Standing in the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in front of Nick Cave’s Soundsuit, a striking eight-foot-tall amalgamation of doilies collected from flea markets and estate sales, Director Stephanie Stebich ’88 launches into an explanation about which parts draw the eye and how Cave’s background as a dancer influences his work. In front of Mickalene Thomas’ colorful Portrait of Mnonja, she draws comparisons to Manet’s Olympia and notes influences from Matisse. Moving toward a piece by Roger Shimomura (Diary: December 12, 1941), she points out graffito, preserved from 1864, that had been scratched into the nearby wall during the building’s time as a war hospital...
The full CCT article is HERE.
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