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multimedia artist raymond saunders dies at 90 1234747890

Raymond Saunders, a multimedia artist known for his enigmatic, sociopolitical paintings and assemblage style, has died at age 90. His passing was announced jointly by his representing galleries—Casemore, Andrew Kreps, and David Zwirner—on Instagram. Saunders's work often explored the Black American experience through extensive use of black paint and complex narratives, as articulated in his influential 1967 essay "Black Is a Color." His first career-spanning retrospective, "Flowers from a Black Garden," recently closed at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, his hometown. Saunders had a long teaching career in the Bay Area and received numerous honors, including a Rome Prize Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Gullah artist Sam Doyle’s narrative portraits shine at Outsider Art Fair in New York

A series of 20 paintings by self-taught Gullah artist Sam Doyle are a highlight of this year's Outsider Art Fair in New York. The works, priced from $35,000 to $85,000, are presented by The Gallery of Everything and come from the collection of publisher and Intuit Art Museum co-founder Bob Roth.

Remembering Desmond Morris, James Hayward, and Flo Oy Wong

This week's obituaries mark the passing of several significant figures in the visual arts. They include British surrealist painter and zoologist Desmond Morris, known for his 'biomorph' paintings and experiments with chimpanzee art; West Coast monochrome abstractionist James Hayward, who developed a cult following for his thickly painted canvases; and Chinese American artist Flo Oy Wong, a foundational storyteller of Oakland's Chinatown and the Asian American experience. Also remembered are assemblage artist Aldwyth, Ethiopian painter and educator Behailu Bezabih, Anglo-Irish conservator and designer Alec Cobbe, Bangladeshi art director Tarun Ghosh, and New Mexico painter Michael Hurd.

Philadelphia art museums celebrate America's 250th anniversary with blockbuster two-venue show

The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA) and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) have announced a massive collaborative exhibition titled "A Nation of Artists" to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Featuring over 1,000 works, the show spans from colonial-era masterpieces like Charles Willson Peale’s portrait of George Washington to contemporary Indigenous art and modern portraiture by Barkley L. Hendricks. The exhibition will also debut 120 works from the Middleton Family Collection, including significant Hudson River School and American Impressionist pieces.

‘An open letter to the nation’: National Gallery of Art reckons with America at 250

The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. has launched "Dear America: Artists Explore the American Experience," a major exhibition marking the United States' 250th anniversary. Featuring over 100 works on paper by 95 artists, the show eschews traditional patriotic tropes in favor of a nuanced, self-critical look at the nation's history. Organized around the themes of land, community, and freedom, the exhibition juxtaposes iconic imagery from artists like Roy Lichtenstein and Thomas Moran with provocative contemporary perspectives from Zanele Muholi and Carrie Mae Weems.

Philadelphia Art Museums Celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary with New Shows

The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) have announced a major collaborative exhibition titled "A Nation of Artists" to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States. Spanning both institutions, the show will feature over 1,000 works including paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts that explore the American experience. Highlights include Charles Willson Peale’s 1779 portrait of George Washington, 120 works from the Middleton Family Collection, and a diverse array of Indigenous art and contemporary pieces by artists such as Barkley L. Hendricks and Laura Watters Maynor.

What does 250 years of American art look like?

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. has launched "Dear America," a major exhibition commemorating the U.S. semiquincentennial through more than 100 works on paper. Drawing from the museum’s deep permanent holdings, the show features a diverse range of media including photography, lithographs, and artist books by figures such as Andy Warhol, Ansel Adams, Faith Ringgold, and Kara Walker. The curation spans 250 years, juxtaposing iconic American imagery with lesser-known folk art and contemporary works that explore the complexities of national identity.

Smithsonian American Art Museum Debuts Monumental New Commission by Nick Cave in February 2026

The Smithsonian American Art Museum will debut "Nick Cave: Mammoth," a monumental new commission by artist Nick Cave, in February 2026. This marks Cave's first solo exhibition in Washington, D.C., and represents the museum's largest-ever commission by a single artist. The installation combines sculpture, video, and found objects, drawing on Cave's childhood in Chariton County, Missouri, and exploring themes of family history, landscapes, and craft traditions. The exhibition will be on view from February 13, 2026, through January 3, 2027, and is organized by curator Sarah Newman.

Art and Soul: Showcasing Three Inspiring Women Artists

The Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) will present a major exhibition of East Bay artist Mildred Howard titled "Mildred Howard: Poetics of Memory" from June 12 through October 18. The show spans over 50 years of Howard's career, featuring sculpture, public art, and immersive installations, including large-scale works made from found objects like skillets, shoes, and glass bottles. Key pieces include "Blackbird in a Red Sky (aka Fall of the Blood House)" and "Ten Little Children Standing in a Line (One Got Shot, and Then There Were Nine)." Howard, a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow, explores themes of memory, home, Black identity, and the African American experience, often using house-like structures to prompt dialogue about belonging and sanctuary.

Landmark Exhibition at the Smithsonian American Art Museum Unites U.S. Bicentennial Photography Surveys for the First Time

The Smithsonian American Art Museum will present "Much Here Is Beautiful: Photography Surveys of the U.S. Bicentennial," a landmark exhibition opening September 18, 2026, that brings together for the first time photography surveys created through a federally funded grant program by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) around the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial. Featuring 225 photographs by more than 70 photographers, the show draws on the museum's holdings and collections nationwide, including previously unseen works, and places them in the context of federal survey photography dating back to the 19th century.

scope art show 2719652

Scope Art Show is positioning itself as a site of encounters and experiences rather than purely sales driven during Miami Art Week 2025, with the theme 'Be Here Now.' The fair features a program of musical performances, wellness events, new technology, and hospitality, alongside installations and gallery presentations that invite visitors to focus on the present moment. Highlights include Connor Tingley's 'Nun Series' with Ori Gallery, MCSK's human-A.I. collaborative installation 'Replicatio: States of Collapse' at Pirovino, Desmond Beach's exploration of Black American experience at Richard Beavers Gallery, Yohannes Yamassee's ceremonial installation 'One Turtle Island' curated by Virginia Shore and Leah Kolb, and the returning Blue Floor Project showcasing 20 artists from Fuze Caribbean Art Fair.

National Gallery of Art’s New Exhibit Examines the American Experience

The article describes a new exhibition at the National Gallery of Art that examines the American experience through visual art. The show brings together works from the museum's collection to explore themes of identity, history, and culture in the United States.

Plan your visit to “American 250: Common Threads,” now on view at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art has opened a new special exhibition titled "American 250: Common Threads." The exhibition features a wide range of artworks, including historic documents, quilts, prints, and contemporary pieces, all reflecting on the American experience and national identity. A notable interactive work by artist Basil Kincaid involves local quilters assembling fabric squares decorated by Arkansas students.

Exhibit traces 250 years of American history at Greenville County Museum of Art

The Greenville County Museum of Art has launched "American Stories," a comprehensive exhibition drawn from its permanent collection to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States. Featuring pivotal works such as Thomas Sully’s "Passage of the Delaware," the show spans two centuries of artistic production to explore the complexities of the American experience, from the Revolutionary War to the modern era.

The National Gallery of Art Holds an Artistic Mirror Up to the United States for Its Big 250th Birthday

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., has launched "Dear America," a major exhibition commemorating the United States' 250th anniversary. Featuring over 100 prints, drawings, and photographs from the museum’s permanent collection, the show spans from the late 18th century to the present day. The exhibition is organized into three thematic sections—"Land," "Community," and "Freedom"—showcasing works by iconic artists such as Andy Warhol, Ansel Adams, and Richard Avedon alongside contemporary voices like Tom Jones of the Ho-Chunk Nation.

Smithsonian American Art Museum Debuts Monumental New Commission by Nick Cave

The Smithsonian American Art Museum has unveiled "Nick Cave: Mammoth," a major new commission by artist Nick Cave. The exhibition, which opened on February 13, 2026, is the museum's largest-ever commission by a single artist and marks Cave's first solo show in Washington, D.C. It transforms a suite of galleries into immersive environments featuring a massive hand-beaded tapestry, towering sculptures incorporating mammoth skulls, and a large light table displaying thousands of found objects.

Artist Alison Saar wins High Museum’s 20th annual Driskell Prize

Alison Saar, a Los Angeles-based artist known for sculptures exploring Black American experience through historic and symbolic imagery, has won the 20th edition of the David C. Driskell Prize from the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. The annual prize, which alternates between honoring an artist and a curator, comes with $50,000 and was announced during a reception at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York on 9 May. Saar succeeds 2024 winner Naomi Beckwith, and past honorees include Ebony G. Patterson, Amy Sherald, Mark Bradford, and Rashid Johnson.

Iconic photos are part of Gordon Parks exhibition at Wichita Art Museum

The Wichita Art Museum opens "Homeward to the Prairie I Come," an exhibition of 71 photographs by Gordon Parks, running from May 11 to July 27, 2025. The works come from a collection Parks curated and donated to Kansas State University in 1973, now held by the Beach Museum of Art, which co-curated the touring show with Aileen Wang and Sarah Price. The exhibition is organized thematically around five large iconic images, including portraits of Muhammad Ali, Alexander Calder, Malcolm X, and Flavio da Silva, the subject of Parks' first film.

Artist displays big ideas with Alpharetta exhibit

The Alpharetta Arts Center is hosting a solo exhibition of works by Cuban-born, Atlanta-based artist Alexi Torres through April 18. The showcase features a diverse range of media, including intricate oil paintings that mimic woven textures, bronze sculptures, and embroideries that explore themes of spiritual connection and human consciousness. Torres, who follows lunar cycles for his creative process, utilizes symbolic imagery such as a scarlet wicker Buddha and a Statue of Liberty rendered in baseball stitching to convey complex narratives.

Highlighting Contemporary Art in Georgia | Seams to Be: New Approaches to Textile Techniques

The Georgia Museum of Art has organized "Seams to Be: New Approaches to Textile Techniques," a traveling exhibition opening October 2, 2025, at the Lyndon House Arts Center in Athens. Guest curated by Didi Dunphy, the show features 13 Georgia-based artists who reinterpret traditional textile methods through contemporary practices, including beaded chip bags, free-motion quilts, yarn paintings, and multimedia sculptures. It is the fourth installment of the triennial "Highlighting Contemporary Art in Georgia" series, which aims to discover and cultivate local artists and bring their work to audiences across the state.

Guggenheim Fellows Featured in Stockton’s Art Gallery

Stockton University’s Art Gallery in Galloway, New Jersey, will present a fall exhibition titled “Diverse Perspectives in Photography: Four Black Guggenheim Fellows in the Philadelphia Region,” running from September 4 to November 8. The show features works by four African American photographers who are Guggenheim Fellows: Donald E. Camp (1995), Ron Tarver (2021), William E. Williams (2003), and Wendel A. White (2003). The exhibition opens with a free reception and panel discussion moderated by Julie L. McGee, associate professor at the University of Delaware, and includes a lecture by Laura Auricchio, vice president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, on the fellowship’s 100th anniversary.

fashion hermes boutique artist lisha bai

Korean-American painter and sculptor Lisha Bai unveiled a new window installation at Hermès Maison Madison in New York, created to coincide with New York Fashion Week. The installation features polychrome fabrics molded into geometric forms, drawing inspiration from the Korean patchwork tradition of bojagi and the quilts of Gee’s Bend, reflecting Bai’s experience growing up as a Korean-American in Alabama. A conversation between Bai and Cooper Hewitt curator Alexandra Cunningham Cameron explored how Bai translates textile techniques and light into immersive art. The event was attended by Hermès Americas President and CEO Diane Mahady and VP Diane Kruger, among other guests.

MOWA hosting new landscape exhibition for America’s 250th

The Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) in West Bend is presenting a new exhibition titled "The American Landscape: Beyond the Horizon" from Saturday through July 19, in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. The show brings together works from MOWA’s permanent collection and select loans, spanning the 19th century to the 2020s, to examine how artists have interpreted Wisconsin’s landscape through painting, photography, and sculpture, highlighting native voices and immigrant narratives.

New Weatherspoon Exhibition Stitches Black Quilter’s Artistry, Life Stories

The Weatherspoon Art Museum has launched two concurrent exhibitions centered on the legacy of Southern Black quilters. "Of Salt and Spirit: Black Quilters in the American South," curated by Dr. Sharbreon Plummer, showcases 24 quilts from the collection of folklorist Roland L. Freeman, including works by UNCG alumna Gwendolyn Magee. Complementing this is "Harriet’s Powers," a site-specific immersive installation by artist Precious D. Lovell that pays homage to Harriet Powers, a 19th-century quilter born into slavery whose work is now held by the Smithsonian and the MFA Boston.

Celebrating British rave culture and the African-American experience in new Croydon video exhibition

A major new art exhibition titled HARDCORE/LOVE opens at the Whitgift Centre in Croydon, showcasing seminal video works by acclaimed artists Arthur Jafa and Mark Leckey. The exhibition combines Jafa's 'Love is the Message, The Message is Death' (2016) and Leckey's 'Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore' (1999), and is led by artist-run studio programme Conditions in partnership with gallerist Gavin Brown. It will run until August 10, 2025.

Gallery Space presents Face(t)s of America Exhibition

The City of Rahway has announced the upcoming exhibition "Face(t)s of America" at Gallery Space, running from April 18 through June 13, 2026. Featuring works by six artists—Rodríguez Calero, Dong Kyu Kim, Carlos Mateu, Roxanna Meléndez, Diane Phares, and Duquann Sweeney—the show utilizes portraiture and painting to explore themes of identity, heritage, and belonging in the United States. The exhibition will include a public reception on April 24 featuring performances by the New Jeru Poetry Slam Team.

DUALITY – Artist Opening Reception

Jackson Junge Gallery has launched its first group exhibition of the year, titled DUALITY, which showcases the work of 24 artists exploring the concept of the diptych. Each participant created two interconnected pieces designed to be viewed as a single entity, focusing on themes of opposition such as light and dark, authority and resilience, or realism and abstraction. Featured works include Sabrina Katz’s textural explorations of Lake Michigan and Julian Guyton’s sociopolitical commentary on the American experience.

View 60 Captivating Finalists From the 23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest. Then, Vote for Your Favorite!

The 23rd Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest has announced its 60 finalists, selected from over 17,000 submissions. The images span six categories: American Experience, Artistic, Drone/Aerial, People, Travel, and Wildlife. The magazine is now inviting the public to vote for a Readers' Choice award winner, with polls open through March 30.

As the Nation’s Birthday Approaches, Museums Lead the Way

The New York Times article highlights how museums across the United States are taking a leading role in commemorating the nation's birthday, with special exhibitions, public programs, and curated displays that explore American history, identity, and cultural heritage. These institutions are using their collections and expertise to offer nuanced perspectives on the country's founding, often incorporating diverse voices and critical reflections alongside traditional patriotic narratives.