RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton
Kehinde Wiley’s "Portrait of Moerai Matuanui" (2019); Huile sur lin/ Oil on linen; 72 x 60 3/8 in. at Galerie Templon in Paris, France through July 20, 2019
We’re back from our fantasy island trip to Key West, to finally discover the big news of the solo show, “Tahiti: Kehinde Wiley” in Paris. It’s Kehinde Wiley’s response to Paul Gaugin’s fantasy island escape to Tahiti, and his erotic depictions of their trans women known as Māhū spiritual leaders  (See  “Pape Moe"). Gauguin knew Tahiti was right for him, but he painted for Christian colonizers, and Kehinde delves more deeply into Gaugin’s fantasy. That’s why “Portrait of Moerai Matuanui” makes Kehinde Wiley, our artist of the week... again.

NEWS OF 2008-2019 from across the USA, and around the world:
Are you an artist? Are you a collector? If you like what you see each week, please invite a friend to subscribe to our periodic e-newsletter. You can also follow us weekly on Twitter, Facebook, or Soundcloud but only subscribers can vote for the Alpha Omega Prize. It is our annual recognition each November 1st of one artist's impact on religious dialogue in America.
Kehinde Wiley. Photo © Brad Ogbonna. Courtesy Templon, Paris & Brussels.
The Siesta, 2019 Huile sur lin / Oil on linen 183 x 244 cm 72 x 96 1/8 in. photo : Diane Arques / ADAGP, Paris, 2019
Portrait of Tuatini Manate,III, 2019 Huile sur lin / Oil on linen 180 x 241,5 cm 70 7/8 x 95 1/8 in. photo : Diane Arques / ADAGP, Paris, 2019
Paul Gauguin's "Pape moe" (1893) Oil on canvas99 x 65 cm; Courtesy Foundation EG Bührle. Private collection, Switzerland