William Merritt Chase (1849-1916), Azaleas, Vase of Flowers, ca. 1882. Oil on canvas, 31 x 37 in., signed upper right: ‘Wm. M. Chase’. Courtesy of Debra Force Fine Art.
The American Art Fair
The American Art Fair returns to the landmark Bohemian National Hall in New York City from May 16 to 19. Inaugurated in 2008 to promote historic American art, the event will feature more than 400 works exhibited by 18 premier specialists. Exhibitors at this year’s fair include Avery Galleries, D. Wigmore Fine Art, Debra Force Fine Art, Graham Shay 1857, Hawthorne Fine Art, Helicline Fine Art, Questroyal Fine Art, Somerville Manning Gallery, Thomas Colville Fine Art and more. “Our air is unique in its focus on historical American art in a relaxed and intimate setting where visitors can interact with the leading dealers in the field,” says founder Thomas Colville. “Our exhibitors bring with them a wealth of experience together with exceptional examples that they are eager to share with interested visitors. This year we have an extraordinarily expanded range of works from 18th-century viceregal Peruvian works to mid-20th-century abstraction. New exhibitors featuring the Wyeth family, works by Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton, American illustration, and 1930 to 1940s abstraction expand the fair’s scope and depth presented in conjunction with the celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary.” For events, lectures and more, visit ww.theamericanartfair.com
Dusti Bongé (1903-1993), Shrimp Boats at the Dock, Biloxi, MS, ca. 1940. Oil on canvas, 21¾ x 27¾ in. Dusti Bongé Art Foundation.
Dusti Bongé catalog raisonné
The Dusti Bongé Art Foundation is publishing a digital catalog raisonné with the goal of furthering the research of abstract expressionist Dusti Bongé’s complete oeuvre on the occasion of the foundation’s 30th anniversary. Expected to launch in 2028, the project pushes DBAF’s mission to promote the legacy of the modernist artist, a native of Biloxi, Mississippi, and her significant contributions to 20th-century art. The publication will include entries and illustrations for each known work, complete descriptive information and detailed histories of ownership, as well as exhibitions and literature. It will also provide readers with authoritative background information on thousands of artworks by Bongé, many of which are being published for the first time.
N. C. Wyeth (1882-1945), The Victorious Allies, 1918. Oil on canvas. 45¼ x 34¼ in. Delaware Art Museum, Gift of the Bank of Delaware, 1989.
For Which It Stands
The Fairfield University Art Museum in Connecticut is currently holding the exhibition For Which It Stands…, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States through a series of more than 70 works by artists from the early 20th century to present day, focusing on depictions of the American flag. The exhibition will include works ranging from Childe Hassam’s Italian Day, May 1918, lent by Art Bridges, to a new textile sculpture by Maria de Los Angeles, commissioned for the exhibition. “Works by artists including Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold, Robert Rauschenberg, Shepard Fairey and Julie Mehretu will challenge viewers to consider who the American flag truly represents and whether justice is available to all,” the museum notes. The exhibition remains on view through July 25.
Hayward L. Oubre, Jr. (1916-2006), Equilibrium, 1969. Acrylic and acrylic resin on canvas, 30 x 24 in. Collection of Carla and Cleophus Thomas, Jr. Image credit: Erin Croxton.
Hayward Oubre retrospective
Hayward Oubre: Structural Integrity, at the New Orleans Museum of Art, is the first monographic exhibition dedicated to the work of American modernist, Hayward L. Oubre, Jr. Born in New Orleans in 1916, Oubre became the first student to graduate with a bachelor of fine arts degree from Dillard University. Through 52 sculptures, paintings and prints, the exhibition reveals how the artist shaped American art while working in the South, and underscores the crucial role Black artists and art departments played in shaping the artistic landscape of the 20th century at historically Black colleges and universities. Included in the show are Oubre’s groundbreaking sculptures created from meticulously shaped wire coat hangers, his bold geometric paintings, as well as his responses to current events of the time like the Civil Rights Movement and the space race. Hayward Oubre: Structural Integrity hangs through May 3.
Unfurling the Flag
Yale’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library is holding the exhibition Unfurling the Flag: Reflections on American Patriotism, which explores the many expressions of patriotism in the United States through nearly 80 rarely seen works, including key founding documents, political treatises, maps, photographs and protest posters. From a first edition printing of the Declaration of Independence to Gary Trudeau’s Doonesbury comics from the 1970s, Unfurling the Flag traces the complex lineages of patriotism over centuries. Organized thematically, the exhibition spans perspectives and formats, embracing both allegiance and dissent and highlighting the many ways thinkers in civic, political, and cultural spheres have both defined and defied national allegiance in American history. Unfurling the Flag: Reflections on American Patriotism runs from March 16 to September 27. —
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