This n' That: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Philip Guston's The Studio (1969) ©The Estate of Philip Guston
by Chloe Tai
Critics angry at the postponement of Philip Guston show over Klu Klux Klan imagery
Several years in the making, the Philip Guston Now show, including 125 paintings and 70 drawings, has been put on hold for four years. Dedicated to the late Canadian-American artist, Philip Guston, the touring exhibition was due to debut at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., before the coronavirus pandemic. However, all four directors of the participating museums—Tate; National Gallery of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston—released a joint statement on September 25 stating that the reason for the postponement was, “the racial justice movement that started in the US… in addition to challenges of a global health crisis.”
An abstract expressionist, Guston’s paintings first featured anti-lynching images involving the Klu Klux Klan in 1930. The Klansmen reappeared in his imagery when prompted by the civil unrest in the 1960s, albeit in a more cartoonish fashion.
Criticism from all corners of the art community started pouring in immediately after the decision was announced. Mark Godfrey, due to curate the Guston show at Tate Modern, wrote, “As art museums, we are expected to show difficult art and to support artists. By cancelling or delaying, we abandon this responsibility to Guston.” However, trustee of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, Darren Walker, argued, “An exhibition organized several years ago, no matter how intelligent, must be reconsidered in light of what has changed to contextualize in real time."
The Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the first woman to lie in state at U.S. Capitol
A three-day vigil in honor of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg began with services on Saturday, September 25, and then was proceeded by two days of coffin-viewing for the public. Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt paid respects to the second woman ever to sit on the United States Supreme Court, saying, “She was our prophet, our North Star, our strength for so very long. Now she must be permitted to rest after toiling so hard for every single one of us.” The service took place with less than 100 socially-distanced seats arranged at Statuary Hall in the Capitol. Justice Ginsberg is the first woman to be given the honor of lying in state, before she is to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery with her husband, Martin.
Red on Black by Denise Maxwell. Photograph: Lensi photography
We Are Here: a showcase of black female photographers in the U.K.
From September 25 to 27, the UK Black Female Photographers Community (UKBTOG) hosted a showcase of their work at Blank Canvas, Walsall. Artists like Naomi Williams, Tash Jones, and Karyn Louise presented photographs on topics ranging from life in the pandemic to Black Lives Matter to mental health issues.
UK photographer Jemella began the group in 2017 to bring more black female photographers together. As stated on their site, “The UKBFTOG community was created to help women of colour find other women of colour in the photography industry.”
Amir H. Fallah and Shulamit Nazarian, Los Angeles; Alan Shaffer
Many museums are still closed for safety - San José Institute of Contemporary Art open for voting
Executive director and chief curator, Alison Gass, commissioned Iranian-born artist Amir H. Fallah to paint a mural that could appear outside of the San José Institute of Contemporary Art. Gass specified that the mural itself should reflect, “the social and political conditions happening in this election and beyond.” From October 31 until Election Day, the museum will be open as a polling site. The hope for Mr. Fallah is that people will “stop in their tracks and think about what their vote means.”
