Visual Arts at Americas Society

02/23/2023

Tropico es Politico is now open at ! Check out the exhibition in San Juan this spring or visit our website for more information. Exhibition pocketbooks are still available - order your copy today!

02/21/2023

“My mission is this: to get what I have, so that the next day I can represent the existence of Earth. It is the meaning of my life…. And in my representation I will receive many gifts from the world.” - Arthur Bispo do Rosario

Gallery hours: Wednesday - Friday, 12pm-6pm, Saturday 12pm-5pm
Our galleries are free and open to the public.

📸Installation view, Bispo do Rosario: All Existing Materials on Earth, Americas Society New York, January 25 - May 20, 2023, Image: Arturo Sanchez.

02/15/2023

LIVE TODAY at 5:00 pm EST, IN THE STUDIO: LEDA CATUNDA

Brazilian artist Leda Catunda () will discuss these works and others with Ricardo Resende(), co-curator of Bispo do Rosario: All Existing Materials on Earth.

Leda Catunda was born and currently lives in São Paulo, Brazil. Her inclusion in Como Vai Você?, Geração 80, a watershed group show at Parque Lage Visual Art School in Rio de Janeiro in 1984, cemented Catunda’s pivotal position in Brazilian contemporary art and ushered in a revitalization in painting.

Tune in to our live story to hear more

A Vitrine, 1984, acrylic on artificial fur, 200 x 400 cm

O Espírito do Jardim, 1990, acrylic on canvas and leather coat, 198 x 158 cm

Cadu, 2010, acrylic on canvas and fabric, 231 x 335 cm

Botão, 2014, acrylic on fabric and leather and t-shirt, ø 214 cm

Véus, 2018, watercolor with collage, 57 x 45,5 cm

Roupinha II, watercolor with collage, 21 x 15 cm

02/10/2023

Join us in person on Monday, February 27th for two panel discussions “The Drawings of Minnie Evans” and “A Chess Game with Bispo do Rosario," organized in collaboration with Outsider Art Fair.

5:00 to 6:00 PM
"The Drawings of Minnie Evans" is a conversation on the life and work of artist Minnie Evans (1892–1987) between Nathan Kernan, Elizabeth Penton, and Wayne Evans, moderated by Esther Adler.

6:15 to 7:15 PM
“A Chess Game with Bispo do Rosario” will feature writer, curator, and editor Edward M. Gómez, and Bispo do Rosario: All Existing Materials on Earth Co-Curator Javier Téllez to discuss Bispo do Rosario’s oeuvre.

To RSVP, click the link in our bio!

*Masks are encouraged.

Artworks:
Minnie Evans, Green Animal, c. 1963. Colored pencil, crayon, oil, and pencil on paper. 8 3/4 × 11 7/16" (22.3 × 29 cm). Courtesy the Museum of Modern Art New York / Gift of Mrs. Nina Howell Starr.

Arthur Bispo do Rosario, Untitled [Uma obra tāo importante que levou 1986 anos para ser escrita (A work so important that it took 1986 years to be written)], n.d. Fabric, thread, wood, metal. 101 ½ x 59 3⁄8 inches (258 x 150 x 1 cm). All the works reproduced are courtesy of Museu Bispo do Rosario Arte Contemporânea. Photo: Rafael Ardojan

01/24/2023

Join us tomorrow January 25th for the opening of our Spring exhibition Bispo do Rosario: All Existing Materials on Earth!

The artists created more than one thousand objects from within a psychiatric institution in Rio de Janeiro, where he lived most of his life. The exhibition brings together some of his iconic artworks, including hand-embroidered textiles with assorted attached elements, mixed-media sculptures, and his signature “Annunciation Garment”, his best known work.

Join us for the opening reception at Americas Society from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

To RSVP, click the link in our bio!

This exhibition will be on view from January 25 to May 20, 2023.

The exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Museu Bispo do Rosario Arte Contemporânea in Rio de Janeiro, and is co-curated by Aimé Iglesias Lukin, Ricardo Resende, and Javier Téllez, with Tie Jojima.

Artwork caption: Untitled [Grande Veleiro (Big sailboat)], n.d. Wood, plastic, fabric,
foam, metal, ink, graphite, paper, found materials, thread, fiber,
nylon. 46 ½ x 62 ¼ x 25 ½ inches (118 x 158 x 65 cm).

01/24/2023

01/23/2023

12/20/2022

We are closed for the Holidays and will reopen our galleries on January 25 after installing our next exhibition Bispo do Rosario: All Materials on Earth. Wishing you Happy Holidays and a great start of 2023!

Image caption: Untitled [Recordações (Recollections)], n.d. Fabric, thread, wood, plastic, synthetic leather, paper, graphite, ink. 523⁄4 × 751⁄4 × 37⁄8 inches (134 × 191 × 10 cm)

12/07/2022

IN THE STUDIO: Averia Wright

Join us tomorrow, December 7th at 5:00pm EST LIVE on Instagram Live (.visualarts) for a conversation between Bahamian artist Averia Wright () and Marina Reyes Franco (.visitoreconomy), Curator at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico.



📸: Hileum Creative

11/23/2022

LIVE TODAY at 5:00 pm EST, IN THE STUDIO: DIONNE BENJAMIN-SMITH

Bahamian-American artist Dionne Benjamin-Smith () will discuss her work with Marina Reyes Franco (.visitoreconomy), Curator at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico ().

As a visual artist, Dionne’s printmaking has been described as “iconoclastic, smart and passionate” and often uses tongue-in-cheek references to deliver her observations of art, culture and society. Her work has been discussed and featured in international art journals and publications as well as in essays and articles by noted writers, curators and historians. Dionne continues to exhibit her print work in group exhibitions at home and internationally. Her work has been collected by private and museum collections in The Bahamas, US, and Europe.
Tune in to our live story to hear more

1. Real Bahamian Art Series (2006)
2. “bishops, bishops everywhere and not a drop to drink” (2003)
3. “built on sand,” (2003)
4. "Greased" (2004)
5. "Sweetheart" (2004)
6. “Black Man” (2004)
7. “Bahamian Colloquialisms, Parts 1-44” (2006)
8. “Beauty for Ashes” (2018)
9. “Faces” (1990-1995)
10. “lost in paradise” (1990-1995)

11/22/2022

IN THE STUDIO: Dionne Benjamin-Smith

Join us tomorrow, November 23rd at 5:00pm EST LIVE on Instagram Live for a conversation between Bahamian-American artist Dionne Benjamin-Smith () and Marina Reyes Franco (.visitoreconomy), Curator at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico () and the current exhibition. This event is part of our public programs series In the Studio, where contemporary artists present their work and practice.



📸 Installation Photo: Arturo Sanchez

11/15/2022

TODAY, Tuesday, November 15, we are presenting the Roundtable Discussion: Tropical Is Political: Caribbean Art Under the Visitor Economy Regime. Marina Reyes Franco .visitoreconomy, Curator of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico (), will be in conversation with artists Joiri Minaya , Oneika Rusell , and David Smith to discuss the effects of tourism and finance on subjects including economic policy, self image and artistic production.

The program will take place in person at Americas Society (680 Park Avenue) from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. Join us!

To register and more information please visit the link in our bio.

*Masks are required to attend this event

Image credit: Dave Smith. Night and Day-O, 2012. Acrylic and glitter on canvas, 96 × 60 inches (228.6 × 152.4 cm). Courtesy of the artist
📷: Arturo Sánchez (photo details)

11/14/2022

Join us tomorrow, Tuesday, November 15th for the Roundtable Discussion: Tropical Is Political: Caribbean Art Under the Visitor Economy Regime. Marina Reyes Franco .visitoreconomy , Curator of the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico ( ), will be in conversation with artists Joiri Minaya , Oneika Rusell , and David Smith to discuss the effects of tourism and finance on subjects including economic policy, self image and artistic production.

The program will take place in person at Americas Society (680 Park Avenue) from 6:00 to 8:00 pm.

To register and more information please visit the link in our bio.

*Masks are required to attend this event

Image credit: Joiri Minaya (left to right)
Labadee, 2017. HD video installation, 7:10 minutes, dimensions variable. Courtesy of the artist
The Upkeepers, 2021. Archival pigment print, 17 × 11 inches (43.2 × 27.9 cm). Courtesy of the artist
Ayoowiri/Girl with Poinciana Flowers, 2020. Archival pigment print, 17 × 11 inches (43.2 × 27.9 cm). Courtesy of the artist
📷: Arturo Sánchez

11/02/2022

LIVE TODAY at 5:00 pm EST, IN THE STUDIO: nibia pastrana santiago. Puerto Rican artist nibbia pastrana santiago (.pastrana.santiago) will discuss these works and others with writer and independent curator Nicole Smythe-Johnson (). Tune in to our live story to hear more.



los presidentes pisan, o conmemorando lo invisible, o quiero ser una iconoclasta sexy [the presidents step on, or commemorating the invisible, or I want to be a sexy iconoclast], 2014

los presidentes pisan, o conmemorando lo invisible, o quiero ser una iconoclasta sexy [the presidents step on, or commemorating the invisible, or I want to be a sexy iconoclast], 2014

Baliza (Beacon), 2019

YOUR ISLAND HERE, 2019 Videostill: Jarrod Dugger

TTTT: Thank You Tego, Thank You Trisha, 2019 Photo: Dale Brown

TTTT: Thank You Tego, Thank You Trisha, 2019 Photo: Dale Brown

Reenactment of Francisco Oller’s “Portrait of William McKinley,” 2020 | Francisco Oller, Portrait of William McKinley, 1898

El Weather Bureau, 2021 Photo: José López Serra, Hidrante

El Weather Bureau, 2021 Photo: José López Serra, Hidrante

YOUR ISLAND HERE, 2022