The New York Acadamy of Art: About Face
Currated by Scott Avett & David Kratz
The Southamption Arts Center
This summer, the New York Academy of Art will present “About Face” at the Southampton Arts Center, co-curated by artist and musician Scott Avett and Academy President David Kratz. Generously sponsored by Cadogan Tate, “About Face” will be on view July 28 – September 17. The Southampton Arts Center will celebrate with an opening reception on Friday, July 28 from 6 - 8 pm at the Southampton Arts Center, located at 25 Jobs Lane in Southampton. An artist talk moderated by the curators will be presented on August 25.
Following on last year’s successful inaugural exhibition at the Southampton Art Center, the New York Academy of Art presents its second blockbuster exhibition in the Hamptons, a major survey of contemporary portraiture. “About Face” features over 70 works of sculpture, painting and photography which examine the diverse ways human beings are presented in the art of today. Works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Vanessa Beecroft, Will Cotton, Dana Schutz, Nicole Eisenman, Eric Fischl, Alex Katz, Damian Loeb, Alice Neel, Larry Rivers, Cindy Sherman, Laurie Simmons, Billy Sullivan, Mickalene Thomas, Dustin Yellin and more will be presented alongside works from Academy alumni, students and faculty. In the era of the ubiquitous “selfie,” this exhibition asks viewers to slow down and consider the story inherent in every human face.
The curatorial theme of portraiture is closely tied to the Academy’s founding mission of promoting the tradition of figurative work in the context of contemporary art. Founded in 1982 by artists, scholars and patrons of the arts, including Andy Warhol, the New York Academy of Art is a not-for-profit education and cultural institution which combines intensive technical training in drawing, painting and sculpture with active critical discourse. Academy students are taught traditional methods and techniques and encouraged to use these skills to make vital contemporary art. Through major exhibitions, a lively speaker series, and an PRESS RELEASE @newyorkacademyofart @newyorkacademyofart /newyorkacademyofart ambitious educational program, the Academy serves as a creative and intellectual center for all artists dedicated to highly skilled, conceptually aware figurative and representational art.
