Art Market Updates

John Singleton Copley (1738-1815), Watson and the Shark. Oil on canvas, 7111⁄16 x 907⁄16 in. Ferdinand Lammot Belin Fund. 1963.6.1.

Celebrating American Art

An ongoing exhibition at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., offers “a new look at the art of our nation.” The National Gallery is home to iconic works like John Singleton Copley’s Watson and the Shark, Gilbert Stuart’s George Washington and Thomas Cole’s series The Voyage of Life. The exhibition Celebrating American Art presents these works in a new light alongside historic sculptures like Hiram Powers’ The Greek Slave and Bessie Potter Vonnoh’s Day Dreams. Reimagined galleries invite visitors to explore how artists told the American story from the colonial era to the 20th century.

Film poster for ELIZABETH SPEAKS, produced and directed by Naima Mora, granddaughter of Elizabeth Catlett.

Elizabeth Speaks

Naima Mora, granddaughter of legendary artist Elizabeth Catlett, is releasing two major projects on Catlett. The first is a new print publication titled ELIZABETH SPEAKS, which contains an intimate collection of never-before-shared words written by the artist in her own handwriting. Collected writings include her entire unpublished memoir, select love letters and her most famous speeches. The second is a documentary of the same title, directed and produced by Mora, which shares the powerful legacy and story of the acclaimed artist and activist. As one of the most famous and iconic artists of her generation, Catlett’s work continues to resonate through generations and most poignantly in the life of her granddaughter. The world premiere of the documentary will take place June 2028. To learn more about the film and accompanying publication, visit www.naimamoraproductions.com.

Major Frederic Church Exhibition

The Olana Partnership hosts the exhibition Frederic Church: Global Artist beginning May 17 at Olana State Historic Site in Hudson, New York. The exhibition commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederic Church in 1826. “We are thrilled to present a landmark exhibition that firmly places Frederic Church as an artist who sought to bring the beauty and scientific wonder of the world to the United States,” says Sean Sawyer, president of the Olana Partnership. Church was celebrated as a preeminent American landscape artist whose life and work was indelibly shaped by global travel that effectively brought the world to America. Early trips took him to South America, across the northeastern United States, to Jamaica and to the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Later he visited Europe and the Middle East, and in his final decades he made 15 winter sojourns in Mexico. Olana, the designed landscape and home overlooking the Hudson River that he built with his wife Isabel, reflects his global travel and collections. Frederic Church: Global Artist demonstrates his continuing relevance for today’s audiences. It will be presented in the Sharp Family Gallery at Olana State Historic Site through October 25. See our full coverage on Page 42.

Frank Cuprien (1871-1948), The Golden Hour, Laguna Beach, ca. 1923. Oil on board. 24 x 28 in. 2009.001. Museum purchase with funds from prior gift of the Carl S. Dentzel Estate and Frances G. Emmons.

Frank Cuprien Retrospective

Held at Laguna Art Museum, Frank Cuprien: For the Love of the Sea celebrates the artist’s enduring legacy as a founding figure of Laguna Beach’s art community and one of California’s most devoted painters of the Pacific Coast. The exhibition is drawn from Laguna Art Museum’s permanent collection alongside key loans and brings together luminous seascapes and coastal views that reveal Cuprien’s lifelong dialogue with the ocean. Archival materials from the museum’s collection, including photographs, letters and personal records offer rare insight into his daily practice, friendships and deep attachment to Laguna Beach. These materials place the artworks in lived context, illuminating how Cuprien returned to the same stretch of shoreline again and again, finding endless variation in light, movement and mood. Together, the artworks and archival selections trace a life shaped by observation, discipline and love for the sea. Frank Cuprien: For the Love of the Sea will hang through September 7.

Massive NGA Acquisition

The National Gallery of Art has recently acquired an expansive group of acquisitions, adding hundreds of works to the nation’s art collection. The acquisitions represent a significant expansion of key areas of the National Gallery’s collection, including photographs ranging from the early development of the medium to modern and contemporary; rare examples of 17th- and 18th-century miniature painting; and large-scale installations by leading contemporary artists. “Our latest acquisitions highlight the National Gallery’s commitment to showcasing artistic excellence by deepening our collection holdings, with the aim of providing nuanced explorations of art history over many centuries,” says NGA director Kaywin Feldman. —