She has captivated viewers for years with her exotic headdress, pictorial elegance and penetrating eyes, and now Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” is finally accessible to an American audience with her first North American stop at San Francisco’s de Young Museum. The exhibit, “Girl with a Pearl Earring: Read More…
1. “Histoire Noir” at Mercury 20 Gallery Though the discipline of history may seem fact-driven, emotion and imagination merge with historical renditions of Oakland and Europe in “Histoire Noir,” a two-part show opening at Mercury 20 Gallery. Artist Jody Medich takes the stories of her relatives living on the border Read More…
The first “moment of silence” on the radio was in 1919 for victims of World War I. But even a mere moment of so-called nothingness was so alarming that many people thought they had an apocalyptic takeover on their hands, or at least a malfunctioning radio. There is a sort Read More…
A: ‘Lucid Dreams’ at Betti Ono Gallery The most powerful inspiration can come from beyond our conscious and tangible reality. Such a statement aligns with the thrust of Betti Ono Gallery, whose mission statement is “to inspire limitless creativity.” In “Lucid Dreams,” opening for December’s Art Murmur, eight artists meditate Read More…
The gallery space at Ear Peace Records vibed with music, colors and lines as patrons walked along to view the 50 or so artworks hung on the wall. A few wandered outside to grab a beer and check out the murals in the courtyard outside. Celebrating the independent record label Read More…
Jasper Johns is an American iconoclast. Deftly maneuvering between different styles, but never committing to just one, it is obvious from the SFMOMA’s current exhibition of his works that Johns was inspired by all facets of life. The exhibit, “Jasper Johns: Seeing with the Mind’s Eye,” is a retrospective of Read More…
The tall canvas of “The Rose” is smothered in thick, textured oil paint that crafts a mesmerizing 3-D effect while employing rich black and white color tones that depict the spreading petals of a rose and signify the thematic balance between darkness and light. One of the largest-scale paintings present Read More…
There are two major Wes Anderson camps — either you’ve never heard of the guy, or you eat his movies up like deliciously twee vegan crepes. Building on his signature style of picturesquely framed scenes, dry humor and hopelessly dysfunctional families, Anderson has cropped up quite the following, especially apparent Read More…
Oakland at the turn of the millennium looked very different from the city that was ranked as one of the top places to go in 2012 by the New York Times. Since then, the sparse neighborhoods of desolate buildings and fast food restaurants have been replaced by art galleries, restaurants Read More…
Sergio Aragones, the legendary artist most famous for his work with long-running parody periodical MAD Magazine and the “Groo the Wanderer” comic book series, will be taking a break from his busy schedule to attend the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco this weekend. Read More…
