When Geoffrey was in town recently for his annual visit, we did our usual whirlwind tour of art museums in Manhattan and beyond. Our stop at the New Museumwas my first visit since it reopened in March after being closed for two years during its massive expansion. And boy, was I surprised when I saw the first public art commission greeting visitors in the museum’s exterior plaza. I knew immediately it had to be the work of Sarah Lucas. Because if you know, you know.
The sculpture, VENUS VICTORIA (2026) by the British artist is the inaugural public-art commission for the museum’s new outdoor plaza at Bowery and Prince Street. Hello!
Creative hobbies aren’t just a pandemic-era holdover anymore; they’ve settled into daily life as a real coping tool. A 2024 American Psychiatric Association “Healthy Minds Monthly” poll found that 46% of Americans use creative activities such as painting, crocheting, or puzzles specifically to relieve stress or anxiety, and among adults who rate their mental health as very good or excellent, that figure climbs to 71%. Paint by numbers sits right in the middle of this trend. It doesn’t require a background in art, a studio, or even much confidence, just a canvas, a handful of paints, and twenty quiet minutes.
That accessibility is exactly why the hobby has outgrown its reputation as a nostalgic craft-store novelty. It’s becoming something closer to a low-barrier mindfulness practice, one with a growing body of clinical research behind it. Continue reading Why Paint by Numbers Is Having a Wellness Moment→
In the spring of 1911, Joaquin Sorolla visited the United States for a second exhibition tour organized by Archer Huntington. As he had done on his first tour in 1909, Sorolla used the opportunity to take on portrait commissions. Among the Americans seeking a portrait from Sorolla was the renowned designer Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848 — 1933), president of Tiffany Studios and son of the founder of Tiffany and Company. Continue reading Modern Art Monday Presents: Louis Comfort Tiffany By Joaquin Sorolla Y Bastida→
Something I love most about visiting New York’s galleries is discovering artists whose work challenges my expectations of what furniture can be. Is it something to sit on, or is it a sculpture? Sometimes the most interesting pieces refuse to choose. Such is the case with Balancing II(2023), a striking sculptural bench by Lebanese artist and designer Nayla Kai Saroufim, which appears to have a permanent home at Emanuel Fremin Gallery in Chelsea.
Balancing II presents as glossy turquoise bench supported by only two points: a solid curved leg at one end and an oversized red donut-shaped form at the other. The visual tension makes you pause. Surely that colorful ring can’t be doing much of the work—but somehow it is. The title Balancing II suddenly feels perfectly appropriate. Continue reading Eye On Design: Balancing II By Nayla Kai Saroufim→
It’s no secret that the Park Avenue malls frequently play host to impressive public art installations, but I wasn’t expecting to stumble upon this year’s exhibition while walking home from the Morgan Library. As I crossed East 36th Street, I was greeted on both the north and south sides of Park Avenue by a pair of exuberant floral sculptures created by Israeli artist Dorit Levinstein, whose work is represented by Eden Gallery. It was my first encounter with these sculptures, and their bold colors and joyful energy immediately brightened the afternoon. Better yet, they’ll remain on view through May 2027, giving New Yorkers and visitors plenty of time to enjoy them. Continue reading Dorit Levinstein’s Vibrant Sculptures on The Park Avenue Malls→
