Since we’re off from school for spring break, we’ve had time to catch up on a few exhibits at local museums…but not the big and famous, such as the Met or MoMA.
Here are a few of interest, and one we haven’t been to yet, but will!
Neue Galerie has an exhibit with a dual purpose: reproducing the infamous Nazi exhibit “Degenerate Art” of 1937, and commenting on its effects, both then and now. Also at the Galerie, which focuses on German and Austrian art of the last century, is an exhibition of posters from the Vienna Secession movement of the early 1900s, as well as works by its members. Both exhibits are up through June 30th.
The International Center of Photography has an exhibit featuring Robert Capa’s work in color photographs. Most of us have seen many of his black-and-white photographs from Spain and World War II; his use of color, starting in 1941, (and his struggle with the quality and processing of the new film) are the focus of this exhibit. Hurry…this one ends May 4.
You don’t have to hurry—this one will be up for the next 3 years—but there’s no reason to hesitate; the Brooklyn Historical Society has an excellent interactive exhibit (designed for both the public and school groups) on slavery and the abolition movement in Brooklyn. Using words and artifacts of local participants on both sides of the issue, it also explores Brooklyn’s economic ties to slavery even after it was abolished in the north.
The one we haven’t seen yet, but definitely will, is at the Museum of the City of New York. Palaces for the People: Guastavino and the Art of Structural Tile. It’s on until Sept. 7th. There’s also an exhibit on graffiti in the city; check your prejudices at the door…
And my next-door neighbor, the Brooklyn Museum, is hosting Witness: Art and Civil Rights until July 16. The exhibit looks at how the Civil Rights movement influenced and was influenced by artists, including artist/participants. Striking, thought-provoking—and you’ll learn something few people know about Norman Rockwell.
