Art & Museum News & Reviews
The latest news in New York City art, museum and gallery. From the largest exhibitions to the smallest shows, find previews, reviews and commentary here at ZEALnyc.
You Say You Want a Revolution: Remembering the Sixties at ...
Click here for more information. Discover the counterculture of the 1960s and '70s. From communal living and forays into expanded consciousness, to tensions around race, politics, sexuality and the environment, this exhibition explores the breadth and significance of this period. This event is part ...
Art Break: Just a Short Journey North, The Hudson Valley Continues To Inspire
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, August 13, 2018 The Hudson Valley has a special place in the heart of Art Break. So many of our favorite artists spent their summers in the region with friends and family, working on projects, and enjoying the beautiful landscape, just as we do today. It’s a ...
Art Break: A Reverse Commute Uncovers Museum Gold in Connecticut
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, August 6, 2018 Here at Art Break, we’ve often complained that people don’t realize how much art is available to see outside New York City. Case in point: the great state of Connecticut. Never been? Well, you’re missing out on the best kept secret of the ...
Art Break: The Berkshires Are Beckoning For a Day Trip or a Weekend Getaway
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, July 30, 2018 We love New York, we really do, but when it gets too hot and humid it’s time to hop in the car and head for the hills – in this case, the Berkshires. Located in Western Massachusetts, this region has a fantastic variety of museum experiences, ...
Review: The Amiable Schlock of 'Gettin' the Band Back Together'
By Christopher Caggiano, Contributing Writer, August 14, 2018 Sometimes shows come to Broadway that automatically get the online theater wags sharpening their knives. Before a show has even played its first preview, the theaterati start taking bets on when it will close, and polishing off their “What ...
Review: 'Moulin Rouge' Gets a Lavish Pre-Broadway Tryout in Boston
By Christopher Caggiano, Contributing Writer, August 13, 2018 Before the 1980s, Boston was a major out-of-town stop for plays and musicals before they went to Broadway. The economics of such tryouts have changed drastically, as has the standard model for developing new plays and musicals, and Boston’...
Art Break: Just a Short Journey North, The Hudson Valley ...
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, August 13, 2018 The Hudson Valley has a special place in the heart of Art Break. So many of our favorite artists spent their summers in the region with friends and family, working on projects, and enjoying the beautiful landscape, just ...
Newport Jazz Festival Showcases Women Artists and Emerging Talents
By Doug Hall, Contributing Writer, August 10, 2018 This year’s Newport Jazz Festival highlighted an incredibly diverse selection of women performers and women ensemble groups. The festival’s founder George Wein, in his newsletter “Notes from the Wein Machine” (March, 2018), was very direct in his statement ...
Review: A Young Woman's Quest for Love and Passion in ...
By Megan Wrappe, Contributing Writer, August 9, 2018 Discovering how life works is what resonates the most in Lisa Langseth’s one-woman show Beloved, starring Ellinor DiLorenzo and directed by Kathy Curtiss. The play begins with the character Katarina rummaging around her grandmother’s cottage, putting things ...
Review: 'Before We're Gone' Tackles Big Themes at 13th Street ...
By Diana Mott, Contributing Writer, August 6, 2018 Before We're Gone ended it's run at 13th Street Repertory Theatre on August 5 with hopes of moving uptown and, with caveats, it deserves another chance to be seen. It is a small play, made for a small stage in ...
Review: A Mozart-less Evening Turns to ICE with 'Grand Pianola ...
By Brian Taylor, Contributing Writer, August 6, 2018 The Mostly Mozart Festival's recent presentation of the International Contemporary Ensemble at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College was a welcome respite from the summer's punishing mugginess. Entitled "Grand Pianola Music," after the John Adams piece ...
Art Break: A Reverse Commute Uncovers Museum Gold in Connecticut
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, August 6, 2018 Here at Art Break, we’ve often complained that people don’t realize how much art is available to see outside New York City. Case in point: the great state of Connecticut. Never been? Well, you’re missing ...
Jazz Notes Intel: 'West Side Story' Reimagined With Bobby Sanabria’...
By Dan Ouellette, Senior Editor ZEALnyc, August 3, 2018 Last year marked the 60th birthday of composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein’s classic Broadway show West Side Story, famously made into a 10 Academy Award-winning movie version in 1961 starring among others the Puerto Rico-born actress Rita Moreno. This year ...
Review: ‘On a Clear Day’ Almost Shines at the Irish ...
By Christopher Caggiano, Contributing Writer, August 3, 2018 After the disastrous 2011 Broadway revisal of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, it was looking like we might never see that show in New York City again. Peter Parnell’s ridiculous, gender-switching libretto, combined with Michael Mayer’...
Art Break: Abstraction at Simon Lee and Marianne Boesky Galleries; Firelei Báez at the Schomburg Center; and Photography at Aperture
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, July 23, 2018 Art Break is featuring four shows this week that represent some of the best of the NYC summer gallery scene. Two highlight the abstract art movement: Simon Lee Gallery showing Roy Newell, one of the earliest proponents of the style, and Marianne ...
Art Break: ‘Chain Reactions’ at The Painting Center; Delacroix at the Met; Celebrating Next Wave Festival at BAM
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, July 16, 2018 As a rule, artists are a generous group of people. Yes, sometimes we meet one that is a jerk or worse, but for the most part, these individuals are engaging in the world around them, learning and exploring all kinds of ideas. This week, Art Break ...
Art Break: The Art of David Wojnarowicz on View at the Whitney, NYU and PPOW
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, July 9, 2018 Sometimes it’s difficult to remember how much fear and unknowing there was at the beginning of the AIDS crisis. How the medical profession began to realize there was a new deadly disease that had a rapid and vicious timeline of destruction. How ...
Art Break: Nudes at the Met Breuer and ‘DIY: Made In the Studio’ at Julie Saul Gallery
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, July 2, 2018 Regardless of what you think about the news of the day, there is one truism that takes no sides: attention must be paid. Attention to all of humanity: no matter what they look like, where they’re from, and what they do, is essential because ...
Art Break: ‘Painting: Now and Forever’ at Matthew Marks and Greene Naftali; Klimt and Shiele at the Neue Galerie
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, June 25, 2018 Death and Sex – two topics guaranteed to get a response from people. And tossing art into the mix? Well, you’ll get an endless supply of agreement and argument from friends and family, making for some interesting conversations. If you need help ...
Art Break: Must-sees at New York City’s New Museum, Eldridge Street and a ‘Fine, Bright Day’ at The LGBT Center
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, June 18, 2018 This week, Art Break shines the spotlight on the must-sees at New York Citys New Museum of Contemporary Art, located on the Bowery. Since its founding in 1977, the institution has given New Yorkers a front row seat to the international contemporary ...
Art Break: Ariel DeAndrea’s Photorealism at Louis K. Meisel and ‘Charting the Divine Plan’ at the American Museum of Folk Art
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, June 11, 2018 Art Break has been reflecting on the phrase ‘thinking outside the box’ and the ways it can be interpreted. For instance, you could think outside the box if you decided to measure time in images instead of numbers. How about bringing the ...
Live at the Archway Dumbo Returns for Its Fourth Year
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, June 6, 2018 Summer’s almost here and it’s time for dancing in the street — or under the Manhattan Bridge. You can experience just that at Live at the Archway Dumbo! Starting on June 14, this free fifteen-week celebration of musical and artistic ...
Art Break: Stretching Your Mind and Maybe Your Waistline
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, June 4, 2018 Art Break is taking time this week to study the creative process in the art world. We’re starting at the New-York Historical Society with the late, great Bill Cunningham, the photographer who spent decades recording New Yorkers’ wardrobe choices ...
Art Break: Outdoor Public Art and Indoor Mind-Changing Art Ushers Us Into Summer
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, May 28, 2018 Now that summer is (unofficially) here, what are you going to do with your time? Get some sun, take a trip, catch a show, hang out with your friends? How about outdoor public art? Art Break has plans like that too. First, we’re going to take a ...
Art Break: Imaginative Models at MoMA, Exhibits at the Frick and FIT, with Galleries Celebrating the Art of Al Held
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, May 21, 2018 There’s a lot happening in NYC’s art scene — but what should you see first? Art Break has your answers right here! If you’re a history buff, there’s The Frick Collection’s show on Canova and his statue of George Washington. The artist ...
Art Break: Nature Captured in Art By Georgia O’Keeffe at the New York Botanical Garden
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, May 14, 2018 Art is amazing for many reasons. One of the best is helping us reexamine and redefine our understanding and relationship to history, culture, people, or even everyday items. Case in point: all our Art Break picks this week. From Karl Orozco’s ...
Commentary: Inspirational Fashion By Way of the Catholic Church at the Met
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, May 11, 2018 For many people, fashion isn’t just something to cover (or reveal) the body: in their eyes, fashion is practically a religion. These devotees travel to cities famous for designers and stores, buy items that are cherished for years afterward, and ...
Art Break: The Power and Influence of Design From Cooper Hewitt to the Met
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, May 7, 2018 Art Break turns this week’s spotlight on design and how it can be used in a variety of ways. Normally, when we think of design (if we think of it at all), it’s as something modern and possibly technology based. But if you consider that the first ...
Art Break: Galleries Featuring Painting and Sculpture, With Photos By Stanley Kubrick at the Museum of the City of NY
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, April 30, 2018 This week, Art Break’s choices cover a variety of interests. Want to know more about painting? Visit Almine Rech Gallery for a show on late 20th century painting and its relevance. Maybe you prefer photography – in which case, you’ll be ...
TEFAF Returns In All Its Glory To Park Avenue Armory In May
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, April 27, 2018 For many reasons, TEFAF is possibly one of the best fairs for antiques, art, and design in the world. Firstly, there will be 90 galleries and dealers participating in the spring show, all of whom are first class in their fields. Secondly, every ...
Art Break: Comic Book Art at Society of Illustrators; a Prized Private Collection at Hauser & Wirth; and Chinese Folktales at James Cohan Gallery
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, April 23, 2018 This week Art Break is all about storytelling — but with images, not words. What do we mean? For instance, you can write an exciting story about a thief with a genius for planning and plotting but to make the narrative come alive, there should ...
Art Break: Freud at the Center for Book Arts, Mixed Media at CRUSHCURATORIAL, Four Shows at MoMA PS1, and Art on the High Line
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, April 16, 2018 Humans and their place within the community, landscape, and the planet in general, is a topic of fascination to artists throughout the centuries. Art Break is looking at several shows opening this week that examine and discuss how people embrace ...
Get LOOT By Going MAD
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, April 10, 2018 Every spring, the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) brings together artisans and jewelry makers for a six-day celebration of ideas, craft, and talent. This year’s LOOT at Museum of Arts and Design 2018 exhibition and sale (April 16 – 21, 2018) ...
Art Break: African American Marching Bands at Storefront, Torres-García at Acquavella, and Four Exhibits at the Drawing Center
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, April 9, 2018 We all know that New York City has a lot of choices when it comes to art galleries, maybe too many. How do you find the interesting, innovative work that sparks your imagination? That’s where Art Break can help. This week we’re showcasing ...
Art Break: ‘1968: The Global Revolutions’ on Display at Columbia University
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, April 2, 2018 It’s sometimes said that the past is another country; they do things differently there. That may be true. When we look at earlier cultures and history, we observe behaviors and events that often surprise us with their biases and injustices. We ...
Art Break: To The Power of Three — A Sixty Year Retrospective of Work By Influential Women at Pratt
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, March 26, 2018 This week Art Break is looking at the contributions of three women artist/designers to mid-20th century culture and graphic design. Anni Albers, Elaine Lustig Cohen, and Rosmarie Tissi all worked in an era when design was becoming important to ...
Art Break: A Rare Opportunity to View Ancient Jade at J. J. Lally & Co.
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, March 19, 2018 This time Art Break focuses on Asia Week, a ten-day celebration of the arts and cultural influences of the region. A multitude of countries and time periods are represented by local and international galleries, giving New Yorkers the opportunity ...
Art Break: Deeper Implications In ‘Marjan Teeuwen: Destroyed House’ at Bruce Silverstein
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, March 12, 2018 Now that spring cleaning season is almost here, you may be wishing you could just toss everything out and start fresh. Or maybe you’d prefer to break it all down and build it up again. If that’s the case, check out Marjan Teeuwen’s ...
Asia Week Is Coming for Ten Days to Museums, Galleries, and Auction Houses
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, March 7, 2018 Asia Week is actually a ten-day event with 10 museums and cultural centers, 45 galleries from around the world, and 5 auction houses opening their doors to display a stunning variety of art across several countries and centuries from March 15 ...
Art Break: Street Talk From the Middle Ages Courtesy of Les Enluminures
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, March 5, 2018 Have you ever considered the idea that right here, right now, you are part of history? That someday your daily life will be of interest to scholars? They will wonder what you thought was important, how you accomplished your ambitions and goals, or ...
Getting Up Close and Personal With History Through the New York Antiquarian Book Fair
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, March 2, 2018 The New York Antiquarian Book Fair is a wonderful way to get to know the specialty markets of book, manuscript, maps, autograph and ephemera collecting. The fair has the official approval of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America as ...
Two Major Art Shows at the Midtown West Piers: The Armory Show and VOLTA NY March 8-11
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, March 1, 2018 The Armory Show and VOLTA NY are two annual fairs showcasing the best in 20th and 21st century art. With over 200 international exhibitors, these two events cover just about every major art movement of the time as well as cutting edge works in ...
Art Break: Fashion = Activism In EFA’s Omega Workshop
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, February 26, 2018 Fashion is all about ‘the look’. The right accessory, clothing or shoes isn’t just a matter of visual harmony, it’s also a statement about status and group identity. But what if it didn’t have to be that way? AT EFA Project Space in ...
The 30th Anniversary Edition of The Art Show Can Change How You Look at Art
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, February 21, 2018 The Art Show is one of those events that can change how you look at art. This show, now in its thirtieth year, is composed of ADAA (Art Dealers Association of America) members, all with extensive experience in their chosen artists and time ...
Art Break: LaToya Ruby Frazier Champions the Oppressed Through Photography and Video at Gavin Brown’s
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, February 19, 2018 Art Break knows that art and the act of creating it is a powerful thing. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the pieces of LaToya Ruby Frazier, now at Gavin Brown’s Enterprise in upper Manhattan. Her work in performance, film and photography ...
Art Break: Love Is All Around (or at least in Times Square) for Valentine’s Day
By A. E. Colas, Contributing Writer, February 12, 2018 Valentine’s Day is this week and we’ve got a lot of lovely art to share with you (and it won’t cost a thing!). We start with Desiree Dolron’s show downtown at the Grimm Gallery that reflects on being both a separate being and part of a ...