This Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, has launched a compelling “Close Up” program that invites both artists and visitors to create meaningful dialogues with art of all eras – beginning with the Renaissance.  Who and where? Find out here.

The “Close Up” program begun by the famed Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston offers a fresh perspective on the institution’s masterpieces. Debuting in February 2017, the event’s first installment highlights Piermatteo d’Amelia’s stunning “Annunciation,” circa 1487.

The museum writes, “Forging a dialogue between art of the past and present, Piermatteo’s ‘Annunciation’ accompanies a video installation by contemporary artist Bill Viola titled ‘Study for Emergence,’ on special loan from the Yale University of Art Gallery. Each artist engaged profoundly with the Christian tradition as it was envisioned in the Italian Renaissance. In keeping with Isabella Stewart Gardner’s determination to create meaningful dialogues between art of all eras, the relationships in subject matter between the artworks encourage visitors to seek connections between Renaissance and contemporary art otherwise difficult in the historic palace.”

The “Close Up” program will be an annual installment in which a single work of art from the museum’s permanent collection is displayed in its temporary exhibition gallery. In addition to viewing the masterpieces in a new space and in new light, the program will offer — for each installment — a short book written by the Gardner Associate Curator Dr. Nathaniel Silver. The publications will include an account of Gardner’s hunt for the exhibited painting, rare photographs from the museum’s archives, and — in this year’s edition — the first biography of Piermatteo in English.

Speaking about the inaugural exhibition, Dr. Silver suggested, “Gardner’s ‘Annunciation’ is beloved by many of our visitors for its harmonious perspective, and this exhibition offers an opportunity to get a closer look at its finest details. Some might also be surprised to find out that this altarpiece was made by the pope’s favorite painter. Piermatteo d’Amelia skyrocketed to fame in Rome and was even invited to fresco the Sistine Chapel ceiling before Michelangelo. Despite his achievements, this Renaissance master was quickly forgotten.”

A number of public programs will also accompany this year’s installment. On Saturday, February 4, Cammy Brothers — associate professor of architectural history at Northeastern University — and Dr. Silver will open the exhibition with a presentation at 3:30 P.M. On Saturday, February 25, the museum will host Rev. Gloria E. White-Hammond, M.D., and Peggy Burchenal for an entertaining lecture.

To learn more, visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

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Bonner David Galleries is excited to soon open its doors for a new exhibition featuring a series of figurative works by this well-known painter. Details here!

Opening February 4 and running through February 21, “Times Tender Passing” is a beautiful display by contemporary painter Joseph Lorusso. Representing the best of his figurative work, this exhibition is surely not one to miss for collectors of contemporary realism. Via the gallery, “With his ever contemporary approach, noted artist Joseph Lorusso has created a chronology of relationships passing times. From young love to the introspection of the meaning of life, Lorusso showcases his singular style with a distinctive palette.”

An opening reception with the artist is scheduled for February 4 from 1:30 to 5 P.M. To learn more, visit Bonner David Galleries.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.

Most of us alive today have little or no memory of the life and spirit of urban life in America at the beginning of the 20th century, which is why a major university’s art gallery is using art to bring those times back.

Yale University’s Art Gallery is currently hosting an exhibition that seeks to illustrate the life and times of America during one of its most incredible periods of modern development. “It Was a New Century: Reflections on Modern America” opened on December 23, 2016 and continues through June 4.

Drawn largely from a private collection, the show features some 60 paintings, prints, watercolors, and drawings by many of America’s most iconic artists. Among the masters included in the show are George Bellows, Childe Hassam, Winslow Homer, Walt Kuhn, Maurice Prendergast, and Everett Shinn.

The gallery reports, “[the artists] depicted a wide range of popular themes, from the gritty to the glamorous: busy street scenes in working-class neighborhoods; boxers doing battle in private clubs; patriotic flags lining New York’s Fifth Avenue; performers donning costumes and face paint; and sunny retreats for the wealthy, from Shinnecock, Long Island, to Venice. Taken together, these exceptional works present a compelling panorama of a new, modern America.”

To learn more, visit the Yale University Art Gallery.

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Louisville, Kentucky, is the current home of a major show featuring hundreds of paintings, drawings, and photographs from a native son. He is celebrated for his creative output and research into Native Americans, and this is one exhibition to definitely see.

“Picturing American Indian Cultures: The Art of Kentucky’s Frederick Weygold” is a celebration of one man’s lifelong mission to understand and preserve Native American culture. Weygold (1870-1941) was a productive Louisville artist and ethnographer, producing hundreds of artworks and essays on local Sauk, Lakota, Plains, and Woodland tribes.

On view since January 7 at Louisville’s Speed Art Museum, the exhibition features some 180 paintings, drawings, and photographs by Weygold. Kim Spence, the museum’s curator of prints, drawings, and photographs, noted, “Although Weygold’s work as an illustrator, photographer, and collector of American Indian art is highly regarded in Europe, he remains virtually unknown in the United States.” The Speed Art Museum is seeking to change that through this brilliant exhibition, saying, “The exhibition offers for the first time a comprehensive account of this remarkable man and his achievements as an artist, collector, educator, and social activist.”

The exhibition will be on view through March 26. To learn more, visit The Speed Art Museum.

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Serving as the only independent fine art fair in Southern California, this event is not one to miss for collectors of fine prints. Details here!

Continuing a 30-year tradition, the Los Angeles Fine Print Fair returns in February 2017 to great anticipation. It opens with a preview and benefit dinner on Friday, February 3, with the event continuing through the weekend. The fair will be held at Bonhams auction house in West Hollywood, California.

Nearly 20 expert dealers from around the country will be on hand, including — among others — the Annex Galleries, Davidson Galleries, Stevens Fine Art, Edward T. Pollack Fine Arts, the Tolman Collection, and Warnock Fine Arts. Tickets for the preview party and fair may be purchased here.

To learn more, visit the Los Angeles Fine Print Fair.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.

Altamira Fine Art in Scottsdale, Arizona, is excited to be displaying a solo exhibition for a plein air master, which includes beautiful landscapes in his signature style that are sure to induce pride in the American Southwest.

Over a dozen new works will compose a one-man show at Altamira Fine Art in Scottsdale, Arizona. Titled “Our Land,” the exhibition features the signature vast skies, storm clouds, expressive and thick paint, and bold color of artist Jivan Lee.

The works of Lee have long been collected for their life, movement, and light, which will be on display during “Our Land.” The exhibition will open on February 6 and continue through February 18. Speaking of his inspiration, Lee suggests, “Nature is a great equalizer, modulator, consolation, and teacher. You can’t see a New Mexican sunrise or be lost in a fog in Maine and emerge the same. Nature changes us. It isn’t always pleasant; sometimes it’s harrowing and even terrifying. But it’s always true, always there, always utterly as it is. And, in some form, it’s always available to us all. I believe deeply in the healing, transformative power of nature. It’s a big part of what inspires my work and drives my evolution as an artist. And so it’s my hope that this group of paintings will bring moments of power, beauty, and solace back from the wilderness of Our Land and into daily life.”

A reception will be held at the gallery during the “Western Spirit” ArtWalk on Thursday, February 9, from 6:30-9 P.M. To learn more, visit Altamira Fine Art.

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There’s a current movement in the contemporary art world that seeks to use realist art to probe our deepest psychological traits, with the latest display hanging on the walls of this New York City gallery.

Featuring 11 talented representational painters, Paul Booth Gallery in New York City is proud to be hosting “Psychological Realism,” a group exhibition that showcases the use of traditional techniques with contemporary concepts.

Investigating the complexity of identity, “Psychological Realism” features a number of figurative works that focus on the artist’s interior motives and creative perspective by “offering a glimpse into the mental narrative of the figures portrayed in the art, rather than painting the entire story,” the gallery reports. “The exhibition highlights the figure through different styles of art, as a means of representing the depth and diversity of individuals and their personality. The choice of medium by each artist is as personal as the subject matter, as it is an extension of themselves and functions as the manifestation of their soul for all to see. Despite the differing aesthetics and preferred media, this selection of artists speak the same cutting edge visual language. Their paintings, installations and collages transcend genres and encompass photoreal, surreal and abstract to portray an identity that is visceral, innately familiar and deeply compelling.”

Featured artists include Sergio Barrale, Daniel Bilodeau, Rune Christensen, Jesse Draxler, Erik Hones, Maria Kreyn, Adam Miller, Jean-Paul Mallozzi, David McLeod, Henrik Uldalen, and Jonathan Viner.

“Psychological Realism” opened on January 21 and will run through February 18. To learn more, visit Paul Booth Gallery.

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February is Black History Month, which gives galleries a great opportunity to celebrate and showcase outstanding works by African-Americans. How beautiful can it be? The answer lies in this New York gallery.

New York’s Grenning Gallery offers an exhibition aimed at celebrating the beauty that African-American artists have to offer next month. Opening February 4 and running through March 5, “Expanding Tradition: The Journey of the African-American Artist” tells an important story about artists who seldom receive the attention they deserve. Curated with Andreé MiChelle — a local African-American writer launching her latest book, Escape Under Cover: The Ola Mae Story — the exhibition will feature Mario Robinson (b.1970), George Morton (b.1983), Philip Smallwood (b.1957), Roger Beckles (b.1958), James Hoston (b.1963), Irvin Rodriguez (b.1988), and Jas Knight (b.1977).

Via the gallery: “Few African-American artists have been given major solo museum shows, and works by 19th and 20th century African-American artists are generally undervalued by the art market relative to those by white artists of equal standing. Only a handful of Black artists — Mark Bradford, Glenn Ligon, and Julie Mehretu to name a few, have made it into the upper reaches of the market with works that fetch millions of dollars at auction. While museums slowly work towards the advancement of racial diversity in the art world, certain private galleries like Jack Shainman Gallery and Papillion Art are beacons of support that serve this under-represented group. And this month, in our small way, the Grenning Gallery is doing our best by showcasing emerging and mid-career African-American Artists.”

10 percent of the opening day’s sales will go towards the Eastville Community Historical Society.

To learn more, visit Grenning Gallery.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.