A stupendous show at the Whitney Museum explores the profound impact of Mexican painters — the meeting and mingling that enriched American culture. From floated proposal to finished product, “Vida Americana: Mexican Muralists Remake American Art, 1925-1945” at the Whitney Museum of American Art represents a decade of hard thought and labor, and the effort has paid off. The show is stupendous, and complicated, and lands right on time. Just by existing it accomplishes three vital things. It reshapes a stretch of art history to give credit where credit is due. It suggests that the Whitney is, at last, en route to fully embracing “American Art.”
Thousands of people around the world have rallied in solidarity with anti-racism protests in the United States following the police killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020. Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was pinned to the ground by a white officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The officer, who has since been fired and charged for murder, knelt on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, as Floyd pleaded "I can't breathe". Protests, which began in Minneapolis, have spread to hundreds of cities across the US. National Guard troops have been deployed in at least 23 states to handle the demonstrations. Outside the US, large protests have also erupted in many cities around the world.
Life-size sculptures submerged underwater—accessible primarily to divers and snorkelers—are part tourist attraction, part ecological experiment in Jason deCaires Taylor's innovative art installations. "Instead of seeing the world as a hidden, endless resource that we can treat how we want, I tried to change our relationship to it and turn it into a more intimate space," says deCaires Taylor, a British environmentalist and sculptor.
Hedy Lamarr (Nov 9, 1914 - Jan 19, 2000) Hollywood is a place where folks are often recognized more for their looks than their talent - and actress Hedy Lamarr was no exception. But it's what she invented in her spare time - to help end that war - that has history turning a kinder eye, linking her to a bombshell of a whole different sort.
