Lavish layering of fluid, gestural brushstrokes executed in a variegated array of inimitable colors immediately captured and captivated my gaze. Looking closely at the elaborate large-scale Abstract Expressionist canvas, we encounter a singular re-imaging of a 17th century visual narrative.
Inspired by one of the most significant paintings in the Western canon, Bernice Bing (1936-1998) subverts the already-controversial Las Meninas (Spanish for The Ladies-in-waiting) by Spanish Baroque master Diego Velázquez, imparting her cultural and sexual identity as a Chinese-American lesbian.
Velasquez Family No. II (1961), from a series of paintings inspired by the 1656 painting, was an undisputed highlight of last night's The Art Show Benefit Preview, presented by the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) at the Park Avenue Armory. All ticket fees from the Benefit Preview and the duration of the 36th annual edition fair, which opened to the public today and is on view until Saturday, support Henry Street Settlement. Founded in 1893 under the name Nurses' Settlement as one of the country's oldest nonprofit organizations, Henry Street helps more than 50,000 New Yorkers through education, employment, shelter, health and wellness, and arts programs.
