New York, MoMA: “To See Takes Time”: Georgia O’Keeffe’s Series of Taking Time to See.. and More
USA_New York
MoMA, “To See Takes Time”: Georgia O’Keeffe’s Series of Taking Time to See.. and More
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York presents “Georgia O’Keeffe: To See Takes Time” through August 12.
Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986) is an American painter best known for her floral paintings, which are distinctive in composition and color. However, O’Keeffe’s subject matter and materials were not confined. For four decades, O’Keeffe created numerous series on paper using charcoal, pencil, watercolor, and pastel. The motifs in the series ranged from abstract rhythms to depictions of natural objects, and O’Keeffe repeated, developed, and changed them through repetition. With iteration, the initial motif moved between abstract and figurative.
The exhibition pays particular attention to the period between 1915 and 1918 as a time of groundbreaking experimentation of the artist. The 120 works in the exhibition showcase O’Keeffe’s experiments with thick lines, organic landscapes, nudes, and abstract charcoal drawings, foreshadowing the journey to her later works.
USA_Los Angeles
In MOCA Los Angeles, Techno DJ Carl Craig’s Sounds Summon Club Dance Floor to the Exhibition Space
The sounds of international techno DJ Carl Craig (b. 1969) fill MOCA Geffen (The Museum of Contemporary Art) in Los Angeles.
On view through July 23, “Carl Craig: Party/After-Party” features Craig’s immersive sound installations. Through sound, Craig transports visitors to a club night as experienced by a DJ. The exhibition space is divided by sound into three zones. As the audience moves through, they experience a phased progression that begins as the DJ works alone before the crowd arrives, builds to a climax as the party heats up, and then fades into the melancholy after-party atmosphere. The room’s beat changes every 30 minutes, sometimes producing a sound similar to the tinnitus Craig experiences.
The work, which evokes the collective ecstasy and desolation found only on club dance floors, was commissioned by the Dia Art Foundation, which supports experimental contemporary art and is set in MOCA Geffen’s sprawling space, former manufacturing plant and warehouse. In addition to the exhibition, there will be live performances by Moodymann, DJ Minx, and Erno on July 22.
USA_Costa Mesa
“Feels Like Home” at OCMA, California: 20th Century Portraitist Alice Neel’s Extended Family and Neighbors
The Orange County Museum of Art (OCMA) in Costa Mesa, California presents “Alice Neel: Feels Like Home” through October 22.
Alice Neel (1900-1984) was a pioneering 20th-century American figurative painter who became widely recognized as a portraitist after her 1974 retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Neel painted portraits of friends, family, neighbors, and a wide range of people in her village community. Neel once said that she does not paint a portrait, but rather a picture, revealing her passion for capturing the essence of her subjects without flattering them.
Neel painted portraits during all the historic events of 20th-century America. The Great Depression, the World Wars, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, the Women’s Rights Movement, and the Gay Rights Movement all had a direct or indirect impact on Neel’s work. After losing her family following the outbreak of war in the 1930s, Neel suffered a nervous breakdown. Upon her return to New York City, where she found an extended family and a sense of belonging, she painted the people of the city. The exhibition highlights Neel’s later work and explores the idea of extended family and the importance of belonging and community.
