ART News

The latest in contemporary American realism.

Mickalene Thomas traveling show

The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia hosts the first major international tour focused on the work of visionary African-American artist Mickalene Thomas, who creates elaborate, collage-inspired portraits with rhinestones, acrylic and enamel. Mickalene Thomas: All About Love celebrates Thomas’ distinct artistry through a selection of vivid paintings, collage, photography, video and site-specific installations from the late 2000s to present day. The exhibition will be on view at the Barnes Foundation through January 12, 2025, then moves to the Hayward Gallery in London from February 11 to May 5, and finally travels to Les Abattoirs, Musée–Frac Occitanie Toulouse in Toulouse, France, from June 13 to November 9.

Andrea Carlson, Anti-Retro, 2018, 19-layer screenprint on paper. Denver Art Museum: Native Arts acquisition funds, 2020.881. © Andrea Carlson, courtesy of the artist and Bockley Gallery.

100 Years of Indigenous Arts at DAM

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of its Indigenous Arts of North America collection in 2025, the Denver Art Museum is launching a year of programming, including solo exhibitions of leading contemporary Indigenous artists Kent Monkman and Andrea Carlson. The 100th anniversary programming will also include an 8,000-square-foot reinstallation of the museum’s permanent Indigenous Arts collection spaces and a scholarly convening reflecting on the last century of collecting, as well as a nod to the future of Indigenous art and the role of museums.

Lucas Foglia, Esme Swimming, Parkroyal on Pickering, Singapore, 2014, pigmented inkjet print. High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of Irene Zhou, 2020.152. ©Lucas Foglia.

New Vision

Beginning February 21, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia, is holding the exhibition Photography’s New Vision: Experiments in Seeing. Bringing together more than 100 works from the museum’s robust photography collection, the exhibition looks at the impact of the New Vision movement, from its origins in the 1920s to all way to present day. Included in the show are “century-old photographs exemplifying themes from the movement along with modern and contemporary images that emphasize how technological and cultural changes in the 20th century influence related photography practices today,” the museum notes. Photography’s New Vision will be on view through July 2025.

Suchitra Mattai, future perfect, 2023, embroidery floss, found objects, freshwater pearls and trim on vintage needlepoint, 25 x 19”. Collection of Julie and Bennett Roberts, Los Angeles; Courtesy of Roberts Projects; © Suchitra Mattai. Photo by Heather Rasmussen.

Suchitra Mattai solo show

Currently on view at the National Museum of Women in the Arts is a new solo exhibition of work by Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artist Suchitra Mattai. Running through January 12, 2025, Suchitra Mattai: Myth from Matter features around 40 mixed media works and large-scale textile installations that explore how memory, myth and visual culture can counter colonial and patriarchal narratives. The artist is known for creating layered textile art by combining richly colored saris, vintage needlepoints, book pages, jewelry, tinsel, bindis, beads and other found objects. This is Mattai’s first major solo museum exhibition on the East Coast and coincides with three other solo presentations taking place across the country.

Elizabeth Nourse (1859-1938), Head of a Girl, ca. 1882, oil on canvas mounted on academy board. Cincinnati Art Museum, Gift of Harley I. Procter, 1924.49. On view in Portraying Identity.

Art Bridges Launches Next Phase of CAM Cohort

Art Bridges Foundation is launching the next chapter of the Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM) cohort, marking the debut of three original exhibitions across university museums. After a period of collaborative research and development, these exhibitions will showcase an exciting blend of artworks from CAM’s permanent collection alongside pieces from the hosting museums. The first exhibition, Portraying Identity, is currently on view at the Denison Museum at Denison University in Granville, Ohio, and will continue through November. Next, the Kennedy Museum of Art at Ohio University will launch Pairings: CAM Paintings & KMA Prints on January 17, 2025, and the Art Museum of West Virginia University will present Radiant Pages: The Art of the Book on January 24, 2025.—