A LACMA exhibit, now in its final days, reveals the artistic achievement in Catholic New Spain

ANGELOUS
By Pablo Kay

‘The Virgin of Guadalupe, Christ Carrying the Cross, Saints, and Souls in Purgatory’ (1770-80) — José de Páez​

LOS ANGELES, CA---Mexico produced some very impressive Christian art during the 18th century, and a traveling exhibition currently at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is here to remind Angelenos why. Featuring more than 100 works on loan from south of the border, “Pinxit Mexico” (“Painted in Mexico”) offers a look at Mexico’s 18th-century artistic culture while still under the Spanish crown. The works are in LA thanks to a collaboration between LACMA and Fomento Cultural Banamex, A.C., in Mexico City. “Pinxit Mexico” will be at LACMA until March 18, before it moves to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, where it will be on display from late April until July 2018. [More]

Major painting by Bartolomé Pérez de la Dehesa identified at Hearst Castle

ARTDAILY

Bartolomé Pérez de la Dehesa (c. 1634 - 1698), The Annunciation, approx. 8 feet high x 5 feet wide. ©Hearst Castle®/CA State Parks.

SAN SIMEON, CA.- A painting of the Annunciation, one of the most prominent works of art (approx. 8 feet high x 5 feet wide) in the Assembly Room at Hearst Castle, has been securely identified as a masterpiece by the Spanish painter Bartolomé Pérez de la Dehesa (c. 1634 - 1698). Primarily known for his floral still-lifes, Pérez was named painter to King Charles II in 1689. Only a few large-scale figural compositions by him exist. “This is a major new discovery for the oeuvre of Pérez,” remarked Mary Levkoff, museum director at Hearst Castle. “Thanks to the keen attention of Carson Cargill and Laurel Rodger, two of our guides responsible for public education, the signature and inscription were noticed in the raking light of late autumn.” [More]

The scion of a Pakistani political dynasty comes out

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Saira Khan

Installation view of “The Third Muslim” at the SOMArts Cultural Center in San Francisco, which Mr. Bhutto helped organize. “Cloak,” above, is by Jamil Hellu. Credit Jason Henry for The New York Times

SAN FRANCISCO---The video, posted on the internet last summer, wasn’t supposed to be the coming-out story of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. It opens with the voice of a man wryly narrating a fictional encounter in which he is asked to leave an airplane for “speaking Arabian.” The words “Queer Muslim Proud” appear on the screen, followed by an introduction to the subject, in neon letters. Mr. Bhutto is a visual and performance artist who lives in San Francisco, and the video about him was created by filmmakers as part of “The Turmeric Project,” a series highlighting L.G.B.T.Q. South Asians living in America. Much of his work, including a recent show at the city’s SOMArts Cultural Center, explores the intersection of Islam, sexuality and masculinity. [More]

California artist weaves faith into acclaimed works

THE OAKLAND PRESS
By Kimberly Winston, Religion News Service

Lorenzo Hurtado Segovia, 38, is a contemporary artist who taps into his faith to create art that pushes back against conservative notions of Christianity. RNS photo by Kimberly Winston

LOS ANGELES---Lorenzo Hurtado Segovia had a full scholarship to study engineering and was more than halfway to his degree when he took an art class. It changed his life. Today, Hurtado Segovia, 38, is a much-admired contemporary artist who lives, works and shows in this city, which has become ground zero for much of American contemporary art. He is fresh off a critically acclaimed solo show that one reviewer called “deftly crafted, quirky, spiritual, private and timeless.” He is also Christian, something that frequently makes its way into his work in ways both open and veiled. “One of the challenges I have is to speak to Christians and to non-Christians in an accessible language,” Hurtado Segovia said. [More]

West Marin artist paints 10,000 Buddhas one Buddha at a time

MARIN INDEPENDENT JOURNAL
By Paul Liberatore, Marin Independent Journal

Amanda Giacomini of Point Reyes Station works on one of her murals — the yoga teacher and artist has painted Buddha murals all over the world. codyapp.com photo

MARIN, CA---What do you do after you’ve painted 10,000 Buddhas? If you’re yoga teacher and artist Amanda Giacomini, you paint 10,000 more. Inspired by ancient Buddhist monuments she saw during a visit to India 11 years ago, the 44-year-old Yoga Journal cover girl has painted Buddha murals all over the world, from West Marin to Washington, D.C., Central America, Europe and Asia. “My goal was to paint 10,000 Buddhas, but I didn’t know much more than that when I started on this journey,” she said. “But I’ve learned from many years of practicing yoga that all of the benefits of the practice really come from consistent effort over a long period of time.” [More]

RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton

Giovanni Bellini,'s "Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist and a Female Saint in a Landscape" (detail), about 1501, continues at the Getty Museum through Jan. 14, 2018.

Greg just finished his third year of Christmas concerts as a member of the Indianapolis Men’s Chorus, and Ernest's favorite part was the second half featuring sacred hymns. These hymns, like “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Mary, Did You Know?,” and “The First Noel” force us to pause and to focus on religious traditions that we see disappearing from December. But, what can anyone do to fix it? That is why we celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas (Dec. 25-Jan 5) and include a visit to a local art museum as part of that celebration. Religious art powerfully focuses our attention on the sacred, and one such painting is now on exhibit at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Created in 1501, Giovanni Bellini’s “Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist and a Female Saint in a Landscape” would be perfect for anyone's 12 Days of Christmas.

Review 'Painted in Mexico': LACMA's remarkable and important new show

THE LOS ANGELES TIMES
By Christopher Knight, Art Critic

Nicolás Enríquez (attrib.), "Virgin of Sorrows," circa 1750 LACMA

LOS ANGELES---To get an idea of just how bold and ambitious painters were in 18th century Mexico, an era of unprecedented splendor in the colony of New Spain, look no further than the very first painting at the entrance to a smashing new exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Juan Rodríguez Juárez and his brother, Nicolás, were leading artists in Mexico City early in the century. It was one of four commissions for the chapel altar of an important Jesuit residence. The LACMA exhibition, “Painted in Mexico, 1700-1790: Pinxit Mexici,” is filled with eye-popping pictorial moments like this. [More]

Gauguin's spiritual journey coming to the de Young Museumin November 2018

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS 

Paul Gauguin (French, 1848–1903) "Woman with Mango Fruits," ca. 1889 Painted oak, 11 3/4 x 19 1/4 in. (30 x 49 cm) Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, 1781 Photograph by Ole Haupt © Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen

SAN FRANCISCO---An exceptional display of more than fifty paintings, wood carvings and ceramics by the French post-impressionist artist Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) from the renowned collections of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, will be on view for the first time in San Francisco at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. These pieces will be presented alongside Oceanic art from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s permanent collection and with works on paper by Gauguin from the Museums’ Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts. The exhibition (November 11, 2018 - April 7, 2019)  will explore Gauguin’s inner quests and imaginings—his spiritual journey—and how his intimate relationships with his wife, other artists, and people he encountered during his sojourns shaped his experiences, his work, and his development as an artist. [More]

Renaissance art goes green in two exhibits at the Getty Museum

RELIGION NEWS SERVICE
By Kimberly Winston

Giovanni Bellini,'s "Virgin and Child with Saint John the Baptist and a Female Saint in a Landscape" (detail), about 1501,  tempera and oil on wood panel. Gallerie dell’Accademia, Venice. Photo credit: Scala/Ministero per i Beni e le Attività culturali / Art Resource, NY

LOS ANGELES---Think of an illuminated manuscript and a few stock images come to mind: ornate capital letters, high-browed pale ladies, haloed babies and lines of Latin words in Gothic script. But two current shows at the Getty Center, this city’s white Legoland of a hilltop museum, ask viewers to look beyond those conventions to the backgrounds of illustrated religious manuscripts. “The goal of these artists was to promote a deeper meditation,” said Alexandra Kaczenski, co-curator of one of the exhibitions. “The hope was that these images would promote an emotional connection in the viewer that would be the equivalent of being there when Christ was crucified.” [More]

First North American survey of paintings by trailblazing Chinese Artist Chen Hongshou now at Berkeley

ARTFIX DAILY

Chen Hongshou (1599–1652) , Self-image , Ca. 1633, Album of eleven paintings; ink and color on silk, 8 3/4 x 8 9/16 in. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Wan-go H. C. Weng, 1999 999.521a-k

BERKELEY---One of the most influential artists of seventeenth-century imperial China is the subject of a major museum survey, the artist’s first in North America, when the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) presents "Repentant Monk: Illusion and Disillusion in the Art of Chen Hongshou." The exhibition includes twenty-five rarely exhibited works that exemplify Chen’s important role in driving the course of Chinese art history. The paintings are drawn from BAMPFA’s own substantial holdings of Chinese art and from international collections, including works from the Shanghai Museum that have never been exhibited in the United States. On view through January 28, 2018 [More]

Caravaggio: Masterpieces from the Galleria Borghese

APOLLO MAGAZINE

Saint Jerome (c. 1605–06), Caravaggio. Ministero dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo–Galleria Borghese

LOS ANGELES---Caravaggio developed a boldly naturalistic style that employed striking theatrical compositions and emphasized the humanity of his protagonists. The three paintings presented in this exhibition exemplify the crucial stages in Caravaggio’s short but intense career. Boy with a Basket of Fruit (c. 1593–94) represents the beginning of the artist’s career when he moved to Rome and attracted attention for his realistic genre scenes. Saint Jerome (c. 1605) portrays the saint in the dramatic lighting that Caravaggio made famous. Find out more about the Caravaggio exhibition from the Getty Center’s website. [More]

J. Paul Getty Museum presents "Sacred Landscapes: Nature in Renaissance Manuscripts"

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

"Scenes from the Creation, from the Prayer Book of Cardinal Albrecht of Bradenburg about 1525-30, Bruges, Simon Bening. The J. Paul Getty Museum

LOS ANGELES—Artists, intellectuals, and pious members of society in Renaissance Europe looked to nature for inspiration and guidance in their contemplation of divine order. The elements of the natural world—including rocks, trees, flowers, waterways, mountains, and even atmosphere—were combined in paintings, drawings, and manuscript illuminations to create expansive landscapes and vistas, which often formed the settings for secular and religious texts. Sacred Landscapes: Nature in Renaissance Manuscripts, on view October 10, 2017–January 14, 2018, at the J. Paul Getty Museum, explores the genre of landscape painting in works of art created for personal or communal devotion. [More]

Exhibition includes masterpieces by one of the most celebrated painters of the Italian Renaissance

ARTDAILY

Giovanni Bellini, Christ Blessing, about 1500. Tempera and oil on wood panel. Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas.

LOS ANGELES, CA.- One of the most beloved and influential religious painters of the Italian Renaissance, Giovanni Bellini (Venice, about 1435-1516) was also a master in depicting landscape. His paintings of religious scenes often featured evocative natural settings that were as important and affecting as their human subjects. On view October 10, 2017, through January 14, 2018, "Giovanni Bellini: Landscapes of Faith in Renaissance Venice" presents 12 paintings and one drawing that explore the poetic role played by the natural world in the artist’s religious compositions. The exhibition includes several masterpieces that rarely travel, making this an exceptional opportunity to experience the artistic beauty and iconographic complexity of Bellini’s art. [More]

Collectors: An artful marriage: she picks, he learns to like

THE NEW YORK TIMES
Show Us Your Walls
By Ted Loos

Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein with a Gutai painting at their home in San Francisco. Credit Jason Henry for The New York Times

SAN FRANCISCO — Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein have perfected a low-key California attitude about their success that takes years of practice. Married collectors and philanthropists who have reached a happy place — Mr. Silverstein is the co-founder of the advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners — they are enjoying life and don’t particularly feel the need to prove themselves further. At home, even the guest level has a shiny blue John McCracken painting over the bed and a Dan Flavin light piece in the hall, adjacent to a heavy, translucent Roni Horn sculpture that required reinforcing the floor. Upstairs, amid concrete walls and copious light, there are works by Maurizio Cattelan, Kurt Schwitters and Alexander Calder. Their bedroom features a small Pipilotti Rist projection piece. [More]

"Queerly Tèhuäntin | Cuir Us" brings together Queer and Chicanx Identities

HYPERALLERGIC
By Matthew Harrison Tedford

Gabriel García Román, “Carlos & Fernando” (2016) from the “Queer Icons” series (image courtesy of the artist)

SAN FRANCISCO---Rurru Mipanochia’s phantasmagorical and erotic paintings set the tone for Queerly Tèhuäntin | Cuir Us, an exhibition at Galería de la Raza in San Francisco that explores the intersection of queer and Chicanx and Mexican identities. The appropriation of traditional imagery is often discussed in terms of negations or deconstructions, but I don’t see the works in Queerly Tèhuäntin | Cuir Us as iconoclastic. Rather than serving as destructive images, these pieces are affirmations and constructions. Tèhuäntin means “us” in Nahuatl, and the works on display here are self-reflexive and forward-thinking representations of a community. Queerly Tèhuäntin | Cuir Us continues at Galería de la Raza (2857 24th Street, San Francisco) through October 7. [More]

Interdisciplinary, Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha talks belonging, immigration

NEW TIMES
By Ryan Cooley

IMMERSIVE A single bulb in artist Anila Quayyum Agha's installation piece on display at Cuesta College's Harold J. Miossi Gallery reflects an intricate pattern onto the walls and floor.

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA---You don't simply look at artist Anila Quayyum Agha's art, you walk through it. At 5 cubed-feet, the painted metallic cube easily takes over the room. A single bulb inside casts intricate designs and shadows onto the walls and floors, and when viewers walk through it, they become part of the art. "I see myself as an artist talking about my world and how I can make it better," Agha said. The Pakistan-born artist's exhibit, All The Flowers Are For Me, will be on display at Cuesta College's Harold J. Miossi Gallery from Aug. 24 to Sept. 22. [More]

"Painted in Mexico, 1700–1790" coming to Los Angeles County Museum of Art

APOLLO MAGAZINE

The Divine Spouse (c. 1750), Miguel Cabrera. Photo © Museum Associates/LACMA/Fomento Cultural Banamex, A.C., by Rafael Doniz

LOS ANGELES---This exhibition foregrounds the connections between Mexican painting and transatlantic artistic trends while emphasizing the former’s internal developments and remarkable pictorial output. In the 16th century, European artists immigrated to Mexico to decorate newly established churches and complete artistic commissions. The 18th century ushered in a period of artistic splendour as local schools of painting were consolidated, new iconographies were invented, and artists began to group themselves into academies. Find out more about the ‘Painted in Mexico’ exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. [More]

Asian Museum works to overcome neglect of Filipino art

THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
By Charles Desmaris

Carved figure of a “Crucified Christ” (ca. 1650-1750) by an unknown artist.

SAN FRANCISCO---Art museums in Europe and America reflect the tastes and interests, for the most part, of private collectors. What did not engage the collector, therefore, did not easily enter the museum. The Asian Art Museum acknowledges its own challenge with regard to the art of Southeast Asia — particularly the Philippines. There’s also the problem of stereotype expectations: Objects from a culture with strong Christian traditions and Spanish colonial influence just feel out of place to scholars looking for Buddhist or Hindu sources. A small exhibition on view through March 11, “Philippine Art: Collecting Art, Collecting Memories,” presents 25 acquisitions, nearly all made in the past 10 years. [More]

Indian Jewish artist turns ‘blue’ at Peninsula JCC

JEWISH NEWS OF NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
By Rob Gloster

“Lilith’s Lair and Other Stories of Deception” (2011) by Siona Benjamin. 39″ x 61″ gouache and mixed media on museum board.

FOSTER CITY, CA---“Very often I look down at my skin and it has turned blue,” says artist Siona Benjamin. “The blue skin has become a symbol for me of being a Jewish woman of color.” Benjamin, who was born in India and now lives in New Jersey, reflects her upbringing as a Bombay Jew in her artwork — which is on display through Sept. 18 at the Peninsula JCC in Foster City. Coming from a Hindu-majority nation in which the revered god Krishna is often depicted as having blue skin, Benjamin said that color represents a sense of crossing cultural lines. “Blue Like Me: Art by Siona Benjamin,” at Peninsula JCC, 800 Foster City Blvd., Foster City. Free. Through Sept. 18. [More]

Souls Grown Deep Foundation at the De Young Museum

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

SAN FRANCISCO---"Revelations: Art from the African American South" celebrates the debut of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco major acquisition from the Souls Grown Deep Foundation in Atlanta of 62 works by contemporary African American artists from the Southern United States. Included in the current acquisition are paintings, sculptures, drawings, and quilts by 22 acclaimed artists, including Thornton Dial, Annie Mae Young, and Purvis Young. The history of the partnership between the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the Souls Grown Deep Foundation dates back to 2006, when the Museums hosted the loan exhibition The Quilts of Gee’s Bend.