Art News

An inside look at events and happenings in the contemporary art world.

An example of how color is perceived for those with full color vision (left) and limited color (right). Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg (MFA).Accessible Art Viewing
The Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg (MFA) in St. Petersburg, Florida, has partnered with EnChroma to create a more accessible art viewing experience for the nearly 350 million people worldwide who experience color blindness. EnChroma creates glasses for people with color blindness, which has been available to all MFA visitors since March 2021, allowing people to see a fuller range of the color spectrum, especially meaningful when viewing works of art. This past fall, MFA highlighted this technology during a community event promoting Color Blindness Awareness Month. EnChroma glasses at the museum are available in adult and children’s sizes, as well as in fit-over glasses for those who also wear prescription lenses.

+++

Yvette Mayorga in her studio. Photo by Kevin Penczak.Immersive Spaces
Contemporary art space The Momentary, in Bentonville, Arkansas, is currently holding two solo exhibitions and immersive installations in which visitors can “explore the nostalgia of the ‘90s in frosted hot pink, traverse through time and space to Haitian ruins, and immerse themselves in a pulsating audio labyrinth.” Yvette Mayorga combines images of family, found objects, ‘90s nostalgia and moments of Midwest life in her show titled Yvette Mayorga: What a Time to be, on view through May 21. And Firelei Báez presents her largest sculptural installation yet during her self-titled solo show, on view until March 26.

+++

A conceptual rendering of a new interactive gallery in BMA’s Joseph Education Center. Courtesy Quinn Evans.BMA renovation
A major renovation and reconceptualization is taking place at the Baltimore Museum of Art in its Joseph Education Center. The renovation introduces more opportunities for dynamic, hands-on engagement, including the creation of a larger interactive gallery within the 5,625 square-foot center that features new site-specific installations encouraging direct visitor immersion. Other elements of the renovation include developing classrooms that expand available space for art-making and further foster the growth of arts and culture within the community. The new Joseph Education Center will reopen in fall 2023.

+++

Painter Philip Pearlstein in his studio in Manhattan on May 16, 2002. Photo credit: Sara Krulwich/The New York Times.

Philip Pearlstein passes away
Famous for his modernist realist nudes, American painter Philip Martin Pearlstein died in New York City on Saturday, December 17. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1924, Pearlstein lived a robustly creative life, painting exactly what was in front of him. He was a preeminent figure painter of the 1960s to 2000s and has been cited by critics as leading a major revival in realist art. His work has been exhibited in several solo exhibitions throughout the United States with paintings in the collections of over 70 public art museums. Pearlstein was 98 years old at the time of his passing. —