Barry Schwabsky

Art Critic

Barry Schwabsky is the art critic of The Nation.

Daniel Joseph Martinez’s Blunt Statements

Daniel Joseph Martinez’s Blunt Statements Daniel Joseph Martinez’s Blunt Statements

What does it mean for an American artist to make photographs using the image of the German revolutionary Ulrike Meinhof?

Feb 23, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Margins and the Mainstream at the New Museum’s ‘Trigger’

Margins and the Mainstream at the New Museum’s ‘Trigger’ Margins and the Mainstream at the New Museum’s ‘Trigger’

As something that confutes the distinction between fact and fiction, gender is fundamentally congruent with art and aesthetics.

Jan 26, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Before Romare Bearden’s Collages

Before Romare Bearden’s Collages Before Romare Bearden’s Collages

The painter’s little-known abstract period was not an end, but a method of discovery.

Dec 21, 2017 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Dana Schutz, After the Whitney Biennial

Dana Schutz, After the Whitney Biennial Dana Schutz, After the Whitney Biennial

A recent show of Schutz's work sheds light on a facet of her art that connects Open Casket to the rest of her paintings.

Nov 17, 2017 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Alberto Giacometti and Alice Neel, Face to Face

Alberto Giacometti and Alice Neel, Face to Face Alberto Giacometti and Alice Neel, Face to Face

The two artists have more in common than it might seem.

Sep 26, 2017 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Wandering Through Documenta

Wandering Through Documenta Wandering Through Documenta

Do big, world-scale art exhibitions have any use today?

Sep 13, 2017 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Robert Rauschenberg and the Art of the New Frontier

Robert Rauschenberg and the Art of the New Frontier Robert Rauschenberg and the Art of the New Frontier

The artist was, above all, a restless and resourceful gatherer of materials—cultural as well as physical.

Aug 23, 2017 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

The Ambiguous Sculptures of Melvin Edwards and Rachel Harrison

The Ambiguous Sculptures of Melvin Edwards and Rachel Harrison The Ambiguous Sculptures of Melvin Edwards and Rachel Harrison

Time spent with their work serves as a reminder that most good artists don’t provide ironclad justifications for their choices

Jun 29, 2017 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

Pushing the Limits of Photography

Pushing the Limits of Photography Pushing the Limits of Photography

The reflexive photography of Paul Mpagi Sepuya and Jason Loebs.

May 2, 2017 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky

dana schutz open casket

Can the Pain of Others Be Transmuted Into Art? Can the Pain of Others Be Transmuted Into Art?

While Dana Schutz’s Open Casket has received the lion’s share of attention, much of the Whitney Biennial seems to seek out controversy.

Apr 25, 2017 / Barry Schwabsky

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