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April 18, 2025

Good morning, and a PSA: Frieze New York opens in less than a month, along with at least a dozen other art fairs and a cornucopia of public programs, exhibitions, performances, talks, and schmoozing opportunities — I mean, uh, genuine moments of connection with works of art. If the thought of the frenzy overwhelms you, Staff Writer Rhea Nayyar’s trusty spring fair guide will be your go-to itinerary. I can’t wait to see those Danae Nunez paintings in person! On the West Coast, Matt Stromberg visits a new LA art space inspired by the legendary Al’s Bar watering hole and artists’ hub, and Renée Reizman takes us through an exhibition that captures the California spirit through text and images juxtapositions — from the airbrushed lettering of lowriders to John Baldessari’s conceptual humor. Also today, critic John Yau’s latest, on the works of Suellen Rocca; A View From the Easel; Required Reading; and more. — Valentina Di Liscia, News Editor

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Your Low-Stress Guide to Spring Art Fairs and Events in NYC A quick and easy lowdown on what to expect at the more than a dozen fairs opening soon, plus programs and other happenings coinciding with the frenzy. | Rhea Nayyar

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IN THE NEWS Palestinian journalist Samar Abu Elouf earned the World Press Photo of the Year award for his image of nine-year-old Mahmoud Ajjour, who lost both arms in an Israeli attack. LA’s newest museum pays homage to Al’s Bar, a legendary watering hole and hub for artists and musicians in pre-gentrification downtown.

LATEST REVIEWS The Banality of the American Dream Objects like beds, houses, and diamond rings, and the successful middle-class life they represent, are both desired and stultifying in Suellen Rocca’s art. | John Yau

SPONSORED Pratt Manhattan Gallery Exhibits Photography by Dona Ann McAdams and Abby Robinson Black | Box pairs McAdams’s historic photos with her lyrical reflections. AutoWorks & WaterWorks showcases how Robinson captured the body performing games of chance with the camera. Learn more

California’s New Slang From airbrushed lettering of lowriders to silkscreen and sign-painting, an exhibition flexes the state’s wide-ranging visual language. | Renée Reizman

ALSO ON HYPERALLERGIC A View From the Easel “I always joke that I am working diligently on my PhD — Projects Half-Done.” | Lakshmi Rivera Amin Required Reading This week: Lee Bul’s headless sentinels, Tracy Chapman on reissuing “Fast Car,” Viet Thanh Nguyen on the imperialism of American literature, biomorphic seawall designs, and more. | Lakshmi Rivera Amin

MONSTROUS BEAUTY AT THE MET Chinoiserie Through a Feminist Lens Met Museum curator Iris Moon dismantles misconceptions of vanity and frivolity within the porcelain craft in the upcoming exhibition Monstrous Beauty. | Rhea Nayyar The Making of a Feminist Audio Guide at The Met Curator Iris Moon knew she wanted to bring the voices of Asian-American women into Monstrous Beauty, and an audio guide provided the perfect platform. | Sarah Bochicchio

TRANSITIONS Carlos Basualdo was named director of the Nasher Sculpture Center. Sarah E. Kleinman was named the new director of Texas State Galleries at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas. Michael Koresky was appointed senior curator of film at the Museum of the Moving Image. Dalton Paula is now represented by Lisson Gallery in collaboration with Martins&Montero gallery and Cerrado Galeria de Arte. The estate of Faith Ringgold is now represented by Jack Shainman Gallery. Diallo Simon-Ponte was appointed curator of artist programs at the Speed Art Museum. Pierre Terjanian was named director and chief executive officer of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES Samar Abu Elouf won the 2025 World Press Photo of the Year award. Read more at Hyperallergic. Sara Cwynar, Theaster Gates, and Kyungmi Shin are among the 2025 Guggenheim Fellows in Fine Arts. See the full list here.

MOST POPULAR Amy Sherald’s Parables of Black American Life Workers Protest Abrupt Layoffs at Guggenheim Museum Peek Inside Three Frank Lloyd Wright Homes Up for Grabs in Michigan Five New York City Art Shows to See Right Now Was Rembrandt Inspired by the Story of Queen Esther?

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