The older I get, the more convinced I am that to achieve success in the art world one needs not only visual talent, but the “right” personality. In fact, sometimes the “right” personality (variously defined) trumps the greater visual talents of others. In Manhattan this fall, we have two major museum exhibitions demonstrating the truth of my maxim. The first I shall deal with here and now. It’s the solidly conceived, abundantly documented and handsomely mounted “Chagall, Lissitzky, Malevich: The Russian Avant-Garde in Vitebsk, 1918-1922,” at The Jewish Museum (through January 6, 2019). Read More

Once again, I present my list of the more noteworthy coming attractions this fall. Three of them have already opened, but I’ve only been to one of those three (and as a result include a review of it at the end of this listing). The two biggest museums in town are, in their main exhibits, sitting back on their academic haunches this year, but some of the city’s smaller museums are nobly stepping into the breach (to mix my metaphors). Plus even the occasional gallery. Read More