Early in this issue’s profile of Jeffrey Gibson by Art in America executive editor Andy Battaglia, the artist remembers being in Venice in 2007 to see the work of fellow Native American artist Edgar Heap of Birds, who had a project organized by curator Kathleen Ash-Milby on view there. The exhibition was a collateral event around the Venice Biennale, and it was unusual then for the work of a Native artist to show on such a global scale. Recalling a conversation with Ash-Milby at the time, Gibson said, “I think we both kind of felt like, Is this the beginning of something—something that hasn’t happened?” This year, Gibson himself registered an even bigger achievement when he became the first Native American artist to take over the United States Pavilion with a solo show at the Biennale.
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All the Icon artists in this issue, to a greater or lesser degree, have had to wait for the world to be truly ready for their work—in essence, to catch up with them. For Fred Eversley, it took half a century for discrimination against Black artists to fade, to enable him to produce his parabolic sculptures on a large scale. The art world had to evolve to acclaim ceramics, a medium that was often associated more with craft, before Arlene Shechet saw her artworks positioned on a global stage. Joan Snyder practiced patience until ambitious painting by women began to earn appreciation the same way that men’s did before she started to draw the attention she deserves. And Shahzia Sikander’s miniature painting awaited recognition as an avant-garde approach before she could begin to expand her practice.
In the meantime, these artists didn’t wait at all, of course: they made work, got it shown, and, slowly but surely, produced the change they hoped to see. The profiles of these artists all showcase one essential trait for iconic artists: a profound perseverance.
As we celebrate these towering figures, we mourn another: the sculptor Richard Serra, who died in March. Serra’s works were the most aggressive, imposing, and deeply memorable of the Post-Minimalists. In an Appreciation of the artist, Matilde Guidelli-Guidi, a curator at Dia Art Foundation, writes that the scale of Serra’s famous Torqued Ellipses “is more than can be fully comprehended, and their materiality attracts a kind of bodily engagement that is entirely their own.”
Finally, to mark the 150th anniversary of Impressionism, art historian Kelly Presutti offers readers a Syllabus of lively and informative books—including recent volumes that expand the scope of the movement that changed painting forever and launched a thousand blockbusters. Study up, and you might just be ready for the latest one: “Paris 1874: Inventing Impressionism,” which runs through July 14 at the Musée d’Orsay.
FEATURES
Hide and Seek
Jeffrey Gibson puts Native American culture on poignant display in the Venice Biennale’s US Pavilion.
by Andy Battaglia
Don’t Box Her In
On the eve of a career retrospective, Shahzia Sikander continues to elude categorization.
by Eleanor Heartney
Full Circle
In 1967, Fred Eversley left a job with NASA to become an artist. Now, he’s finally realizing ideas 50 years in the making.
by Emily Watlington
Work Hard Play Hard
Eccentric sculptor Arlene Shechet makes her recalcitrant materials feel fresh and alive.
by Glenn Adamson
Painting the Roses Red
Joan Snyder’s searching canvases cast her as an uncompromising creator both in and out of control.
by Barry Schwabsky
DEPARTMENTS
Datebook
A highly discerning list of things to experience over the next three months.
by the Editors of A.i.A.
Hard Truths
An artist rues downsizing his studio, and another wanders into unwanted political territory. Plus, an interactive quiz.
by Chen & Lampert
Sightlines
Multidisciplinary creator Miranda July tells us what she likes.
by Francesca Aton
Inquiry
A Q&A with Joyce J. Scott about her pointed and playful provocations.
by Andy Battaglia
Object Lesson
An annotation of Tomashi Jackson’s Here at the Western World (Professor Windham’s Early 1970’s Classroom & the 1972 Second Baptist Church Choir).
by Francesca Aton
Battle Royale
Italy vs. Greece—two summer vacation art destinations face off.
by the Editors of A.i.A.
Syllabus
A reading list for a crash course on Impressionism.
by Kelly Presutti
Appreciation
A tribute to Richard Serra, a sculptor without peer.
by Matilde Guidelli-Guidi
New Talent
Singaporean photographer and filmmaker Charmaine Poh confronts trade-offs between visibility and protection.
by Clara Che Wei Peh
Issues & Commentary
AI imagery is inciting widespread paranoia. Can art historians help?
by Sonja Drimmer
Spotlight
Mexican painter María Izquierdo is finally getting the attention she deserves.
by Edward J. Sullivan
Book Review
A reading of Claire Bishop’s Disordered Attention: How We Look at Art and Performance Today.
by Emily Watlington
Cover Artist
Jeffrey Gibson talks about her artwork featured on the front of A.i.A.
REVIEWS
Lagos
Lagos Diary
by Emmanuel Iduma
New York
The 2024 Whitney Biennial
by Emily Watlington
“Joan Jonas: Good Night Good Morning”
by Jenny Wu
Metz
“Lacan, the exhibition. When art meets psychoanalysis”
by Brian Ng
Venice
“Pierre Huyghe: Liminal”
by Eleanor Heartney
Cape Town
“Esther Mahlangu: Then I Knew I Was Good at Painting”
by Nkgopoleng Moloi