Vanessa Campello Strasser

More charcoal on broken unfired Bisque... this is my firstborn Vanessa Campello Strasser...

Vanessa Campello Strasser

Elise Tarasova

More charcoal and conte with a little color pencils on unfired Bisque... this is my second born: Elise Tarasova nee Campello... about 3 inches by 3 inches...

Boot camp for artists scheduled!

Boot Camp for Artists

Saturday, November 2nd, 10am-4pm , in the John Addison Concert Hall of Harmony Hall

Harmony Hall Arts Center presents Mr. Lenny Campello’s seminar, “The Artists’ Boot Camp”, open to all Prince George’s County artists, 16 and up.  Mr. Campello is the Greater Washington D.C. area’s pre-eminent art dealer, critic, consultant and blogger as well as artist. He designed his seminar to deliver information, data and proven tactics to artists, and to allow them to develop and sustain a career in the fine arts. Some of the topics that he will cover are, creating a resume, creating a body of work, selling your art, juried shows and news releases, just to name a few. 

The seminar is free and lunch is included. Seating is limited so please call 301.446.3251 or email stuart.diekmeyer@pgparks.com to register and provide lunch preference.

Deadline is by 5pm, October 25th, but this seminar usually books very quickly, so I'd recommend that you RSVP as soon as possible!

Harmony Hall
10701 Livingston Road 
Fort Washington, MD 20744

Solo show coming up in July!

I have a big announcement to make: I have a solo show coming up this July - more details later... but meanwhile, here are a couple of graphite drawings on broken, unfired Bisque... the subject is Little Junes...

Boot Camp for Artists Scheduled!

The Artists’ Boot Camp

Saturday, November 2nd, 10am-4pm , in the John Addison Concert Hall of Harmony Hall

Harmony Hall Arts Center presents Mr. Lenny Campello’s seminar, “The Artists’ Boot Camp”, open to all Prince George’s County artists, 16 and up.  Mr. Campello is the Greater Washington D.C. area’s pre-eminent art dealer, critic, consultant and blogger as well as artist. He designed his seminar to deliver information, data and proven tactics to artists, and to allow them to develop and sustain a career in the fine arts. Some of the topics that he will cover are, creating a resume, creating a body of work, selling your art, juried shows and news releases, just to name a few. 

The seminar is free and lunch is included. Seating is limited so please call 301.446.3251 or email stuart.diekmeyer@pgparks.com to register and provide lunch preference.

Deadline is by 5pm, October 25th, but this seminar usually books very quickly, so I'd recommend that you RSVP as soon as possible!

Harmony Hall
10701 Livingston Road 
Fort Washington, MD 20744

Lecture: On Identity in the Arts: What Does It Mean to be Latinx?

Lecture: On Identity in the Arts: What Does It Mean to be Latinx?

Montpelier Art Center

9652 Muirkirk Rd

Laurel, MD 20708

Saturday, September 14, 2pm.

I will be delving deep into the history and evolution of the Latino ethnic label and then discussing important questions on the issue while wrapping it around the context of the fine arts in a sometimes funny, but always informative presentation. 

Lecture is free and open to the public.

A hidden Cupid in one of Vermeer’s most famous paintings?

Say whaaaaat?

From Artsy:

Johannes Vermeer’s Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window (1657–59) was recently undergoing restoration when conservators made a groundbreaking revelation. Forty years ago, X-rays had discovered an earlier version of the painting was dominated by a large image of Cupid that comes in the form of a painting within the painting. It was assumed that Vermeer himself had painted over the figure before the work was finished.

Read the whole fascinating article here... 

Don't miss this panel next week! Free!

Should art offend? Does it matter if people are offended? Should offensive art be displayed? Should it be censored? Who decides what is offensive or appropriate? Join us to hear a discussion of these questions and more.

A discussion panel featuring Philip Kennicott, Chief Art and Architecture Critic, the Washington Post; Janis Goodman, Panelist, WETA Around Town, Associate Professor of Fine Arts, Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, George Washington University; Lenny Campello, Author, Daily Campello Art News; and Jason Kuznicki, Research Fellow, Cato Institute and Editor, Cato Books; moderated by Caleb O. Brown, Cato Daily Podcast host, Director of Multimedia, Cato Institute.

REGISTER HERE

May 22, 2019 
6:30PM to 8:00PM EDT

Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20001-5403

Phone (202) 842 0200

And then this show up in a consignment shop

Follow this link... cough, cough...

Scroll down till you see this work...

Call for proposals

Deadline: July 1, 2019

The Rosemary Duffy Larson Gallery of Broward College is currently seeking proposals for the 2020-2021 exhibition season. 

Group exhibitions and curatorial proposals are welcomed, as well as solo exhibition proposals. 

Please submit the following materials to the email address below: 

1) Resume or CV (include artist website address if available). 
2) Detailed proposal of the exhibition.
 3) Artist statement.
 4) Artwork samples, using the following specifications: a) 15-20 digital images (JPEG) - 72 dpi, 1024 x 768 pixel maximum. 
b) Up to 5 minutes of time-based work with a description of no more than one page in digital format contextualizing the work. 
5) Image list (including title, medium, dimensions or duration, and date). 
6) Indicate if you are interested in being included in a group exhibition if you are not chosen for a solo exhibition. 

Please email the submission to Angel Clyman – Gallery Director: rosemaryduffylarsongallery@gmail.com

More information can be found at: http://www.browardvpa.com/call-for-proposals/  

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival is this weekend!

This weekend! May 11 and 12!

Delight in fine art created by 130 of the nation's best artists, live entertainment and Bethesda restaurants. Located in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle, along Norfolk, Auburn and Del Ray Avenues. Festival hours are Saturday, May 11 from 10 - 6pm and Sunday, May 12 from 10am - 5pm. Loads of parking garages right on top of the show!

Admission to the festival is FREE and free parking is available in the public parking garage on Auburn Avenue. This event is held rain or shine.

You can see all the artists here.  My faves from that group are:

By Teresa Haag

Zhiyi Li from Enfield, CT in Booth #83

Teresa Haag from Phoenixville, PA in Booth #51 

Cassie Taggart from Rehoboth, DE in Booth #55

Loretta Petraitis from Saint Petersburg, FL in Booth #99

Both printmakers in the show (Edward Bordett from Fincastle, VA in Booth #108 and Joseph Craig English from Washington Grove, MD in Booth #104 ) are absolute masters of the art, and easily one of the best deals in contemporary art on the planet.

By Cassie Taggart

The Bethesda Fine Arts Festival features live entertainment! Some of the region's best bands will be featured on the stage this year. Make sure you stop by to hear live rock, jazz, reggae, Latin music and more!

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival restaurants will be on Norfolk Avenue next to the stage. Drop by during the festival for sliders, sushi, barbecue, Indian cuisine, ice cream, beer, wine and more!

Best in show? Cassie Taggart from Rehoboth, DE in Booth #55 - go buy one of her amazing paintings!

15th Annual Gateway Open Studio Tour this weekend!

Join us for the 15th Annual Gateway Open Studio Tour!

Saturday, May 11th
11 am - 5 pm

Explore the largest concentration of artist studios in the in the region! The Gateway Arts District (comprised of Mount Rainier, Brentwood, North Brentwood, and Hyattsville ) is a hotbed of artistic energy, and May 11th is a great time to check it out in a self-guided tour! 

Over 200 artists will be open to the public on the same day and the same time. This one-day, FREE event gives you behind-the-scenes access to the creatives and their work spaces in this exciting cluster of artists and organizations just over the DC line.

More details, a map, and artist links at GatewayOpenStudios.org. 

PS: After the tour, join the artists for an after party held at the NEW culinary arts incubator, Savor at Studio 3807!

NUE Magazine

My article in NUE Magazine on a couple of NYC art fairs is up... check it out here.

Finalists for the Bethesda Painting Awards announced

BETHESDA PAINTING AWARDS FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

 $10,000 to be Awarded to Best in Show

Eight painters have been selected as finalists for the Bethesda Painting Awards, a juried competition and exhibition produced by the Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District. Nearly 300 artists from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. submitted work to the 15th annual competition created to exclusively honor regional painters. The work of the eight finalists will be on display at Gallery B from June 5-29, 2019.

The top prize winners will be announced and honored on Wednesday, June 5th at a private reception held at Gallery B, 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E. The Best in Show winner will be awarded $10,000, second place will be honored with $2,000 and third place will be awarded $1,000.

The artists selected as finalists are:

• Mary Anne Arntzen, Baltimore, MD
• Taha Heydari, Baltimore, MD
• Lillian Bayley Hoover, Baltimore, MD
• Gina Gwen Palacios, Baltimore, MD
• Erin Raedeke, Montgomery Village, MD
• W.C. Richardson, University Park, MD
• Nicole Santiago, Williamsburg, VA
• McKinley Wallace III, Baltimore, MD

A public opening will be held on Friday, June 14th from 6-8pm. Gallery B is located at 7700 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite E in downtown Bethesda. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 12-6pm.

The competition’s jurors are Kyle Hackett, Professor of Studio Art, American University, and the 2014 Bethesda Painting Awards Winner; Sue Johnson, Professor of Art, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, and Susan Zurbrigg, Painting and Drawing Area Head, Professor of Art, James Madison University.

Based on what I've seen so far, and essentially based on this gorgeous painting, my fave so far is Nicole Santiago...

The Bethesda Painting Awards was established by local business owner Carol Trawick in 2005. Ms. Trawick has served as a community activist for more than 25 years in downtown Bethesda and established The Jim and Carol Trawick Foundation in 2007. She is the former Chair of the Maryland State Arts Council, Strathmore, Bethesda Arts & Entertainment District, Bethesda Urban Partnership, Inc. and founder of The Trawick Prize: Bethesda Contemporary Art Awards.

Previous Best in Show winners include:

Carolyn Case, Cockeysville, MD (2018); Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann, Washington, D.C. (2017); Tanja Softic, Richmond, VA (2016); Bill Schmidt, Baltimore, MD (2015); Kyle Hackett, Baltimore, MD (2014); Barry Nemett, Stevenson, MD (2013);  Ali Miller, Baltimore, MD (2012); Alison Hall, Roanoke, VA (2011); Nora Sturges, Baltimore, MD (2010); Camilo Sanin, Jessup, MD (2009) B.G. Muhn, North Potomac, MD (2008) Matthew Klos, Baltimore, MD (2007) Tony Shore, Baltimore, MD (2006); Joe Kabriel, Annapolis, MD (2005).

Morris Graves Museum of Art Call for Proposals

Deadline: December 31, 2019

EXHIBITION PROPOSAL GUIDELINES: An Exhibition Selection Committee meets once a year to review the proposals that have been received and which adhere to the evaluation criteria and artist responsibilities outlined below.  The committee will review proposals for the 2020 and 2021 exhibition calendars. 

PROPOSAL EVALUATION:  The Exhibition Selection Committee will evaluate exhibition proposals from artists or groups of artists based on the following criteria: 

1. Diversity: The proposal is a reflection of current multicultural and diverse art and art-making strategies that exist today. 2. Professionalism:  The artist(s) are professionals whose resume reflects exhibitions and other professional activities on a regional, national or international level. 3. Innovation: The proposal makes innovative use of concepts, materials, themes and space. 4. Community Engagement: Special consideration will be given to proposals that promote community engagement through interactive or educational activities associated with the exhibition. 5. Contemporary and Historical Relevance: The proposal demonstrates an awareness of contemporary and historical art movements and challenges an audience’s perception of "What is art?". 

Please visit www.humboldtarts.org for more information on submitting exhibition proposals. 

Questions? Please contact Jemima Harr, jemima@humboldtarts.org  

Art Scam Alert!

Beware of this mutant trying to rip off artists!

From: Lucas David beew73822@gmail.com

Subject:  Order Inquiry

Good day,

My name is Lucas David,I am a reseller in Bermuda (Lucas Store Ent Ltd) I sell to end users only. I have a shipping agent that can handle the pick up down to me here. I will be paying with my credit card and I will need to know the delivery time. Please let me know if I can make a purchase from your company.

Kindly get back to me asap.

WPA Gala Night Auction

I attended the Washington Project for the Arts Gala Night Auction yesterday and was happy to run into several old buds, including megacollectors like Joannie Webber and Doctor Fred, as well as good  ole buds DC area artists Gerardo Camargo, Amber Robles-Gordon, M. Jane Johnson, Baltimorean Greg Minah, and others - and I finally got to meet Lori Anne Boocks!

There seem to be a lot of decent bids on many of the works (including both of my pieces - thank you whoever ended up with them).

The Rampant Lilith (Suddenly She Wasn't Afraid Any Longer)

This year’s art was selected by both open call and invitation. 400 artists submitted more than 1,600 works of art to the open call, and of these, about 20% were selected. The submissions were reviewed by a committee of art professionals who made recommendations to the WPA staff. The majority of artists participating were identified through this process. An additional dozen or so were invited by WPA’s staff.

Ebtisam Abdulaziz, Kristin Adair, Farnoosh Ahmadi Shirazi, Sondra N. Arkin, Eames Armstrong, Mary Anne Arntzen, Selin Balci, David Barr, Kyle J. Bauer, Mary Baum, Erick Antonio Benitez, Julia Bloom, Chris Bohner, Lori Anne Boocks, Michael A. Booker, Anthony J. Bowers, Nakeya Brown, Gerardo Camargo, Florencio Lennox Campello, David Carlson, Hsin-Hsi Chen, Larry Cook, Kyrae Dawaun Cowan, Markele Cullins, Frank Hallam Day, John Deardourff, Monique Muse Dodd, Alexis Duque, Alex Ebstein, Pam Eichner, Edgar Endress, Nico Fertakis, Amy Finkelstein, Lloyd Foster, Stephen Hendee, Jessica Hopkins, Timothy J. Horjus, Michael Horsley, Erik Hougen, James Huckenpahler, Sarah Hull, Nate Larson, Magnolia Laurie, Khanh H. Le, Andrea Limauro, Kim Llerena, Timothy Makepeace, Tsedaye Makonnen, Jon Malis, Katherine Tzu-Lan Mann, Antonio McAfee, Nat Meade, Veronica Melendez, Linn Meyers, Maggie Michael, Greg Minah, Tyra Mitchell, Goitseone Bothale Moerane, Jonathan Monaghan, Ali Newhard, Lee Nowell-Wilson, Christos J. Palios, PLAKOOKEE, Rodrigo Pradel, Amber Robles-Gordon, Kate Sable, Nicole Marie Salimbene, Kim Sandara, Josh Sender, Joseph Shetler, Alexandra Silverthorne, Dafna Steinberg, Dan Steinhilber, Mark Stockton, Cindy Stockton Moore, Monica Stroik, Martin Swift, Rob Tarbell, Trish Tillman, Richard Tuttle, Julie Wills, Jordann Wine, Ellen Xu, and Helen Zughaib.

My faves in the show included Rodrigo Pradrel's realistic paintings of buildings with parts of them exploding? or disintegrating? On his website, "Apparition" is simply spectacular!

Arrival by Rodrigo Pradel - Oil on wood, 14 x 20 inches

The gorgeous drawings by Mark Thomas Stockton were also in the top of the food chain category - this Philadelphian can draw! 

His presentation is also gorgeous, although (since the drawings are not under glass) I would never show them without protection from flying art destroyers such as flies, red wine, etc. 

In a group show he would have won Best in Show from me. His superb portrait of 1960s Communist icon and Castro-apologist Angela Davis is simply breath-taking.

Angela Davis by Mark Stockton

My wife liked the intricate ink skull drawings by Alexis Duque and a quirky piece by Nat Meade, as well as the Latino-influenced works by Veronica Melendez, which reminded me a little ( a lot?) of the works of Ric Garcia.

"Last Meal" by Nat Meade

We also liked the very unique work by Selin Balci - This artist (like Michele Banks) is a visual artist and biologist who creates artwork by using Petri dishes filled with mold, fungus, and other gross living things to create unique pieces of art.

The Water King

Just found this old watercolor which I did back in 1975 of one of the sailors in my ship (USS Saratoga CV-60) - as I recall his name was Schneider? He was the ship's water king.  The water king is the ship's sailor responsible for monitoring the production, storage, and use of potable and feed water.

These "cracker jacks" uniforms were on their way out, as the Navy made the disastrous decision to uniform all sailors in "officer" uniforms. The cracker jacks came back in the mid 80s as the Navy returned to their traditional uniforms.

This watercolor is up for auction here.

The Water King (USS Saratoga) by F. Lennox Campello, c. 1975

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival

May 11 and 12!

Delight in fine art created by 130 of the nation's best artists, live entertainment and Bethesda restaurants. Located in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle, along Norfolk, Auburn & Del Ray Avenues. Festival hours are Saturday, May 11 from 10 - 6pm and Sunday, May 12 from 10am - 5pm.

Admission to the festival is FREE and free parking is available in the public parking garage on Auburn Avenue. This event is held rain or shine.

The Bethesda Fine Arts Festival features live entertainment! Some of the region's best bands will be featured on the stage this year. Make sure you stop by to hear live rock, jazz, reggae, Latin music and more!

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival restaurants will be on Norfolk Avenue next to the stage. Drop by during the festival for sliders, sushi, barbecue, Indian cuisine, ice cream, beer & wine and more!

Hassids

This just showed up on the secondary market at auction!

Hassids: Generations by F. Lennox Campello - Charcoal and Conte on paper, circa 1996

As I recall, this sold at a 1996 show at the Art League in Alexandria!

Should art offend?

Should art offend? Does it matter if people are offended? Should offensive art be displayed? Should it be censored? Who decides what is offensive or appropriate? Join us to hear a discussion of these questions and more.

A discussion panel featuring Philip Kennicott, Chief Art and Architecture Critic, the Washington Post; Janis Goodman, Panelist, WETA Around Town, Associate Professor of Fine Arts, Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, George Washington University; Lenny Campello, Author, Daily Campello Art News; and Jason Kuznicki, Research Fellow, Cato Institute and Editor, Cato Books; moderated by Caleb O. Brown, Cato Daily Podcast host, Director of Multimedia, Cato Institute.

REGISTER HERE

May 22, 2019 
6:30PM to 8:00PM EDT

Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20001-5403

Phone (202) 842 0200

Lyrical Flight Sunday at Athenaeum

Lyrical Flight now open, has an artist talk on May 12, 4-6pm at The Athenaeum Gallery, 201 Prince Street, Alexandria VA 22314.

If the below installation photos are any indications of the impact of this show - expect a really amazing show by Barbara Januszkiewicz now in Alexandria.

The Athenaeum Gallery

Lyrical Flight | Barbara Januszkiewicz 

Artist Reception: Sunday, May 12, 4 - 6 pm

Artist Celebrating Earth Day with using Eco Friendly Materials.

Exhibits run from: April 18 – June 2, 2019

201 Prince Street, Alexandria VA 22314


www.nvfaa.org

"Organic" opens May 1st!

ORGANIC |  Anne Marchand & Nancy Frankel

Exhibition: May 1 - August 17, 2019

OPENING RECEPTION: MAY 1, 5-8PM

Eleven Eleven Sculpture Space  | 1111 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 202.783.2963  |  www.zenithgallery.com

Details here.

How Anti-Money Laundering Legislation Could Impact the Art Market

A resolution in the United States Congress suggests that galleries and auction houses could soon be subject to strict reporting requirements about their customers amid a global push for greater transparency in art transactions. While these requirements could have significant benefits in terms of helping to curtail money laundering by bringing greater oversight to an often opaque art market, the law could also burden dealers and auction houses with onerous administrative and reporting duties that will be especially challenging for smaller and mid-size galleries.

Details here. 

New Gallery in DC: Von Ammon Co

Also in Georgetown, there’s a tiny slip of a street called Cady’s Alley, which in the first days of April welcomed a completely different kind of local establishment: Von Ammon Co, a contemporary art space started by Todd von Ammon, a former director at the influential New York outfit Team Gallery in SoHo.

Read the Artsy article by Nate Freeman here. 

Art Scam Alert!

Beware of this art scammer:

From: Ethan Meyer meyerethan886@gmail.com

Subject: PIECE SUGGESTION FOR MY FAST APPROACHING ANNIVERSARY.

 Hi there,

         I am Ethan from Richmond Indiana. thoughts of the best anniversary gift of the century to my wife has been roaming my mind for a while now. i figured out later that my wife spends noticeable time on viewing artworks from your page on my laptop and i can easily guess she likes your work, which i found quite impressive and intriguing too. I must admit your doing quite an impressive job. You are undoubtedly good at what you do. 

      With that being said, I would like to purchase some of your works as a surprise gift to my wife in honor of our upcoming wedding anniversary. It would be of help if you could send some pictures of your piece of works, with their respective prices and sizes, which are ready for immediate (or close to immediate) sales. My budget for this should be anything that falls under $8000, and if i have to pay more, there should be a reason in terms of worth and value. Your works are impeccable anyways.  .

      I look forward to reading from you in a view to knowing more about your pieces of inventory. As a matter of importance, I would also like to know if you accept check as a means of payment

Regards,

        Ethan.

DC Arts Forum—a call to action for the arts

The DC Arts Forum is a grassroots initiative for the arts community to address the current state of the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities — and to meaningfully engage independent artists and small organizations in shaping the future of the arts in DC.

From the WPADC:

Hi all,

If you are an artist who cares about arts funding in city, Monday's DC Arts Forum at Eaton Workshop is an opportunity to get up to speed on the proposed changes to the Commission of the Arts & Humanities (CAH) and the Mayor's plans to cut arts grant funding by $7-8M next year. Concerned arts commissioners will be present to answer your questions, as will other cultural activists. 

This Forum is one of several efforts right now to combat the erosion of CAH's independence, authority, and grant funds. Of them all, it is the one most tailored to small organizations and artists, and the one most invested in equity and diversity. The organizers are looking for a strong turn-out. As of yesterday, 100 people had signed up to attend. They would like many more. Please circulate this to people whom you think would want to attend.

Thank you,

Peter

CLICK HERE TO RSVP AND DETAILS

Mon. Apr. 29, 
7:00pm EDT 
Eaton Hotel & Workshop 
1201 K St NW Washington DC  

Save the Date | Senior Thesis Exhibition

Gormley Gallery - Notre Dame of Maryland University 

Featuring Sabine Hern-Nagle, Esther C. Jones, Caroline O'Donnell, and Nia Willis

Artists' Reception
Monday, May 6, 2019
4:30 to 6:30pm
Kappa Pi Art Honor Society Induction Ceremony at 5:30pm

Exhibition on view May 6 through May 19, 2019

The Senior Thesis Exhibition showcases the work of Sabine Hern-Nagle, Esther C. Jones, Caroline O’Donnell, and Nia Willis, four seniors graduating from the Art department. Works include oil paintings, works on paper, illustrations, mixed media pieces, and an art history thesis. The students are working with concepts such as myths and fables, power and the human form, the intersection of psychology and art, and the reclamation of the gaze.

Gormley Gallery is located on the second floor of Fourier Hall on the campus of Notre Dame of Maryland University
4701 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21210

Call for art

ENTRY DEADLINE: April 26, 2019

Reminder, deadline to enter the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County and the Montgomery County Public Arts Trust's Contemporary Works on Paper Collection call for art is tomorrow, April 26th, 11:59 pm. Be sure to submit on time! 

This juried call seeks to purchase original and unframed two-dimensional works of art that are contemporary and modern in style by visual artists located in Montgomery County and the Greater Washington area.

Artwork in the collection will be owned by Montgomery County under the county’s Public Arts Trust program and loaned to county agencies for exhibition in public buildings.

DETAILS HERE

IMPORTANT DETAILS: 
Submission Deadline: April 26, 2019
No Entry Fee
Required Materials: 
 - Artist Statement
 - Artist Resume
 - List of Artworks
 - Images

ELIGIBILITY:
This Call for Art is open to artists residing in Montgomery County, MD and the Greater Washington Area.

All work must be original and unframed two-dimensional works that are contemporary and modern in style. 

Lida Moser in New York

Neel / Picasso 
April 30 - July 20, 2019
Opening reception: April 29, 2019 6:00-8:00pm

Sara Kay Gallery | 4 East 2nd St, New York

A series of vintage and lifetime photographs by the amazing Lida Moser accompanies this new exhibition in NYC:

Sara Kay Gallery is pleased to present Neel / Picasso, on view from April 29 through July 20. The exhibition will feature significant portraits from private collections by the artists Alice Neel (1900-1984) and Pablo Picasso (1881-1973). 

Neel and Picasso were contemporaries who transformed and revitalized portraiture. Through select paintings by both artists, this exhibition offers a revealing parallel view of two key 20th century painters. 

Neel, a self-described “painter of people,” chose not to idealize her subjects. Instead, with bold strokes, an imaginative line between the interior experience and the outward appearance of the sitter is revealed. 

In her portrait of Lida Moser from 1962, Neel focuses on facial expression, body language and clothing, illustrating the overlapping of inner essence and outward appearance, of vanity and vulnerability. Painted by her artist friend during the rise of the feminist movement, Moser was an accomplished photojournalist at a time when women were a rarity in the field. Moser is an unmistakably dynamic figure. Painted in lucid tones with fingers jutting out like spindles, her form is magnetic and commanding.

In juxtaposition to Neel’s probing of the space between the inner and outer life, Picasso reconfigures his subject’s features revealing his own interpretation of their essence, inadvertently serving as a barometer for his own emotional state. 

Painted in 1937, Femme au béret orange et au col de fourrure depicts the artist’s young mistress and muse, Marie-Thérèse Walter. Here, the formal experimentation and emotional intensity that characterize his most celebrated portraits of women are embodied. The small group of portraits that he painted on 4 December 1937, the present work included, make it almost possible to track the slow transition from his relationships with Marie-Thérèse Walter to Dora Maar, and reflects the artist’s conflicted feelings surrounding this transition. 

The final two works of the presentation highlight a shared acknowledgement of the artists’ own mortality, as both turn their gazes inward. Picasso, in Homme assis les bras croisés II from 1964, portrays an energetic vibrant sitter, unlike a man of Picasso’s age, though the features are unmistakably those of the artist. In 107th and Broadway, Neel offers an anthropomorphic view of her final home painted as a portent with dark shadows nefariously playing across the surface of the canvas. She described the large shadow that engulfs the building’s facade as the “shadow of death.” 

Picasso said that his work acted as a “sort of a diary.” Neel claimed she was “a collector of souls...” capturing “what the world has done [to her sitters] and their retaliation.” Linked in time, differing in approach, the parallel viewing of these two innovative 20th century painters offers insights into both their artistic achievements and the radicalization of portraiture.