBM building as backdrop, Virginia artist Hubert Phipps’s monumental stainless steel sculpture, Rocket, brings a touch of majesty to the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC). The 30-foot sculpture is part of an Art in Public Places initiative facilitated by Irvin Lippman, executive director of the … [Read more...]
Mural of Black musical icons takes shape on West Palm street
By Sandra Schulman Miles Davis, Nina Simone, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, and Billie Holiday — several of these iconic artists performed in West Palm Beach’s Historic Northwest neighborhood, usually at the Sunset Lounge, which is now under restoration. Now the West Palm Beach Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and West Palm Beach Arts & Entertainment … [Read more...]
Norton’s all-woman exhibit sets the record straight
Bronze limbs shaped as rustic geometric figures form an abstract construction that is darkened and firm, primitive and totem-like. Gender doesn’t come into it, but if it did, assigning female to this sculpture would be unlikely. Certainly, a woman’s artwork is more organic, erratic, softer, and emotional. That erroneous assertion is still common, even if it’s now voiced … [Read more...]
Who gets to be a princess? Solo show at Boca Museum begs the question
“Once upon a time” meets “Off with their heads!” in the latest exhibition from Boca Raton Museum of Art, where tar-colored vintage ornaments, baroque motifs and headless perfume bottles make up for a twisted fairy tale. Witness me. Release me. I shouldn’t let you conquer me so sweetly. They are among the cryptic opening lines framing the romantic wall installations … [Read more...]
The World of Anna Sui: Star designer gets her own universe at Lauderdale museum
By Sandra Schulman Downtown New York City designer darling Anna Sui hit town at just the right time. Born in the suburbs of Detroit, Sui was drawn to New York’s cultural underground at an insanely creative time in the 1970s, where fashion, photography, art, music and design were all going out clubbing every night. She joined the party with her first collection in 1981, … [Read more...]
Glory of ancient Andean civilizations coming to Boca Museum in October
The great cultures of the Andes lasted for thousands of years high in the mountains of Peru before being brought down by Spanish invaders intent on conquest. It is a story that has been told many times to travelers who have visited the region, including Boca Raton Museum of Art director Irvin Lippman, who climbed to the ruins of the citadel of Machu Picchu in 1980 and found … [Read more...]
The art of the dazzle: Costume designer brings flair to Cornell exhibit
Costumes by award-winning costume designer Sean De Freitas are on display in the Cornell Art Museum in downtown Delray Beach, running through the summer. Filling two galleries with nine original and ornate costumes, this is an opportunity and respite from the year of COVID-19, says Cornell Art Museum director and curator Melanie Johanson. “His over-the-top designs bring … [Read more...]