John Edmonds's Tête d'Homme (2018) Courtesy of the artist and Company, New York
The Whitney Museum of American Art announced today that it had acquired 88 works by 40 artists who were featured in this years Whitney Biennial. That tally compares with 35 works by 28 artists from the previous edition in 2017.
Other recent acquisitions by the Whitney include works by artists whose works are joining the collection for the first time, including John Ahearn, Laura Aguilar, Maria Berrio, Jonathan Lyndon Chase, ektor garcia, Ajay Kurian, Wendy Red Star, Wallace & Donahue, and others, the museum said.
Among the biennial highlights outlined by the museum are Kota Ezawas projected video animation National Anthem, which depicts National Football League players taking the knee in protest as the American anthem is sung; photographic portraits by John Edmonds, such as Tête dHomme, that challenge the art historical canon while celebrating black identity; and Jennifer Packers pink grand-scale painting A Lesson in Longing, featuring her gestural figures.
The Whitney also cited Janiva Elliss brilliantly hued mural-like painting Uh Oh, Look Who Got Wet, in which one woman appears to be crossing a river to freedom; Carissa Rodriguezs 2018 video The Maid, which follows Sherrie Levines glass and crystal copies of Constantin Brancusis Newborn in collectors homes; and Daniel Lind-Ramoss Maria-Maria, a sculpture made of found materials that evokes the Virgin Mary but also Hurricane Maria, which hit Puerto Rico two years ago.
Janiva Ellis's Uh Oh, Look Who Got Wet (2019) at the Whitney Biennial © Janiva Ellis/Photograph by Ron Amstutz
The biennial acquisitions also include 5825 NE 2nd Ave, Miami, FL, a work by Eddie Arroyo, one of the eight artists who had asked that their works be removed from the biennial this year in protest of the business ties of Warren B. Kanders, who was then the vice chairman of the Whitneys board. Kanders resigned, prompting Arroyo to remain as a participant.
A total of 75 artists and collectives took part in the bienniaRead More – Source
