Between Art Basel and the spate of openings that coincided with Zurich Art Weekend, Switzerland is the place to be for art lovers and collectors. Have FOMO? There’s still time to visit exhibitions such as Mai 36 Galerie’s culinary-focused showcase of John Baldessari—though the last chance to see several soon-to-be-closing New York City shows might just have East Coasters wanting to stay local. In Switzerland and beyond, here are our picks for what to see at galleries and museums in the latter half of June.
John Baldessari at Mai 36 Galerie
Zurich, Switzerland
Mai 36 Galerie’s posthumous tribute to John Baldessari could easily have had a somber tone. Instead, it went with a theme that’s, well, fun. Opened in time for Zurich Art Weekend and on view through August 12, the aptly titled (FOOD) spotlights all manner of nourishment. Prepare your appetite for plums, sautéed scallops and asparagus—with a side of commentary on the relationship between art and culture and consumerism.
Works on Paper: 100 Years at Amanita
New York City
It’s only fitting that the latest show at Amanita, which moved into the former site of CBGBs last fall, is filled with the art world’s equivalent of rock-star-level names. On view through July 2, this exhibition of a century’s worth of works on paper features no shortage of late greats, including Robert Rauschenberg, Alice Neel, Louise Bourgeois, Mike Kelley and Cy Twombly. It’s worth noting that the latter’s grandson, the curator Caio Twombly, is among the gallery’s founders. Meanwhile, contemporary artists such as Tracey Emin, Pope.L, Nate Lowman, Rita Ackermann, Adam Pendleton and many more carry the showcase into the present.
Keith Haring at The Broad
Los Angeles
Younger folks who only know of Keith Haring through his foundation’s feelingly omnipresent collabs with brands such as Uniqlo, Pandora,and Primark would do well to visit The Broad’s showcase of the late artist (on view through October 8). The 120-plus artworks featured in Keith Haring: Art Is For Everybody illustrate the extent to which Haring was committed to activism over his 31-year life, which complications from AIDS cut short in 1990. The many mediums on view include Day-Glo painting, sculpture, video, drawing (chiefly for his New York City subway illustrations) and even music, thanks to the exhibition’s soundtrack of mixtapes made by Haring and his peers.
Love Songs: Photography and Intimacy at ICP
New York City
Meanwhile, on the East Coast, the International Center of Photography has conceived a visual mixtape for the lovers of sixteen contemporary photographers titled Love Songs. While overall an ode to intimacy, the exhibition explores it with nuance. Nobuyushi Araki, for example, contributed photographs taken both at his honeymoon and in the wake of the grief of his partner’s death, while Nan Goldin revisited her seminal “The Ballad of Sexual Dependency” series, which depicts the pain and ecstasy that she and her peers experienced in the ‘70s and ‘80s. All in all, the newly opened group show—also featuring photographer Sally Mann and Collier Schorr, on view through September 11—tackles love through the lens of honesty.
Tiona Nekkia McClodden at Kunsthalle Basel
Basel, Switzerland
Tiona Nekkia McClodden’s first solo institutional exhibition is not a light break from Art Basel, but those in town shouldn’t let fair fatigue keep them from missing it. The buzzy Philadelphia-based artist has long been fixated on notions of mercy, control and consent—specifically as they relate to respiration. With the noise of an air compressor at its center, Kunsthalle Basel’s showcase of her works such as cattle head gates and leather paintings bound with bondage ropes culminates with a video of McClodden struggling with her recently diagnosed sleep apnea.
Isaac Julien at Tate Britain
London
You’ll want to take your time at Isaac Julien’s most significant exhibition in his home country to date. In fact, you could easily stay all afternoon at the Tate Britain: The films on view—which span four decades of Julien’s exploration of race, colonialism and homophobia through artful cinematography—have a combined length of nearly three hours and 40 minutes. Installed with the help of the renowned architect David Adjaye, they include Julien’s breakout Looking For Langston. Before its premiere at the 1989 Berlin International Film Festival, Julien said, a Black gay voice “didn’t really exist” in cinema.
No Justice Without Love at the Ford Foundation Gallery
New York City
In 2017, the legendary philanthropist and art collector Agnes Gund sold her most prized painting (Roy Lichtenstein’s 1962 Masterpiece) to start what would become known as the Art for Justice Fund. The grant-making group has since contributed millions towards its aim to use art as a means to end mass incarceration and is marking the end of its six-year run with one last collaboration with the Ford Foundation. On view at its gallery through June 30, No Justice Without Love highlights artists within the A4J community. Works on view range from Faith Ringgold’s familiar United States of Attica, a map outlining injustices committed across America, to lesser-known ones by grantees such as Jesse Krimes, who creates quilts depicting incarcerated people’s most cherished pre-prison memories using their clothing.
