Latest news with #EXPOChicago
New York Times
01-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Frieze, Premiere Art Fair Company, Sold on Eve of New York's Art Week
After much speculation about who would purchase Frieze, one of the world's premiere art fairs, it turned out that the call was coming from inside the house. Ari Emanuel, 64, the former chief executive behind the sports and entertainment conglomerate Endeavor, which currently owns the Frieze fair and its signature magazine, announced on Thursday that he was setting up a new company, as yet unnamed, to purchase Frieze. Endeavor recently announced a similar deal for its basketball representation business — all part of the complicated hurdles to completing a take-private deal with the investment company Silver Lake, a longtime financial backer of Endeavor. At its acquisition, Endeavor, including its debt, was valued at $13 billion in April 2024. (Endeavor was taken private this past March.) 'Frieze has always been a source of inspiration for me — both professionally and personally,' Emanuel, who currently holds the title of executive chairman at WME Group, said in a statement. 'Having worked with the team for nearly a decade, I've seen firsthand the strength of their community and the ambition driving their mission to expand the reach and understanding of contemporary art.' The announcement comes just a week before the company's flagship event, Frieze New York, returns to The Shed with nearly 70 participating galleries. The show draws tens of thousands of visitors each year, including ultrawealthy collectors who might spend upward of $1 million on a single painting there. Despite changes in the company's structure, the Frieze leadership team will stay intact, including its chief executive, Simon Fox, according to a spokeswoman. She said the deal also included Frieze's magazine and retinue of seven international fairs, including EXPO Chicago, the Armory Show in New York, Frieze Los Angeles and Frieze Seoul. Given the downturn in the art market, which has experienced a 12 percent year-on-year decline in global sales, some industry experts had worried that Frieze's sale to an outside buyer could have disastrous implications for the business. Some gallerists are now breathing a sigh of relief, knowing that Emanuel has a long history with Frieze; his company first purchased a stake in Frieze nine years ago before gaining full ownership in 2023. 'This is a stabilizing buyer,' said Alexander Gray, a Manhattan gallerist who also sits on the selection committee for Frieze London. 'The model of the art fair is one that some disrupters might think is disruptable, but this is not the market climate for any disruption.'
Chicago Tribune
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
What to do in Chicago: EXPO Chicago, Charli XCX and Theaster Gates live
EXPO Chicago: The international art fair is underway on Navy Pier, featuring contemporary works from more than 170 galleries. Now in its second year since its acquisition by London-based Frieze, EXPO Chicago will offer 'Contrast,' a new curated section focusing on culture and identity, as well as a special collaboration with the Galleries Association of Korea. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. April 25-26 and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. April 27 at Navy Pier's Festival Hall, 800 E. Grand Ave.; tickets from $36 at 'A Clay Sermon': Chicago artist and 2025 Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Theaster Gates is turning his Stony Island Arts Bank into a working clay studio for a 12-hour performance project this weekend. As described in an announcement of the experience, 'Gates will bring the art of ceramics to life in real-time,' and will offer 'a window into his creative process.' It's a fundraiser for his Rebuild Foundation, tied to EXPO Chicago; guests are invited to come and go throughout the day. Gates will be joined by the Black Monks and other special guests. Noon to midnight April 26 at the Stony Island Arts Bank, 6760 S. Stony Island; tickets from $25 at Charli XCX: Need a dance break? The Brat Tour rolls back into town, fresh off of the British pop star's triple Grammy win. 8 p.m. April 28 at Allstate Arena, 6920 N. Mannheim Road, Rosemont; tickets from $149.50 at Ivan Cornejo: Or maybe you need something a little more chill? Ivan Cornejo, the crooner who blends alt rock and música Mexicana, is in town for the second leg of the Mirada tour. 8 p.m. April 26-27 at United Center, 1901 W. Madison St.; tickets from $91 at Chicago Renaissance Showcase: An industrial warehouse will transform into a celebration of art, fashion and music. The day-long event will feature a vendor marketplace, panel discussion, art auction, interactive graffiti art, house music dance lessons and a fashion show before wrapping up with an afterparty featuring DJs Joe Smooth and Paul Woolford. Noon-1 a.m. April 26 at 1801 W. Carroll Ave.; tickets from $15 (proceeds benefit Museum of House) at Art on the Mart: Merchandise Mart lights up this weekend with projections by digital artist Shana Moulton, known for colorful installations that focus on female figures among mandala-like patterns. 8:30-9 p.m. April 25-June 1 and 9-9:30 p.m. June 5-July 6 (Thursdays-Sundays), best viewed from the Chicago Riverwalk between Wells and Franklin streets; free, more at Doc10 Film Festival: Looking for inspiration? Doc10, one of the city's finest film festivals, kicks off Friday and really gets rolling with 'Move Ya Body: The Birth of House' on April 30. The evening features a Q&A with producer Chester Algernal Gordon and house music innovator Vince Lawrence as well as an afterparty featuring DJ Celeste Alexander. Through May 4 at the Davis Theater, 4614 Lincoln Ave., and Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St.; tickets from $16 and more information at 'The Goonies in Concert': Go on a 40-year-old treasure hunt with 'The Goonies,' as the Chicago Philharmonic performs Dave Grusin's original score. Ride the swell of the orchestra down the waterfall and into the adventure. 7:30 p.m. April 26 at The Auditorium, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive; tickets from $49.50 at Shopping: Get offline and go shopping IRL. Celebrate Independent Bookstore Day on Saturday with the Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl. Or, if you're in need of something handcrafted, check out the One of a Kind Show + Sale. The show features more than 350 vendors, ranging from food products and ceramics to fine art. Consider, too, Modern Vintage Chicago. Presented by the Randolph Street Market folks, Modern Vintage offers an opportunity to browse a range of wares dating from the 1890s and beyond. Whichever you choose, you'll likely find something you didn't even know you wanted. Chicagoland Bookstore Crawl is April 26; more details at One of a Kind Show + Sale will be 10 a.m.-7 p.m. April 25-26 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 27 at The Mart, 7th floor, 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, tickets from $15 at Modern Vintage Chicago will be 10 a.m.-5 p.m. April 27 at Ravenswood Event Center, 4021 N. Ravenswood Ave.; tickets from $5 at
Forbes
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Divine Visions: Gustavo Nazareno Brings Afro-Brazilian Mysticism To The DuSable Museum
Gustavo Nazareno "Eshu" 2025 © Estúdio em obra Brazilian artist Gustavo Nazareno is making significant strides in the international art world, with a solo exhibition due to open at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center in Chicago in tandem with a presentation at EXPO Chicago. Nazareno–born in 1994 in Três Pontas and currently based in São Paulo–has become known for powerful paintings exploring Afro-Brazilian spirituality. Curated by Danny Dunson, the DuSable Black History Museum exhibition will showcase Nazareno's unique art which merges influences of the Yoruba pantheon and Candomblé traditions with elements of spirituality. Nazareno's sumptuous, evocative paintings, use of chiaroscuro and mastery of brushstrokes recall Renaissance and Baroque paintings, yet he merges this knowledge of art history and skill as a (self-taught) painter with references to Brazilian cultural, ritual and the divine. Gustavo Nazareno portrait © Courtesy of GUSN Studio I spoke to Nazareno as he prepared for his solo show at the DuSable Black History Museum and asked him how significant the exhibition is for him. He told me: 'It is profoundly meaningful for me to present my work at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, particularly given the institution's historical significance and its role in shaping the narrative of Black culture and art.' He also gave me some insight into what visitors to the exhibition can expect: 'For this occasion, we conceived a presentation that is intentionally minimal yet deeply meaningful, consisting of a series of studies and a single painting. This approach emphasizes the rigor of the research process over the spectacle of the final form. Next year, we will inaugurate a major exhibition at the museum. This initial project serves as a prologue to a much larger celebration to come.' Nazareno will be in conversation with curator Danny Dunson at the museum on 26th April, and he divulged some of the topics they will discuss: 'In the conversation with Danny Dunson, we will reflect on the development of my artistic practice through the lens of our longstanding collaboration. We will examine how notions of Afro-Brazilian identity, spirituality and the divine permeate my work, and how these concepts are negotiated within contemporary art discourse. Beginning with the origins of our partnership, which was instrumental in shaping the early stages of my career, we will trace the evolution of our dialogues around art making, faith, and representation. It is an invitation to think critically about how Afro-diasporic expressions manifest across geographies and histories.' Gustavo Nazareno 'A Guide for a Passage', 2025 Nazareno will also be exhibiting at EXPO Chicago, further cementing his position within the global art community and indicating the growing recognition of Brazilian artists. I asked Nazareno why he thinks Brazilian art seems to be having an overdue moment in the spotlight, citing examples of the increasing presence of Brazilian art such as the Brasil! Brasil! Exhibition of Brazilian Modernism at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, a retrospective of Tarsila do Amaral at Guggenheim Bilbao and an increasing presence of Brazilian artists at Biennales and art fairs. Nazareno told me: 'Brazil has always been a potent cultural force, and its contributions to art are inseparable from the country's historical processes of resistance, resilience, and self-invention. Artistic practice in Brazil is not merely aesthetic; it is political, existential, and communal. What we are witnessing now is a long-overdue international recognition of this complexity.' Nazareno will exhibit paintings and charcoal drawings at EXPO Chicago with the Opera Gallery from April 24thto 27th and his exhibition at DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center in Chicago runs from 22nd April until 29th May, 2025, preluding a larger solo exhibition in 2026 at the museum. Artistic Vision: Merging Tradition with Contemporary Expression Nazareno's art is a bold fusion of Afro-Brazilian religious iconography with a nod to the Old Masters. He often depicts anonymous, cloaked or robed characters and animals such as cats and horses with dramatic chiaroscuro and a skilful sense of modelling and lighting. Birds and animals often appear as metaphors for transition or messengers from the spirit world. He is also adept at depicting drapery in his paintings, evoking the Renaissance Masters, and sees it as a 'veil between the seen and unseen'. In an exquisite painting titled Revelation, Nazareno depicts a stunning Black Stallion–in a manner recalling the mastery of equine painting exemplified by George Stubbs' 18th Century portrait Whistlejacket–whose glossy tail morphs into a cascade of ebony toned drapery. Nazareno's painting The First Standing Soul shows a chicken whose feathers mutate into cream and grey toned drapes. Gustavo Nazareno "The First Standing Soul", 2025, Courtesy Opera Gallery / © Estúdio em obra The exhibition at DuSable Black History Museum features works made by Nazareno in response to Brazilian fables that that draw inspiration from the pantheon of Orixás–a system of entities worshipped in parts of Africa and Latin America. Nazareno draws inspiration from a wide variety of sources–from the traditions of Afro-Latin religions Candomblé and Santería to the aesthetics of fashion photography. Curator Danny Dunson has described Nazereno's art as 'an incantation—an exquisite conjuring of shadow and light, spirit and form.' Nazareno's upcoming exhibition at the DuSable Museum and his participation in EXPO Chicago are part of a broader trajectory that includes solo shows in Miami and London. His signature style offers a bridge between tradition and modernity and delves into Brazil's rich cultural heritage and spirituality. For those interested in experiencing Nazareno's art firsthand, visiting the DuSable Museum's upcoming exhibition promises an insightful journey into the intersection of Afro-Brazilian traditions and contemporary artistic expression. Gustavo Nazareno 'Revelation', 2025 © Gustavo Nazareno Nazareno's presentation at EXPO Chicago follows his participation in group exhibition One Becomes Many at the Pérez Art Museum in Miami. The show features work by ten prominent Black Brazilian artists and runs until 16th April, 2026. I asked Nazareno how he feels the experience and impact of exhibiting in a museum to that of taking part in an art fair differ. 'Both contexts, the museum exhibition and the art fair, are vital, though they function differently within the art ecosystem. A museum exhibition confers a degree of institutional validation and allows for the exploration of process-based work. It privileges research, depth, and historical dialogue over immediacy. By contrast, gallery presentations and art fairs demand a more immediate engagement. They rely heavily on the visual and emotional impact of the works to capture viewers' attention in a matter of seconds. The art fair, in particular, operates within the spectacle economy, where the encounter is swift but no less profound. In a sense, each space feeds the other. The museum gives gravitas, while the fair provides visibility and access to new audiences.' Find out more about the art of Gustavo Nazareno here. Gustavo Nazareno 'Bridge', 2025 © Gustavo Nazareno
Chicago Tribune
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
EXPO Chicago 2025: Highlights for this year's art fair, on and off Navy Pier
'Contrast,' a new curated section focusing on culture and identity, will debut at EXPO Chicago, the annual international art fair featuring contemporary works from more than 170 galleries. The event will run April 24-27 at Navy Pier's Festival Hall. This marks the second year EXPO will be held since it was acquired by Frieze, a London-based company that began as a magazine and now owns several art fairs, including The Armory Show in New York. While last year's show occurred about six months after the acquisition, this year's show more fully reflects the benefits the fair has realized from being part of a global firm, said EXPO Chicago president and director Tony Karman. One example is the special collaboration this year with the Galleries Association of Korea, a result of the relationships built around Frieze's partnerships in Seoul. 'It was a logical extension for us to work together in Chicago, given the large number of Korean galleries that always did the Chicago art fair,' Karman said. 'There's a foundation that's been established over many, many, many years, and now that we're part of the Frieze family, it's a perfect addition.' Visitors can also expect to see a refinement of EXPO's floor plan and programming. 'Contrast,' curated by Lauren Haynes, is one such example. Haynes, who is head curator of Governors Island Arts and vice president for Arts and Culture at the Trust for Governors Island, said she designed the section to highlight diverse viewpoints through visual storytelling. The lineup includes archival photographs by Roy Lewis, Bob Crawford and K. Kofi Moyo, members of Chicago's Black Arts Movement who documented the 1977 Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture, held in Lagos, Nigeria. Works by South African artist Esther Mahlangu, the late American artist Thornton Dial, the late Brazilian Indigenous artist Chico da Silva, Chicago-based Kenyan artist Wangari Mathenge and many others will be featured in 'Contrast.' 'It's interesting — the work I've done for my whole curatorial career has been about different perspectives,' Haynes said, noting that she spent a decade earlier in her career at the Studio Museum of Harlem. EXPO will continue to spotlight the work of galleries 10 years old and younger in its 'Exposure' section. Rosario Güiraldes, curator of visual arts at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, heads up the section for the second year in a row — a departure for EXPO, which usually invites a new section curator each year. 'Exposure' will focus on galleries from Latin America as well as Chicago, featuring many artists, including Brazilian sculptor Denise Milan. Across the fair, dozens of solo, group and thematic presentations will feature numerous artists, including photographer Rashid Johnson, the first Chicago exhibition of the work of portrait artist Kandy G Lopez, the late photographer Gordon Parks, the late abstract expressionist Helen Frankenthaler, the late painter Juanita Guccione and many more. We put together some programming highlights — both on and off the Pier. Creative Voices: Fashion, Art and Cultural Impact: Artists Derrick Adams and Hebru Brantley — both of whom have works featured in The Collection at Fashion Outlets of Chicago — will discuss how art and fashion transform trends and public spaces. Michael Darling, former chief curator of Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, will moderate. 6:30-7:30 p.m. April 24 at EXPO Chicago; requires Opening Night ticket, available at South Side Night: EXPO Art Week kicks off with a number of programs scattered across Hyde Park and Bronzeville. 'Toast to the South Side,' from 6-7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Chicago, will feature a performance by Margaret Crowley and Eli Greene in the church's basketball court. 5-9 p.m. April 22 in various locations; details at Tour of the Conservation Center: Get an inside glimpse of conservation laboratories (designed by Studio Gang Architects) and hear from experts who care for private and corporate art collections. 11 a.m.-noon April 23 at The Conservation Center, 400 N. Wolcott Ave., Suite 3E; registration required at Exhibition Tour with Alice Gray Stites: Attend a guided tour of 'Truth or Dare: A Reality Show' presented by 21c Chicago chief curator and museum director Alice Gray Stites. The show explores the space between fact and fiction by stressing the importance of questioning. 4-5 p.m. April 25 at 21c Museum Hotel Chicago, 55 E. Ontario St.; free, Gustavo Nazareno Talk: Afro-Brazilian artist Gustavo Nazareno talks with Danny Dunson, director of curatorial services and community partnerships for the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center. The topic will be 'Flashing Blackness: Afro-Brazilian Art Through Expressions of the Divine.' 2 p.m. April 26 at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, 740 E. 56th Place; free RSVP at Im/Migration and Self-Taught Art in Chicago: Artists Carlos Barberena, Alfonso 'Piloto' Nieves Ruiz and Pooja Pittie — all featured in an Intuit Art Museum exhibit open through Jan. 11, 2026 — will reflect on how migration and self-taught art have enriched Chicago's culture. The panel discussion will be moderated by Alison Amick, chief curator of the Intuit Art Museum, and independent curator Dana Boutin. 1-2 p.m. April 27 at EXPO Chicago; details at
