May 17, 2011

MATTHEW MILLER (MFA 2008, Fellow 2009) - New York Times

Travis Dubreuil for The New York Times
Recent Alum (2008) Matthew Miller's latest exhibition has been reviewed by Ken Johnson in The New York Times. This article has been Reposted from ArtsBeat, May 21, 2011

By KEN JOHNSON
Published: May 5, 2011

The five self-portraits that constitute “Matthew Miller: the magic black of an open barn door on a really sunny summer day, when you just cannot see into it,” at the Famous Accountants gallery. (1673 Gates Avenue, between St. Nicholas and Cypress Avenue, Bushwick, Brooklyn, through June 5.)

Lots of painters emulate Renaissance old masters. Few do so to such riveting effect as Matthew Miller, a young, Brooklyn-based artist. Each of the five oil-on-panel works here, dating from 2008 to the present, is a self-portrait of the artist, with closely cropped or shaved hair, against a glossy, jet-black background. He is viewed straight on or in three-quarter profile, with bare neck and upper shoulders, his high forehead deeply furrowed, his eyes heavy-lidded. He could be a spiritually anguished Lutheran monk painted by Lucas Cranach.

Mr. Miller gives his head a striking sculptural solidity. With dark lines emphasizing his nose, full lips and deep eye sockets, his head looks as if it were carved from marble and smoothed to a satiny sheen. Mr. Miller is not a hair-by-hair, warts-and-all realist. He erases fine details while recording his epidermal topography with exquisite attentiveness. The paintings are nearly colorless, but pinkish-beige tones layered over cooler hues create an opalescent glow. They verge on the grotesque.

Mr. Miller comes from a non-mainstream background. Raised as a Mennonite and trained at the New York Academy of Art, which favors traditional figurative representation, he brings to his art a painstaking work ethic and an earnest humanism. His work exudes a feeling of religious devotion — not to any transcendent deity but to the process of painting itself. That’s what makes it modern. No prizes in heaven or on earth are guaranteed for this kind of faith, but he persists because it is, like prayer, its own reward.

A version of this review appeared in print on May 6, 2011, on page C34 of the New York edition with the headline: Matthew Miller: ‘the magic black of an open barn door on a really sunny summer day, when you just cannot see into it’.

SUMMER EXHIBITION – FLOWERS GALLERY

The Academy is pleased to announce the 5th Annual Summer Exhibition will be juried by Julie Heffernan, Matthew Flowers and Carter Foster. The exhibition moves off-site this year due to the Academy's second phase of renovations during the summer and will be held at Flowers Gallery in Chelsea.

This highly anticipated group show brings together a wide range of new work by more than 50 established and emerging talents. Comprised of paintings, drawings, limited-edition prints and sculpture, the chosen works will be selected from over 500 submissions.

Flowers and the Academy have previously collaborated several times, including two 3-person exhibitions by artists who have participated in past Summer Exhibitions. Former jurists include Eric Fischl, Jenny Saville, Will Cotton and David Salle.

May 15, 2011

JENNY SAVILLE SPEAKS AT COMMENCEMENT 2011

We are thrilled to announce that this year's commencement speaker will be renowned artist JENNY SAVILLE (represented in New York and London by Gagosian Gallery).

A Senior Critic at the Academy since 2006, Jenny has frequently imparted her insight to our students through dynamic Master Classes. We are honored to award her an Honorary Doctorate at this year's Commencement Ceremony.

We will be streaming the ceremony LIVE on our website, so please join us wherever you are, on Friday, May 20 at 3pm EST!

May 14, 2011

ISABELLE GARBANI FEATURED ON BRIC ARTS

Click the photo to see the video.
Isabelle Garbani (2004) was recently interviewed by Brooklyn Independent Television, BRIC Arts about her mixed media installation artwork "Knit for Trees" which will be featured on Governor's Island in summer 2011.

On her blog, Knit for Trees, Isabelle states: "According to “reuseit.com”, about 1 million plastic bags are used every minute worldwide... a staggering figure. What is then the best way to fight this ecological disaster and at the same time acknowledge the futility of the task? Use the plastic bags as yarn to knit sweaters, scarves and mittens for trees. Throughout the summer, I will set up a work table and collect unwanted (clean) shopping bags from visitors to Governors Island. These will be cut and used as yarns to knit sweaters, scarves, and mittens for the trees of the island. Visitors are encouraged to participate further by helping me cut the bags, roll the strips into yarns, sort the yarn by color, and knit." See more about her project at Figment NYC 2011.

Isabelle Garbani received an MFA from the New York Academy of Art in 2004 and has since been exhibiting her work throughout the New York metropolitan area and the Northeast. She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

May 13, 2011

UNCHARTED - MFA Thesis Exhibition

The New York Academy of Art is pleased to present UNCHARTED, a group exhibition featuring original paintings, drawings, sculpture and prints by sixty talented emerging artists.

We cordially invite you to celebrate the Class of 2011 at the Opening Reception on Monday, May 16, 6-8pm. A catalog will also be available featuring an essay by renowned art critic Donald Kuspit. The title for the exhibition was suggested by MFA candidate Emily Adams.

For exhibition details, including the press release CLICK HERE.

Reception: Monday, May 16, 6 - 8pm
Exhibition: Wilkinson Gallery, New York Academy of Art
Dates: May 17 – May 27, 2011
Hours: Noon – 7pm daily. CLOSED 5/20

May 12, 2011

SUMMER RENOVATION 2011

The Academy is currently planning a renovation of its Garden Level space and part of the first floor at 111 Franklin Street. This new renovation will redesign and enhance our Franklin Street gallery, relocate and expand the public bathrooms. We will also install a kiln and spray booth, expand the woodshop and frame shop, improve other support areas and prepare the building for the installation for a new elevator the following summer.