In a time calling for simplicity and scaling back, portraits of the complete opposite score well. Only hours into their first day at the Flagler Museum, freshly hanged paintings of European and American extravagant interiors already were having an impact. The first visitors found them gorgeous, informative; even inspirational. Impressions of Interiors: Gilded Age Paintings … [Read more...]
Painter takes intimate look at the face of Wall Street
Men in dark suits and ties are seen voraciously tackling the phone, their blurry faces fixed on the screens higher up and on their desks. They wear watches, glasses and sport thinning hair. This used to be the image of a respectable man. An exhibition of paintings by Ben Aronson, currently running until Feb. 10 at the Ann Norton Scuplture Gardens, may not be the hottest show … [Read more...]
Homegrown Impressionists make for striking Four Arts show
Gone is the perfectly white snow. Instead, a tint of light green, pink, violet and blue break up the monotonous purity. Sloppy features, cutoff figures and messy sceneries replace the refined finish and safe realism. Impressionism entered the French scene in the 1870s and got everyone obsessed with light and color. Before it, you could say painting was like a controlled … [Read more...]
Exhibit makes persuasive case for video games as art
Something has happened to the Boca Raton Museum of Art. Its latest exhibit is making it look, in one word, cool. Old and new game systems, vivid graphics, game tactics, music scores and creative storylines are all showcased in the dynamic and highly interactive show The Art of Video Games. The Boca Raton museum is the first in the nation to host the exhibit, which will tour … [Read more...]
Rudin show offers glimpses of five rising photo stars
Sometimes not having made it pays off. Just ask the five photographers currently showing their work at the Norton Museum of Art and competing for a $20,000 award. They are the finalists of a new international photography competition the museum is hoping to turn into a new tradition called the Rudin Prize for Emerging Photographers, for which one of the requirements is to … [Read more...]
Juried show easy to like, not so easy to remember
The underappreciated local artist ought to thank the Boca Raton Museum of Art for the 61st time. That’s how many times the museum has opened its doors to emerging talent through its annual All-Florida Juried Competition and Exhibition, the state’s oldest such exhibit. The good news is there are plenty of artists in Florida. This year’s juror, Valerie Cassel Oliver, senior … [Read more...]
Silence helps abstract masterworks reveal themselves
No matter what museum in the world one visits, there is always a crowd and with it comes murmuring. The museum experience then becomes like watching a movie with the director’s commentary on. Some weeks ago something highly unusual happened. I found myself alone with three creations by two American masters of painting: Clyfford Still and Joan Mitchell. The miracle took … [Read more...]
Barnet exhibit shows artist quietly going his own way
Forget garlic: When it comes to art, passion and honesty will get you far or, at least, get you to live forever. In case you have any doubts, the Boca Raton Museum of Art is currently offering a large dose of pieces by an artist who has always been far from extravagant and is now about to turn 101 years old. Will Barnet at 100: Eight Decades of Painting and Printmaking is … [Read more...]
Intricate, intimate metal sculptures evoke artist’s past
Memories in Mariko Kusumoto’s head do not need to fear a slow, eroding death. Think of them like waves, retreating, seemingly forgotten, and later hitting the shore bigger and stronger, darker as well. A unique and very personal show based on Kusumoto’s memories of Japan is currently on display at the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens until May 6. Mariko Kusumoto: … [Read more...]
Now in 21st year, Broward Center targets educational efforts
A performance calendar, online ticketing and membership options are musts on the website of any performing art center, but not all have a tab marked “Education.” And of those, few play the educator role as aggressively as the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. A student discussing Charles Dickens in class will go on to watch A Christmas Carol live on stage and return to … [Read more...]