BELOW: Anni Albers
(1899–1994), Josef Albers,
Mitla, 1935–1939.
Gelatin silver print. 8.5 x 12.1 cm.
The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation,
Bethany, Connecticut.
© 2018 The Josef and Anni Albers
Foundation/Artists Rights Society
(ARS), New York.
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geometric vocabulary of Pre-Columbian art, architecture,
and material culture. Albers and his wife, Anni
(1899–1994), took frequent trips to Latin America,
with particular interest in Mexico—visiting the country
more than a dozen times from the 1930s to the
1960s. Albers’ fascination with the visual culture of
Mexico left an indelible mark on his own artistic production
and methodology, with sites like Teotihuacán,
Chichén Itza, Monte Albán, and Mitla infi ltrating the
visual framework of his work. Included in the exhibition
are rarely seen early paintings by Albers, seminal
works like Homage to the Square and Variant/Adobe
series, works on paper, and a selection of rich photographic
and photocollage work, many of which have
never before been on public view.
RIGHT: Josef Albers (1888–
1976), Study for Homage to
the Square: Closing, 1964.
Acrylic on masonite.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,
New York, gift of the artist, 1969.
Transformative Images
HONOLULU—The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum
is presenting Kini ke Kua: Transformative Images, an
exhibit that explores relationships between kiҊi (images)
and people. From sculptures to photographs and
contemporary renderings, the exhibition presents a
multifaceted installation of such images from the Bishop’s
collection and contemporary indigenous art and
practice. It is on view until Sept. 2, 2019.
Ki‘i are a cornerstone of Hawaiian spirituality and
can take many forms. Fashioned from wood, stone,
and other natural materials, ki‘i become embodiments
of deity: representations of akua (gods) and ƌaumākua
(personal or family guardians). This exhibit explores
some of the ways in which relationships between kiƌi
and people may change and
how and why some of those
changes have occurred. At the
center of the exhibition is the kiƌi
long held in the Vérité Collection,
recently gifted to the Bishop
Museum by Salesforce Chairman
and CEO Marc Benioff and
his wife, Lynne.
Josef Albers in Mexico
PHOENIX—The Heard Museum is presenting
Josef Albers in Mexico, an exhibition
organized by the Solomon R. Guggenheim
Museum in New York and curated by Lauren
Hinkson. On view until May 27, 2019,
the exhibition elucidates the infl uence and
connectivity between the work of Albers
(German, 1888–1976) and the abstracted
FAR LEFT: Kona style fi gure
representing the god of war,
Ku-ka’ili-moku.
Hawaii. C. 1780–1820.
Wood (ohi’a-lehua metrosideros
collina). H: 53 cm.
Ex Pierre and Claude Vérité, Paris.
Bishop Museum, donated by Marc and
Lynne Benioff.
Photo courtesy of Christie’s.
LEFT: An Offering before
Captain Cook in the
Sandwich Islands, by John
Webber, 1779.
Ink and watercolor on paper.
Bishop Museum Archives.
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