WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Clark Art Institute presents the first exhibition in the United States to consider how the noted Norwegian artist Edvard Munch (1863–1944) employed nature to convey meaning in his art. Munch is regarded primarily as a figure painter, and his most celebrated images, including his iconic The Scream, are connected to themes of love, anxiety, longing and death, yet landscape plays an essential role in a large portion of Munch’s work. Edvard Munch: Trembling Earth considers this important but less-explored aspect of the artist’s career. The Clark is the sole U.S. venue for the exhibition, which is on view through October 15. Organized in collaboration with the Museum Barberini in Potsdam, Germany and the Munch Museum (MUNCH) in Oslo, Norway, the exhibition is presented in Potsdam from November 18–April 1, 2024, and in Oslo from April 27–August 24, 2024.
Elias Howe patent document sells for 100x estimate at Devin Moisan
EPPING, N.H. – A 19th-century document referencing Elias Howe Jr.’s patent for the first modern sewing machine sold for more than 100 times its estimate at Devin Moisan Auctioneers, Inc. on July 15-16. Estimated at just $100-$150, the folded and torn manuscript agreement between Howe and school friend George Fisher brought $12,500. Absentee and Internet live bidding was facilitated through LiveAuctioneers.
Contemporary art with card-playing theme on view through Sept. 30 in Newport
NEWPORT, R.I. – Games, Gamblers & Cartomancers: The New Cardsharps, on view at the Vernon House until September 30, brings together 17 contemporary artists who have revisited the art-historical trope of card play.
June Schwarcz: Unconventional Enamels on view at SFO Museum
SAN FRANCISCO – From now until May 5, 2024, the SFO Museum is exhibiting June Schwarcz: Unconventional Enamels, a show of works by the groundbreaking artist. For more than 60 years, Schwarcz (1918-2015) made enameled art that pushed the boundaries of her craft. Inspired by nature and fashion, and also abstract, African and Asian art, Schwarcz developed unique metalworking techniques, always experimenting and embracing complex technical challenges. She initially worked with copper panels and spun-copper bowls, infusing them with her own interpretation of traditional enameling. During the 1960s, Schwarcz pioneered electroforming, an innovative method that involved electroplating pieces made from thin copper foil. She focused on sculptural vessels and when asked about her abstract forms, she explained, “they simply don’t hold water.”
Imperial Hotel, Frank Lloyd Wright Trust mark centennial of architect’s famed Tokyo design
TOKYO and CHICAGO – On July 18, Imperial Hotel, Ltd. and the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust celebrated the 100th anniversary of Wright’s 1923 Imperial Hotel, Tokyo with a private dedication of cherry trees planted in the courtyard of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Frederick C. Robie House in Chicago, a UNESCO World Heritage site. An inscription plaque reads: “These cherry trees celebrate 100 years of our shared cultural heritage. The Wright Imperial Hotel Centennial 1923-2023. Imperial Hotel, Ltd., Tokyo, Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, Chicago.”
Whitney explores Ruth Asawa’s creative process through her drawings
NEW YORK — Ruth Asawa Through Line, opening at the Whitney Museum of American Art on September 16 and closing in January 2024, spotlights the work of groundbreaking artist Ruth Asawa (1926-2013). Known broadly for her rhythmic looped-wire sculptures, Asawa dedicated herself to daily drawing exercises, which served as the connective tissue ― or through line ― of her creative process and fueled her commitment to art. Through drawing, Asawa explored her surroundings and turned everyday encounters into moments of profound beauty, endowing ordinary objects with new aesthetic possibilities.
Swan Lake and salt lake unite in Brad Walls’ new aerial photo series
NEW YORK – The New York City Ballet and award-winning fine art aerial photographer Brad Walls have collaborated to produce a unique photographic series from above. Staged on the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah in September 2022, the photoshoot was conducted solely from the air and involved Sasonah Huttenbach, a member of the New York City Ballet’s Corps de Ballet.
Mickalene Thomas small portraits show opens Sept. 8 at Yale gallery
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The Yale University Art Gallery will present Mickalene Thomas / Portrait of an Unlikely Space from September 8 through January 7, 2024. Co-organized by the renowned artist Mickalene Thomas (b. 1971-, M.F.A. 2002) and Keely Orgeman, the gallery’s Seymour H. Knox, Jr., associate curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, the project is the first historical-contemporary exhibition of its kind, bringing together a group of small-scale portraits — from miniatures and daguerreotypes to silhouettes on paper and engravings in books — of African American women, men, and children from the pre-Emancipation era. These are placed alongside works in a wide range of media by contemporary artists, including Thomas, who are engaged with similarly intimate subject matter.
Who let the dogs out? Shelburne exhibition collars art of Stephen Huneck
SHELBURNE, Vt. – Pet Friendly: The Art of Stephen Huneck, on view at the Shelburne Museum through October 22, celebrates the diverse multimedia work of Stephen Huneck (1948–2010), one of New England’s best-known and most celebrated artists.
Guggenheim’s iconic skylight named for Lawson-Johnston family
NEW YORK — The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, announces the naming of its iconic Frank Lloyd Wright-designed skylight in recognition of a major gift by the Lawson-Johnston family, which will benefit the museum’s general operations. The Lawson-Johnston Family Oculus honors the family’s significant contribution to the museum’s leadership. Peter Lawson-Johnston, the grandson of Solomon R. Guggenheim, has served on the foundation’s Board of Trustees for more than 50 years and is a past chairman. Two of his children, Peter Lawson-Johnston II and Wendy L-J. McNeil, are current members of the board, and his daughter, Mimi Lawson-Johnston Howe, is president of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection Advisory Board.