The New Contemporary at the Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute's already extensive contemporary art collection was made richer this year by the generous donation of Chicago art collectors Stefan Edlis and Gael Neeson. The 44 paintings, sculptures, and photographs complete the largest donation in the museum's history. Their gift charts the course of the most adventurous art movements since the 1950s, featuring abstract expressionist Cy Twombly and Pop Art legend Andy Warhol. The collection also chronicles the significant and enduring influence of Pop Art on later generations of artists, including the photography-based critiques of Richard Prince and Cindy Sherman, and the pop-culture riffs of Jeff Koons. Newly designed, the New Contemporary exhibit at the Art Institute features these new donations alongside its comprehensive collection of works by Jackson Pollack, Felix Gonzalez-Torres, David Hockney, Joan Mitchell, Nan Goldin, Barbara Kruger, and more. See the exhibition now at the Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL. Photographs by Keely Shinners

RIP Ellsworth Kelly (1927 - 2015)

Ellsworth Kelly was an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker associated with hard-edge painting, Color Field painting and the minimalist school. His works demonstrate unassuming techniques emphasizing simplicity of form, He lived and worked in Spencertown, New York and died there at the age of 92. photograph by Michel Grinberg

A Belgian Artist Makes His Big Break In America: Read Our Interview With Musician and Artist Joris Van de Moortel →

Joris Van de Moortel, 31, has intrusive bluish-gray eyes. They are unsettling; despite the subdued kindness that surrounds them. Looking in to them one realizes Moortel doesn’t see the same boundaries most of us do, the boundaries that most of us construct our lives around. Moortel smashes, sometimes literally, the line between art and music. He is both musician and artist and the two feed off one another. Moortel makes mixed media pieces that often incorporate elements of his musical performances; a guitar he smashed on stage the night before, panels from a stage he played on. Sometimes the work comes after a performance; sometimes it’s made during. Read our interview with the artist here. 

Takuroh Toyama "Float" Photography Exhibition At Kata Gallery's Ebisu Liquid Room in Tokyo

Takuroh Toyama is a photographer based in Tokyo and my good friend. He actually has a lot to do with how I started taking photographs and continue doing it now. I had never encountered photography that moved me before, but the first time I saw his photos it felt like they were somehow different from anything I'd seen up to that point, and I still can clearly remember how excited they made me. It doesn't matter if the subject is fashion or a band, his pictures have a consistency and are full of his own thoughts and viewpoint. That isn't a negative thing, it's in every way positive, and there is a chaotic blend of a longing gaze that isn't offensive, and a warmth overflowing with humanity. He introduced me to the work of amazing photographers like Ryan McGinley and Peter Sutherland. He always walks around with his camera and is always taking pictures. He never does anything stupid like going to hip parties and only taking pictures of cool people. He knows those kinds of pictures aren't any good (they just get consumed), and he is well aware the "cool" generally talked about is a persona. I really feel like I learned a lot from that attitude of his and his work which is full of it. His exhibition ended just the other day. I helped out and just because I was free I went there many days, and there were always only good people there. The mood was always good, and even though it's too bad that it ended, you can see his photos online too, so definitely take a look. text and photographs by Yuki Kikuchi. Translation by Bowen Cassey

Read Autre's Top 10 Picks For The Best Gallery Exhibitions Of 2015 →

Click here to read Adam Lehrer's top 10 picks for the best art exhibitions of 2015.

Erik Parker "Undertow" @ Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York

Employing his own wildly inventive architecture and signature neon palate, Erik Parker creates bold, graphic compositions that riff on the traditional genres of portraiture and still-life.  His visionary paintings draw their inspiration from diverse elements of American subcultureβ€”psychedelia, underground comic books, the Chicago Imagists, hip hop and heavy metalβ€” as well as Picasso,  Francis Bacon and Roy Lichtenstein. Erik Parker "Undertow" will be on view until January 16, 2016 at Paul Kasmin Gallery. photographs by Scout MacEachron

LAND Presents Brian Bress 'A Toyota's A Toyota' @ The Desmond In Los Angeles

LAND presents a site-specific exhibition of newly commissioned works by Los Angeles-based artist Brian Bress at The Desmond (formerly Desmond’s Department Store), an Art Deco landmark on Miracle Mile. The exhibition, A Toyota’s a Toyota, includes a large-scale video projection, entitled NOON NOON, and a six-channel HD monitor β€œwindow display” installation, entitled The Desmond Six. Both works feature painted panels – bucolic mountain landscapes in NOON NOON and a white and grey grid mimicking the architectural windows on the building’s faΓ§ade above in The Desmond Six – which are cut through from behind to reveal candy-colored striped cartoonish figures, both bulbous and cylindrical, tightly positioned within the picture plane. NOON NOON mirrors itself on opposing walls, while the cutting of each of the letters of β€œNOON” are slowly revealed, again mimicking itself as each letter is cut.  'A Toyota's A Toyota' will be on view until January 6, 2016 at the Desmond, 5514 Wilshire Boulevard Los Angeles, CA

Paola Pivi "Project for Etchigo-Tsumari" Opening at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, Italy

Contemporary artist Paola Pivi interacts with Renaissance architecture, with a surreal and colorful inflatable staircase over 20 metres tall in the courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi. The celebrated Italian contemporary artist will be invading Palazzo Strozzi with a monumental installation entitled Untitled (Project for Etchigo-Tsumari). The installation will be on view until February 28, 2016 at Piazza degli Strozzi, 50123 Florence, Italy. photographs by Beatrice Lontani

Uprooting Sculpture As We Know It: Read Our Interview With Artist James Capper On Scorching New Paths For An Old Art Form →

James Capper looks a bit like a mad scientist. He is standing in the middle of a park holding a comically large box with buttons and joysticks on it. It’s raining and everything, including Capper, appears to be sinking in to the grass. His hair and clothing are soaked; his expression part exasperation, part intense focus. The box is attached to a Mini-Cooper-sized, spider-like machine that Capper is controlling. The machine raises and lowers it’s legs, taking chunks of grass with it. A small crowd gathers to watch. β€œI didn’t expect all the rain,” Capper says to no one in particular. Click here to read more. 

Full Moon Group Show At Spinello Projects In Miami's Little River District

β€œFull Moon” reflects a specific time on the lunar calendar characterized by mystery, magic, and mayhem. The Full Moon is understood, both within vernacular and occult cultures, to be a time of transition, of letting go, and of reaching full potential. A symbolic, purifying gesture is undertaken during this phase of the Lunar Cycle, whereupon old identities, attitudes, and behaviors are shed in favor of more vibrant, more vital possibilities. All ten Spinello Projects represented artists will participate: Farley Aguilar, Kris Knight, Aramis Gutierrez, Sinisa Kukec, Manny Prieres, Santiago Rubino, Naama Tsabar, TYPOE, Agustina Woodgate, and Antonia Wright. Special live performances by past collaborators will include Psychic Youth, Inc. and Franky Cruz. Full Moon will be on view until January 9, 2015 at Spinello Projects, 7221 NW 2nd Ave Miami, FL

Beatriz Monteavaro "Nochebuena" @ Locust Projects In Miami

Locust Projects presents Nochebuena, a new immersive installation by Cuban-born, Miami-based artist Beatriz Monteavaro. The exhibition is centered around memories of family gatherings in the artist’s childhood home, with a focus on the celebrations surrounding Nochebuena (Cuban Christmas Eve). Monteavaro’s work is influenced by the English Punk Rock music scene, science fiction and horror movies, and the fantasy environments of Disney Theme Parks. She has adapted and transformed some of her existing paintings, drawings and sculpture for this installation, which are presented in combination with new sculptural pieces, seasonal decorations, and special lighting. Beatriz Monteavaro "Nochebuena" will be on view until January 9, 2015 at Locust Projects, 3852 North Miami Avenue, Miami Florida

Raymond Pettibon Creates A Limited Edition Tote Bag To Support The New York Public Library

This season, MZ Wallace teamed up with artist Raymond Pettibon to create a tote bag that benefits the New York Public Library. 100% of the proceeds will go toward enhancing the library’s special collections. Click here to purchase. photograph by Brad Elterman

DevontΓ© Hynes and Ryan McNamara β€œDimensions” Performance at the PΓ©rez Art Museum Miami

Last week, during Art Basel Miami, PΓ©rez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) commissioned a collaborative performance between musician DevontΓ© Hynes (Blood Orange) and artist Ryan McNamara. The performance on PAMM’s terrace included an original multi-part composition by Hynes, an internationally-acclaimed musician and producer, and sculptural elements and choreography by McNamara, a celebrated performance artist. Presented within the global context of Miami Art Week, the performance was an allegory of Miami’s history as a place of fantasy and fragmentation. photographs by Scout MacEachron