Contemporary Art Writing in Mexico: The Intractable and Necessary Issue of Corruption
“Hablar de corrupcion es tocar a Mexico en el corazón,” my mentor said. “Be careful.” Tocar. Transitive verb meaning: to touch, to feel, to…
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The First Modern Art Dealer and the Movement He Incited
Impresario, entrepreneur, gambler, and connoisseur – the French art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel (1831-1922) was all of these. He was also a force in fostering…
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A Spitting Fit of Teenage Rage: On the Increasing Impotence of Political Art
This is not a review. In August, I went on holiday to the delightful small city of Poznan, in western Poland. One of Europe’s…
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Beware the “Creative Economy”
One-thousand six-hundred fifty-four. I’m not teaching this semester, but if I were, that is the one number that I would want everyone to remember….
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Shedding New Light on the Night: Obscurity and Clarity in the American Nocturne
Artists have long exploited the Zoroastrian struggle between light and dark to create images. Although darkness implies mystery and melancholy, in the hands of…
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First Nations Art and the Matter of Its Politics
Is contemporary Aboriginal art necessarily political? Does art made by First Nations, Inuit, or Métis artists inevitably engage with such historical events and trauma…
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Momus “Best Of”: Vol. 1
It’s been a good ten months. Since October 2014, Momus has quickly become a trusted reference for those wishing to reflect on contemporary art at…
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Inside My Head: An Interview with Glenn Ligon
American artist Glenn Ligón is bringing together artworks spanning decades, continents, and themes that closely relate to his work with race and gender in post-war America….
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On the Subtle Joy of Agnes Martin
Agnes Martin began her lecture at Yale University with a deep breath … slowly, in and out. It was the mid-1970s, and Martin (1912–2004) was…
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Are Sex Differences Getting in the Way?: The Limits of Gender-Based Curating
Dear Dick, I’m wondering why every act that narrated female lived experience in the ‘70s has been read only as “collaboration” and “feminist.” The…
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