"Magic of The North" Retrospective Delves into Munch's Lights and Shadows @ Berlinische Galerie in Berlin

Edvard Munch challenged his contemporaries with the radical modernity of his paintings, especially in Berlin, where the Norwegian symbolist exerted a big influence around the turn of the century. The exhibition Magic of the North is a partnership with the MUNCH in Oslo. It tells the story of Edvard Munch and Berlin, illustrated by paintings, prints, and photographs.

The German capital was in the grip of a fervor for all things Nordic. Even the conservative Association of Berlin Artists invited the young artist, as yet unknown, to put on a solo exhibition in 1892. Viewers were shocked by the bright colors and perceived the paintings as sketchy. The show was forced to close shortly after opening. Munch’s works polarized people. The artist delighted in this public attention. He moved to the Spree, living and working in the city again and again between 1892 and 1908. The “Munch Affair”, as the press sardonically labeled the scandal, is seen as the beginning of Modernism in Berlin.

 
 

Magic of the North is on view through January 22nd at Berlinische Galerie, Berlin’s Museum of Modern Art, Photography and Architecture Alte Jakobstraße 124–128, 10969 Berlin.

Lenz Geerk: Mixed Blessings @ Roberts Projects In Los Angeles

Lenz Geerk is a figurative painter whose subjects of portraits, landscapes and still-lifes are portrayed in exceptional intensity and luminosity.He manipulates traditional techniques to bring distinct render to every figure through soft acrylic color. The nearly monochromatic palettes, only occasionally warmed by other colors, add an aura of heightened emotional tension. Geerk’s new series is an insightful examination into the undercurrent of the threat, uncertainty, and fear of the current day. Unlike “The Table Portraits”, Geerk’s first solo show with the gallery, there is no formal link between the individual works of this show. What ultimately connects the works on view is an underlying feeling of domestic suspense, fueled by an unsettling lack of faith in larger institutions. Mixed Blessings is on view through October 12 at Roberts Projects 5801 Washington Boulevard, Culver City, California. photographs courtesy of Roberts Projects

The Skirball Cultural Center Presents Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite in Los Angeles

Black Is Beautiful: The Photography of Kwame Brathwaite is on view now at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. The exhibition features over forty photographs of black women and men reclaiming their African roots with natural hair and clothes. This is the first-ever major exhibition dedicated to this key figure of the second Harlem Renaissance. In collaboration with the African Jazz-Art Society and Studios (AJASS) and Grandassa Models, Brathwaite organized fashion shows featuring clothing designed by the models themselves, took stunning portraits of jazz musicians, and captured the black arts community in a series of behind-the-scenes photographs. Brathwaite’s work challenged mainstream beauty standards while celebrating black beauty, instilling a sense of pride throughout the community. On view through September 1 at the Skirball Cultural Center 2701 N Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles. photos courtesy of the Skirball Cultural Center

Aaron Fowler's "Donkey Nights" @ Salon 94 Bowery In New York

Donkey Nights is an exhibition of new work by St. Louis native, Aaron Fowler. His massive, theatrical assemblage-paintings, made from discarded objects and unconventional materials, are sourced from his local surroundings. Through a layering of castoff furniture, paint, and collaged elements including iridescent CDs, mirror shards, wigs, water bottles, LED lights and sneakers, Fowler meticulously constructs his altar-like tableaux.  Religious icon painting comes to mind as do the combines of Robert Rauschenberg. In each of his layered, embellished works, Fowler constructs a personal narrative, both real and imagined, which comes alive through the materials he so carefully chooses and the subjects he celebrates. Portraits of the recently deceased, depictions of incarcerated family members, memorials to friends lost in acts of violence populate his work, as do fantastical scenarios incorporating historical figures, role models, and current public figures. Donkey Nights is on view through August 10th at Salon 94 Bowery, 243 Bowery New York. photographs by Adam Lehrer

William Eggleston Rare Book Signing @ David Zwirner On The Occasion Of His Exhibition At The National Portrait Gallery in London

On the occasion of the exhibition 'William Eggleston Portraits' at the National Portrait Gallery, David Zwirner hosted a rare book signing with William Eggleston at the London gallery, in partnership with The Photographers' Gallery. Eggleston is a pioneering American photographer renowned for his vivid, poetic and mysterious images. This exhibition of 100 works surveys Eggleston’s full career from the 1960s to the present day and is the most comprehensive display of his portrait photography ever. Eggleston is celebrated for his experimental use of color and his solo show at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in 1976 is considered a pivotal moment in the recognition of color photography as a contemporary art form. William Eggleston 'Portraits' will be on view from July 21 to October 23 at National Portrait Gallery in London. photographs by Flo Kohl

Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney’s Collection @ The Whitney Museum of American Art In New York

Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney’s Collection offers new perspectives on one of art’s oldest genres. Drawn entirely from the Museum’s holdings, the more than two hundred works in the exhibition show changing approaches to portraiture from the early 1900s until today. Bringing iconic works together with lesser-known examples and recent acquisitions in a range of mediums, the exhibition unfolds in eleven thematic sections on the sixth and seventh floors. Some of these groupings concentrate on focused periods of time, while others span the twentieth and twenty-first centuries to forge links between the past and the present. This sense of connection is one of portraiture’s most important aims, whether memorializing famous individuals long gone or calling to mind loved ones near at hand. Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney’s Collection will be on view until February 12, 2017 at the Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort Street, New York

DESIGNER J.W. ANDERSON RELEASES EXCLUSIVE PRINTS BY PHOTOGRAPHER IAN DAVID BAKER

J.W. Anderson is currently hosting an exclusive, online exhibition and print sale of photographs by English photographer Ian David Baker. Baker's intimate, black-and-white portraits and collages offer a rare glimpse into gay youth subculture of 1980s England. The 50 images displayed in the exhibit have been personally curated by designer Jonathan Anderson and selected from Baker's archive. Many of the negatives no longer exist, making these original prints the last remaining copies of Baker's early work. Visit J.W. Anderson's website to view the exhibition and purchase prints.