Collectors view artwork during the 2023 exhibition.

ARC Salon at Sotheby’s
Approximately 2,000 visitors attended the Art Renewal Center’s 16th International ARC Salon Exhibition held at Sotheby's flagship New York City location from July 14 to 24. The competition, which received over 5,400 entries from 75 countries, awarded over $130,000 in cash prizes and opportunities through partnerships with prestigious magazines, galleries, museums and more. As part of the exhibition, Sotheby’s hosted a benefit auction, 21st Century Realism, comprising 60 lots from the ARC Salon Competition. In total, $238,200 in art was sold. Entries for the 17th International ARC Salon Competition will be accepted March 1 through June 13, 2024.

Martin Adalian, Afternoon Garden, acrylic, oil and tar on canvas.

The Gaze II
JoAnne Artman Gallery hosts The Gaze II, an exhibition of portraits by Martin Adalian, running through September 30. Referring to the concept of the gaze within the confines of visual culture, the title and selected paintings explore how an audience perceives art’s depicted figures. Examining different strategies of the gaze, Adalian implicates the viewer by placing them in the position of both the observer and the observed. Viewers are coerced into different ways of seeing when they are confronted with direct gazes and personal spaces, walking that line between a sense of invasion and invitation. In addition, Adalian’s use of various mediums creates a multi-dimensional, multi-textual effect that adds a sense of motion and energy to his pieces.

Shepard Fairey, Jesse, silkscreen and mixed media collage on paper, 41 x 30”

Shepard Fairey at Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum
Headlining Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum’s fall season is acclaimed muralist and social activist Shepard Fairey, who is internationally renowned as one of the most influential street artists of our time. In addition, the line-up will feature installationist and celebrated female street artist Swoon, along with Arizona muralists Thomas “Breeze” Marcus and Douglas Miles. Rounding out the exhibitions is the invitational Just Cause, which will showcase other activist artists who are utilizing their art to civically engage in various contemporary social causes.

A view of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. Photo credit: Cameron Robinson.

NMWA undergoes major renovations
The National Museum of Women in the Arts’ landmark 1908 building, which stands as a beacon and flagship for women artists and advocates worldwide, will be reopening on October 21, following a top-to-bottom renovation and restoration. “We need an updated building to complement the groundbreaking work we do to champion women artists. The building’s first full renovation since 1987, the project will honor the structure’s history while improving its interior spaces, mechanical systems and exterior envelope,” the museum notes. Key improvements include an enlarged gallery space, a new destination for researchers and education programs, enhanced amenities and accessibility for visitors as well as infrastructure and storage upgrades to improve the long-term conservation and security of the museum’s collection of more than 5,500 works.

Alex Katz, Double Portrait with Frames, 1960, oil on Masonite. 20 x 31½”. Colby College Museum of Art, Gift of the artist, 1995.06.

Alex Katz: Repetitions
The Paul J. Schupf Wing for the Works of Alex Katz, within the Colby College Museum of Art, serves as a long-term home for the artwork of Alex Katz. The wing features a rotating selection of artworks from the museum’s collection of nearly 900 of the artist’s paintings, drawings, prints and sculptures, spanning his entire career. The exhibition Alex Katz: Repetitions will be available to view and explore all the way through March 29, 2026. —