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Dan Duray

Dan Duray

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Observer’s Top Five Pieces Not to Miss at the 2025 Armory Show

Observer’s Top Five Pieces Not to Miss at the 2025 Armory Show

This year, the art isn't bad at all—in fact, there's a lot to love.

06.09.2025 4

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: ‘Why Look at Animals?’ at the National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens

One Fine Show: ‘Why Look at Animals?’ at the National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens

Representations of animals are always fraught, as they are laden with baggage about what modernity has both given to us and taken away.

03.09.2025 4

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: ‘Stan Douglas, Ghostlight’ at the Hessel Museum of Art

One Fine Show: ‘Stan Douglas, Ghostlight’ at the Hessel Museum of Art

Nearly forty works from the 1990s through to the present touch on topics like settler colonialism and the complex work of image creation.

29.08.2025 2

Observer

Dan Duray

At Muzeum Sztuki, Daniel Muzyczuk Unites Civic Mission and Avant-Garde Vision

At Muzeum Sztuki, Daniel Muzyczuk Unites Civic Mission and Avant-Garde Vision

His appointment as director marks a new chapter for one of the world’s oldest museums of modern art.

27.08.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: Steve McQueen’s ‘Bass’ at the Laurenz Foundation, Schaulager Basel

One Fine Show: Steve McQueen’s ‘Bass’ at the Laurenz Foundation, Schaulager Basel

This unexpected offering from McQueen shows that he’s still challenging himself and finding new ways to get into our heads.

22.08.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

Johanna Burton Outlines Her Plans for ICA Philadelphia’s Next Chapter

Johanna Burton Outlines Her Plans for ICA Philadelphia’s Next Chapter

The incoming director is looking to expand ICA’s reach and impact, focusing on inclusivity and artist-driven research as key pillars for the...

20.08.2025 6

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: ‘Virtual Beauty’ at Somerset House in London

The diversity on display in this exhibition makes a convincing case for the self as the final frontier.

16.08.2025 5

Observer

Dan Duray

Inside the Bond & Grace ‘Art Novels’ That Put Artists at the Center of Classic Literature

A unique format reframes well-known books with visual interpretations that challenge and expand the text.

15.08.2025 4

Observer

Dan Duray

Incoming MCNY Chief Curator Elisabeth Sherman On Getting to Know a Collection

"I’m excited to engage with the city itself as both subject and storyteller," she told Observer.

08.08.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: ‘Rose Iron Works and Art Deco’ at the Cleveland Museum of Art

Tastes are shaped through many avenues—craft and architecture, as demonstrated here, are among the most enduring.

08.08.2025 4

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: ‘Vincent Valdez: Just a Dream…’ at MASS MoCA

The survey spans 25 years of work confronting American violence, memory and power.

01.08.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

Observer’s Top Five: What Not to Miss at the Aspen Art Fair 2025

As is the case with many regional fairs, the most compelling artworks here are those you could imagine hanging in a well-appointed vacation home.

30.07.2025 7

Observer

Dan Duray

Curator Eleanor Clayton On the Race to Keep a National Treasure in Britain

Barbara Hepworth’s 1943 sculpture embodies her transition from prewar geometric abstraction to a more lyrical engagement with landscape.

25.07.2025 4

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: ‘Jenny Saville, The Anatomy of Painting’ at London’s National Portrait Gallery

Here, the artist's work challenges viewers to rethink the boundaries between beauty, distortion and realism.

25.07.2025 2

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: ‘Little Beasts: Art, Wonder and the Natural World’ at the National Gallery of Art

Works by Jan van Kessel, Albrecht Dürer and others show how the tiniest animals once inspired grand ideas about the natural world’s design and...

18.07.2025 40

Observer

Dan Duray

Durational Art After Dark: Joseph C. Thompson’s Next Cultural Experiment

"We believe that if the art invites you to settle in and stay awhile, it should be in a really comfortable, sociable space, more like a living room...

16.07.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: ‘Kim Chong Hak, Painter of Seoraksan’ at the High Museum of Art

In his first U.S. museum exhibition, the artist reveals the enduring power of nature to stir, soothe and surprise.

11.07.2025 2

Observer

Dan Duray

A Curator Comes Home: Helen Nisbet Returns to Scotland to Lead Glasgow’s Biennial

"I don’t think there are too many biennials," the curator told Observer. "And Glasgow is one of the best cities in the world."

09.07.2025 2

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: “Ways of Knowing” at the Walker Art Center

Rosario Güiraldes's first exhibition as curator of visual arts considers how artists learn about and engage with the world.

03.07.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

Espoo Museum of Modern Art’s Krist Gruijthuijsen Rethinks Regional Curation

Succeeding Pilvi Kalhama, Gruijthuijsen inherits a museum known for bridging art and design with cross-disciplinary exhibitions and strong...

02.07.2025 5

Observer

Dan Duray

The Art Basel Awards and the Power of Peer-Led Recognition

The goal was to create a mechanism for mutual celebration and elevation, Vincenzo de Bellis tells Observer.

27.06.2025 9

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: “Ai, Rebel – The Art and Activism of Ai Weiwei” at the Seattle Art Museum

In more than 130 works, the artist's largest ever exhibition in the U.S. reflects on his political engagement from the 1980s to today.

27.06.2025 9

Observer

Dan Duray

Curator Robert Fucci Unpacks the Narrative Intrigue of ‘Vermeer’s Love Letters’

With only thirty-six paintings attributed to the artist, this show's gathering of paintings offers a remarkable opportunity for close study and...

21.06.2025 2

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: “Alex Da Corte, The Whale” at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

This is the first museum exhibition to survey the artist’s diverse and inventive relationship with painting.

19.06.2025 4

Observer

Dan Duray

Mike Cavallaro On Building a Union (and a Community) at NYC’s School of Visual Arts

"It boils down to 'United we stand, divided we fall.' And education and labor rights in this country cannot be allowed to fall."

18.06.2025 5

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: Lynn Hershman Leeson’s ‘Of Humans, Cyborgs, and AI’ at the Nevada Museum of Art

The show brings together the artist’s recent video works, which confront the ethical confusion of the digital age with wry precision.

13.06.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

Paola Mura Reflects On the Material Universality of Artist Maria Lai’s Work

"What’s radical about Lai is how she internalized the conceptual innovations of her time but expressed them through textile, myth and silence rather...

06.06.2025 4

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: ‘Caravaggio 2025’ at Rome’s Palazzo Barberini

The exhibition invites visitors to contemplate an artistic legacy defined by the artist’s profound emotional depth and unmatched technical mastery.

06.06.2025 7

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: ‘Leigh Bowery!’ at Tate Modern

In London, the artist’s outrageous genius and lasting influence take center stage.

30.05.2025 5

Observer

Dan Duray

What Collectors Really Want from Galleries, According to Artsy’s Casey Lesser

As the art market grapples with volatility, Artsy is tracking how the habits of a new generation of collectors are changing dealer behavior.

29.05.2025 7

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: “Survival of the Fittest” at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

The artists featured here weren't overly concerned with anthropomorphization, striving instead to capture these creatures as they were.

23.05.2025 4

Observer

Dan Duray

In Tactile New Works, Sheree Hovsepian Explores the Physicality of Experience

"I am navigating the complexities of identity and memory through the lens of embodiment, archival processes and the interplay of the indexical and the...

22.05.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: “Wayne Thiebaud, Art Comes from Art” at the Legion of Honor

The late painter’s figures are stiff, strange and quietly psychedelic.

16.05.2025 4

Observer

Dan Duray

Christie’s Isabella Lauria Talks Basquiat, Market Shifts and What Makes a Masterpiece

Ahead of the big spring auctions in New York, Observer spoke with Christie's head of the marquee 21st Century Evening Sale.

12.05.2025 5

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: ‘Gabriel Orozco, Politécnico Nacional’ at Museo Jumex

This show, his first at a Mexico museum since 2006, is remarkably authoritative, with 300 objects displayed over four floors.

09.05.2025 4

Observer

Dan Duray

The Five Pieces You Should Absolutely Make Time for at Frieze New York

Frieze returns to The Shed with Jeff Koons, P. Staff, Eunnam Hong and others pushing art, grief and satire into strange new forms.

09.05.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

Aracne, Explained: Laura Alba Takes Us Inside the Prado’s Groundbreaking Art Authentication Software

The free open-access software analyzes canvas to assist in determining provenance, attribution and historical context.

03.05.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: “In Creative Harmony, Three Artistic Partnerships” at the Blanton Museum of Art

It's fascinating to witness how artists with similar goals can come to completely different conclusions.

02.05.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

Punk Preservation: Getty’s Glenn Phillips On Securing Raymond Pettibon’s Archive

The Getty recently acquired Pettibon’s archive, deepening the Research Institute’s contemporary art holdings.

29.04.2025 9

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: “Myth and Marble” at the Art Institute of Chicago

An installation view of “Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection.” Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago Welcome...

28.04.2025 4

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: ‘Nancy Holt, Power Systems’ at the Wexner Center for the Arts

Holt's work is "site reflexive" rather than "site specific," and the Wexner has done an admirable job of integrating her vision into their...

18.04.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

San Francisco Art Fair’s Kelly Freeman On Bay Area Creativity and the City’s Resilience

The Bay Area's premier art fair returns to Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture this week.

17.04.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: ‘Christina Ramberg, A Retrospective’ at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

The artist wrote that her paintings could be “a little bit pornographic, hands feeling, caressing, masturbating the body.”

11.04.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

Meow Wolf NYC: Marsi Gray On Bringing Immersive Art to the Seaport’s Pier 17

"Our goal is to create something that feels like it could only exist in New York."

09.04.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: ‘Tamara de Lempicka’ at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

There were plenty of nudes in 1920s Paris, but in Lempicka’s work, everyone is much sexier with their clothes on.

04.04.2025 4

Observer

Dan Duray

Curator Alejo Benedetti Takes Us Inside KAWS’ Most Comprehensive Survey Yet

In "KAWS: FAMILY" at Crystal Bridges, the artist’s work resonates beyond the usual urban contexts, inviting a broader audience into his world of...

02.04.2025 4

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: ‘Cecily Brown, Themes and Variations’ at the Barnes Foundation

On view through May, the exhibition reads as Brown’s response to the male-dominated legacy of Western painting.

28.03.2025 5

Observer

Dan Duray

Curator Emerson Bowyer On the Importance of the Horvitz Collection Donation

Observer caught up with Bowyer to learn more about a transformative gift of French Old Master art from Jeffrey and Carol Horvitz.

26.03.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

One Fine Show: “The 80s, Photographing Britain” in London

The best of times were over; the worst of times are documented in this new show at Tate Britain.

21.03.2025 3

Observer

Dan Duray

Creativity in Context: An Interview with Photographer Alec Soth

Soth's “Advice for Young Artists” captures the playfulness, vulnerability and potential-filled energy of art school life.

19.03.2025 4

Observer

Dan Duray