Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art - Houston, Texas

This artwork is a digital reproduction of an original painting that was part of the artist’s MFA Thesis Show at The Blaffer Art Museum, Houston, TX, 2017. Partition was also curated by Toby Kamps into the 2017 iteration of The Big Show, an annual survey of Texas-based artists organized by the Lawndale Art Center, Houston, TX. The painting is a portrait of Michael in his boudoir applying drag make-up to half of his face in homage to the 1982 film, Victor Victoria. The title of the painting alludes to several ideas; the pictorial bifurcation that occurs on the surface of the painting, the parting of gender constructs that occurs within drag culture; the division of post-colonial India in to two separate states of India and Pakistan in 1947; and the 2014 Beyoncé song that played when the artist witnessed Michael’s transformation.

Otis College is excited to announce that artist, author, former scientist, and Otis College Honorary Degree recipient Enrique Martínez Celaya has joined the Board of Governors.

In a rare public display of the creation of his work, local artist Cruz Ortiz on Wednesday painted the official portrait of this year’s Rey Feo, Thomas R. Aguillon. The fundraising event for the Rey Feo Scholarship Foundation was part of a nearly 70-year-old Fiesta tradition wherein a local artist paints the official portrait of el Rey Feo, the “People’s King.”

Kysa Johnson collaborated with the band A Great Big World for their latest album cover.

Given that it’s as old as the hills, including the ones in ancient Egypt, portraiture might not seem like an apt vehicle to convey contemporary ideas. But the age-old tradition has evolved continuously — eschewing self-aggrandizing displays of power, wealth and beauty to become a wildly adaptable storytelling device.

Dasha Shishkin makes drawings whose disturbing visual world captivates the viewer. In her phantasmagorias, the all-too-human blossoms in bizarre ways, exuding a morbid perfume. Shishkin’s figures are sexually ambiguous, graceful and gentle, but also cruel. Their actions seem to be guided by secret obsessions and the logic of nightmares.

Nancy Littlejohn Fine Art presents Nomad Exquisite, a series of paintings by Deborah Brown that explore the relationship between nature and the observer. The title of the exhibition is drawn from the title of a poem by Wallace Stevens which explores the same themes. Through her paintings, Brown leaves the viewer unsure of the narrative they are observing and their place in it.

This prolific Texas artist discovered how the incredible power of a good night’s rest could help him increase his productivity and clarity.

Browse a curated selection of events from around the world, including gallery openings, upcoming auctions, museum exhibitions, and more.

Here are the fine-arts events our critics are excited about this week.