Barry Schwabsky

Art Critic

Barry Schwabsky is the art critic of The Nation.

Masaomi Yasunaga’s Fused Pots

Encounters With the Unknown Encounters With the Unknown

Returning to New York’s galleries in search of surprise.

May 19, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Guston in his Woodstock studio

Philip Guston’s Peculiar History Lesson Philip Guston’s Peculiar History Lesson

On the painter’s politics of self-questioning.

Apr 12, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Lawrence Ferlinghetti At City Lights

The World Lawrence Ferlinghetti Built The World Lawrence Ferlinghetti Built

As a poet, publisher, and bookstore owner, he helped foster a literary ecosystem where politics and culture for the better seemed possible.

Mar 3, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

The Unknown Radicals of Black Photography

The Unknown Radicals of Black Photography The Unknown Radicals of Black Photography

A recent exhibition on the Kamoinge Workshop tells the story of a group of photographers who explored the artistic and political potential of the medium to its fullest.

Feb 15, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

When the Painting Has Really Begun

When the Painting Has Really Begun When the Painting Has Really Begun

On the mid-career work of Cecily Brown and Inka Essenhigh.

Jan 19, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Abstraction at a Distance

Abstraction at a Distance Abstraction at a Distance

A return to the galleries after New York City’s shutdown.

Nov 11, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Don’t Hide the Art of Philip Guston

Don’t Hide the Art of Philip Guston Don’t Hide the Art of Philip Guston

We should be able to distinguish racist imagery from imagery depicting racists.

Oct 30, 2020 / Barry Schwabsky

Pier Paolo Pasolini in front of a biblical scene during the filming of La Ricotta, 1962.

Behind the Myth of Pier Paolo Pasolini Behind the Myth of Pier Paolo Pasolini

On the artistic afterlife of the Italian filmmaker, poet, novelist, and polemicist.

Sep 28, 2020 / Barry Schwabsky

What Truths Can You Divine From Instagram Paintings?

What Truths Can You Divine From Instagram Paintings? What Truths Can You Divine From Instagram Paintings?

How the act of scrutinizing art online has changed the role of the critic. 

Aug 4, 2020 / Barry Schwabsky

What Are Art Galleries For?

What Are Art Galleries For? What Are Art Galleries For?

Three artists on the future of the gallery system after Covid-19. 

Jul 1, 2020 / Barry Schwabsky

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