Judy Chicago, a pioneering feminist artist, is being celebrated with her first major New York survey at the New Museum. The exhibition, titled "Herstory," spans four floors and includes over 80 artists and thinkers, showcasing the work of women throughout history. Chicago's own artwork, including her iconic installation "The Dinner Party," is featured alongside pieces by artists such as Hilma af Klint, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Frida Kahlo. At 84 years old, Chicago continues to be in high demand, with upcoming exhibitions and collaborations. Her work explores themes of gender equity, power dynamics, and women's bodies, challenging societal norms and advocating for change.
The Brooklyn Museum has dismissed negative reviews of “It’s Pablo-matic: Picasso According to Hannah Gadsby,” which opened to the public today after being panned in ARTnews and the New York Times. The show, co-organized by Gadsby and Brooklyn Museum senior curators Catherine Morris and Lisa Small, features more than 100 works. Alongside many Picassos, there are contemporary works by Cecily Brown, Judy Chicago, Renee Cox, Käthe Kollwitz, Dindga McCannon, Ana Mendieta, Marilyn Minter, Joan Semmel, and Faith Ringgold. The collaboration with Gadsby came out of the 2018 hit Netflix special Nanette, which included heavy criticism of Picasso and his influence.
Comedian Hannah Gadsby's new exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, "It's Pablo-matic: Picasso According to Hannah Gadsby," aims to critique Picasso's misogyny and colonialist impulses by pairing his works with contemporary feminist art. However, the show's disregard for art history and its centering of Picasso as the only modernist worth critiquing undermines its revisionary mindset. While the exhibition brings some impressive works to the US, it fails to acknowledge the contributions of women artists who were previously written off as Picasso's "muses."
Museums in New York, Paris, and Madrid are hosting exhibitions to mark the 50th anniversary of Pablo Picasso's death. The shows will focus on different periods of the artist's life and work, including his early years in Paris, his time in Fontainebleau, and his transformational year of 1906. One exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum will examine Picasso's work from a feminist perspective. The Musée de l’Homme in Paris will explore the influence of prehistoric art on Picasso's work. The exhibitions will feature a range of paintings, drawings, and archival materials.
