Barry Schwabsky

Art Critic

Barry Schwabsky is the art critic of The Nation.

Alex Katz’s Downtown Dreams

Alex Katz’s Downtown Dreams Alex Katz’s Downtown Dreams

In a recent show curated by the New York painter and sculptor, as well as a showcase of his new work, his particular artistic psychogeography comes to life.

Aug 16, 2019 / Barry Schwabsky

The Whitney Biennial’s Flimsy Promises

The Whitney Biennial’s Flimsy Promises The Whitney Biennial’s Flimsy Promises

The show claims to explore questions of sincerity amid a world of fakes, but the shallow results end up reinforcing long-held problems about the museum as an institution.

Jul 22, 2019 / Barry Schwabsky

Photographing the Otherworldly and the Abject

Photographing the Otherworldly and the Abject Photographing the Otherworldly and the Abject

Barbara Ess’s lo-fi photos, which pluck scenes from our culture’s surveillance regime, make the banal seem terrifying and mystical.

Jun 14, 2019 / Barry Schwabsky

Lincoln Kirstein’s Intimate Modernism

Lincoln Kirstein’s Intimate Modernism Lincoln Kirstein’s Intimate Modernism

A new show at the MoMA illustrates how one of New York’s great cultural impresarios and writers espoused a more magical realist vision of modern art history.

May 23, 2019 / Barry Schwabsky

Jack Whitten’s Journals Are a Future Classic of Art Writing

Jack Whitten’s Journals Are a Future Classic of Art Writing Jack Whitten’s Journals Are a Future Classic of Art Writing

Notes From the Woodshed, a recent collection of Jack Whitten’s journal entries and writings, give an invaluable peek into the artistic process.

Mar 19, 2019 / Barry Schwabsky

Where Does Art Belong?

Where Does Art Belong? Where Does Art Belong?

A trio of recent shows—from Hilma af Klint, Warhol, and Bruce Nauman—propose radically different answers to that question. 

Feb 4, 2019 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

The Last Great Literary Painter

The Last Great Literary Painter The Last Great Literary Painter

The legacy of Eugène Delacroix. 

Jan 7, 2019 / Barry Schwabsky

The Triumph of the Brooklyn Museum’s ‘Soul of a Nation’

The Triumph of the Brooklyn Museum’s ‘Soul of a Nation’ The Triumph of the Brooklyn Museum’s ‘Soul of a Nation’

The landmark exhibit captures the revolutionary spirit and powerful introspection of black art in the 1960s and ’70s.

Dec 14, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

In Praise of Underdogs

In Praise of Underdogs In Praise of Underdogs

Three recent New York gallery shows offer a glimpse into the wonderful work happening in the shadows of the mainstream art market.

Oct 29, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

A History of Salvage

A History of Salvage A History of Salvage

The Met’s “History Refused to Die” exhibition rewrites the art history of the American South through a group of self-taught practitioners.

Oct 18, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

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