Standing in Yayoi Kusama’s small infinity mirror room, “All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins,” at Cincinnati Art Museum, you feel insignificant, like a speck in the universe or a grain of sand in a desert. Reflections of the pumpkins — and you — fan out into infinity and beyond. At the same time, the immersive gathering of pumpkins is uplifting. You are surrounded on all sides by sculptures of different sizes but each holding an inner glow. It’s whimsical, and it makes you smile. Kusama’s career spans seven decades. Now 97, she describes her pumpkins as a form of self-portraiture. She first encountered pumpkins in the fields of her childhood home in Matsumoto, Japan, saying that they speak to her of the joy of living. “They are both humble and amusing at the same time,” she said. Her pumpkin motifs began appearing in her art in the 1980s. Her first pumpkin mirrored room was featured in the 1993 Venice Bienniale, where Kusama represented Japan. “All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins” is on loan from the Dallas Museum of Art.
If you go: The installation is ticketed. Free to members. Entrance is limited to two people at any one time and is timed based, allowing each group of visitors 1 minute and 30 seconds in the installation. There are cubby holes for your purses and bags. Read more about it here.
Having just seen Wagner’s opera, “Twilight of the Gods” at Atlanta Opera last week, imagine my astonishment when I discovered this cabinet in the Taft Museum of Art’s new exhibition, “The Scandinavian Home: Landscape and Lore.” It depicts King Håkan the Good riding across the Gjallerbrui, and Gondal and Skogul — two Valkyries — Riding into Valhalla, from the ancient Norse saga, Hákonarmál. It appears that a Norwegian cabinet maker and carver John Borgersen made the cabinet to the designs by artist Gerhard Munthe (Norwegian, 1849–1929).
Cabinet, 1910, pine with gouache on glass. From the Collection of David and Susan Werner, on display at the Taft.
Watch for my article next week in the Business Courier about the show.
Epco Runia, curator of the exhibition and Head of Collections at the Rembrandt House Museum
I didn’t know what to expect when I asked Epco Runia, the Head of Collections at the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam, to show me his favorite etching in the fascinating exhibition he curated, “Rembrandt: Masterpieces in Black and White—Prints from the Rembrandt House Museum,” at the Taft Museum of Art February 7 through May 17.
It would probably be like asking a musician for their favorite composition. But he went right to the most miniature of the nearly 50 small masterpieces in the exhibition in Fifth Third Gallery. There it was, “Sleeping Puppy” (about 1640), an etching of about three inches in length, with the charming subject curled up in a corner.
Rembrandt (Dutch, 1606–1669), Sleeping Puppy, about 1640, etching and drypoint, 1 9/16 x 3 3/16 in. Rembrandt House Museum, Amsterdam
“It’s a sleeping puppy, a small dog in a kind of little corner of a room, and that’s why I like it so much. It’s such an intimate scene,” he said. “It gives the impression that this is really something he saw, his own dog in his house. And then, out of an impulse, he must have decided to make an etching out of it. Read Leah Zipperstein’s story today in the Business Courier for great information about the technique.)
“And the light is beautiful on this dog — on the head, and the shadows in back and, well, I love dogs. So, the way his head is on his paw resting, those kind of details are so typical for a dog resting. That Rembrandt is interested in something ordinary like this, makes this into such a beautiful thing. That is, for me, very much what I appreciate about Rembrandt. I love the way he brought everyday life into his art.”
That point is well taken when you stroll through the exhibition, which includes self portraits, biblical scenes, landscapes and everyday people. There is a section illustrating Rembrandt’s pioneering art of print-making, with examples of the actual copper plates that he used.Read More »
FotoFocus is announcing “Photo-Economics,” an all-day event on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at Lightborne Studios (212 E 14th Street) in Cincinnati.
The event will delve into the industrial history of photography and its role in shaping social narratives.
“The FotoFocus symposium and biennial themes always address some essential aspect of photography while at the same time exploring how that aspect functions in the larger human sphere,” says Kevin Moore, Artistic Director and Curator at FotoFocus. “Photo-Economics is about the resources of photography–what photography is materially, what it’s actually made of–and the impact on people’s lives that inevitably arise over competition for those material resources.”
The guest lineup includes leading voices, such as artists Mitch Epstein, Katy Grannan, Alison Rossiter, and Lauren Bon, as well as scholars such as Robert Slifkin, Monica Bravo, Lee Ann Daffner, and Benjamin Young. They will each explore aspects of photography’s role in systems of global industrialization and distribution, including the impacts of these realities on social and political systems.
The morning session begins at 10 a.m. The keynote conversation at 4:30 p.m. will feature leading American photographer Mitch Epstein and NYU professor Robert Slifkin. They will elaborate upon the themes of the day, offering a deeper look at the medium of photography against the backdrop of labor and political struggles.
The event is free and open to the public, but registration is requested. Those interested can register here. For more information, please visit fotofocus.org.
A reception following the symposium will feature live music from local band Red Cedars., 6-8 p.m.
“Homework Flying” The original illustration from the children’s book “Late For School” that comedian Steve Martin wrote and C.F. Payne illustrated.
Nationally known illustrator C.F. Payne and author, editor and former Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Brent Coleman have collaborated on an entertaining illustrated book titled “Cincinnati Characters: The Unknown, Unappreciated and Unhinged.” The book (which I highly recommend) tells the stories of 35 men and women who impacted Cincinnati’s development in the 1800s and early 1900s.
“Reds Ball #2” from Chris F. Payne’s sketchbook. You can see the perforated edge. There will be 150 original illustrations from Chris’s sketch books.
Payne and Coleman will be signing books at Cincinnati Art Galleries, 225 E. Sixth St., downtown, 5-8 p.m. Sept. 22, to open the exhibition and sale of more than 200 of C.F. Payne’s illustrations. The show will include 35 illustrations from the recently published book.
Of course, you’ve seen Payne’s irresistible illustrations and caricatures. His work has appeared in publications such as Time, Der Spiegel, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, MAD, Boys Life, Atlantic Monthly, AARP, the Wall Street Journal and many other national and international publications. His work has been exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery, Norman Rockwell Museum, Mazza Museum, Cincinnati Art Museum and others around the world.
“Had Libby Holman – accused murderer, Broadway Star, torch singer, open bisexual and friend of Montgomery Clift, Dorothy Parker and Martin Luther King Jr. – graduated from The University of Cincinnati in 2013 instead of 1923, she would have been a YouTube and tabloid sensation.” Written by Brent Coleman from his book
Coleman wrote stories about Cincinnati history and interesting houses near the end of this 26-year career at the Enquirer. Those stories have formed the basis for this fun and informative book.
The artworks begin at $300. The exhibition and sale continues through Nov. 22. Information: cincyart.com.
You might have noticed a new mural at Great American Ball Park this fall. ArtWorks, in partnership with the CROWN (Cincinnati Riding or Walking Network) and the Cincinnati Reds, has painted a 165-foot mural between the Reds Hall of Fame and Smale Riverfront Park, at the corner of Joe Nuxhall Way & Mehring Way.
Designed by local artist L.D. Nehls, it features some of Cincinnati’s iconic landmarks and aims to celebrate how the CROWN trail and the Reds connect people and communities.
“I love Cincinnati and I love trails that are both walkable and bikeable, so I could not have been more excited to work on a project that celebrates both of them,” said Nehls.Read More »
View of the CSO performing a livestreamed concert in Nov. 2020
I’ll never forget the fear in the eyes of both performers and audience members in the first few live, indoor performances I saw in the early months of the pandemic in 2020. We were masked, spaced vastly apart and there was no intermission to avoid viral spread. Otherwise, many performances were livestreamed online, with musicians masked and separated by space and screens.
Then in 2021, as vaccines became available and theaters began to reopen to full audiences, there was elation and relief by many who were able to finally attend a show in person.
Every concert, play, ballet or art exhibition I attended in 2021 was deeply moving because it showed the perseverance of artists — indeed of all humanity — during this unprecedented time. I feel that we’ve come a long way.
Now, we are buffeted again by the Omicron variant. Just announced, there are at least two museum “pauses” (Cincinnati Art Museum is closed Jan. 3-12 and the Taft Museum of Art is closed Jan. 3-13).
“Hairspray” is postponed to a later date due to Covid in the cast.
There are also a few postponed performances. At the Aronoff Center, “Hairspray” scheduled to play January 4 – 9, 2022 is being rescheduled due to breakthrough positive Covid cases within the company of “Hairspray.” Ticket holders are encouraged to hold onto their tickets while the engagement is being rescheduled.
At Music Hall, the Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati is postponing its January 8 and 9 performances of “The Song Among Us” to a later date, to be announced. The release states that the postponement “is prompted by production challenges exacerbated by the recent rise in positive Covid cases across the nation.” Ticket holders may complete this form or call the box office at 513-381-3300 for ticket options, including donations, exchanges, and refunds.
I prefer to see the glass half full. I believe we will get through this, and the arts will persevere.
Singers Michelle DeYoung and Sean Panikkar share bows in Mahler’s “The Song of the Earth” with the CSO. (Photo by Lee Snow)
I wrote a list of some of my favorite performances in 2021 in a column for the Business Courier. My list begins with Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde” by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in Music Hall last March, and ends with “The Marriage of Figaro” at CCM in November. I’d like to know some of yours, too. (Let me know here, or on Facebook.)
And looking ahead, here is my list of “best bets” in 2022. It’s really just a broad sweep — because there are so many chamber music, vocal concerts, art exhibitions and dance performances that have yet to be announced. I think we have a lot to anticipate.
Verdi’s opulent “Aida” will be presented at Cincinnati Opera in summer 2022. Photo courtesy of Opéra de Montréal, Yves Renaud
A visitor views a photo wall with the Berlin 202 that toured America in the ’40s. Photo by Cliff Fennel
Cincinnati Art Museum’s “Paintings, Politics and the Monuments Men: The Berlin Masterpieces in America” (July 9-Oct. 3) is a fascinating, not-to-be-missed exhibition on several levels. It explores the controversy of removing art that was patrimony of the German people after World War II. It tells the story of Cincinnati’s own “Monuments Man” Walter Farmer. It also tells the true story of the first blockbuster exhibition of European art to tour in America.
I attended the media preview last week, and of course, I was wowed by the star of the show, Botticelli’s “Vivid Portrait of a Lady.” Susan Stamberg did a lovely piece on NPR about her.
There is much more to ponder here, starting with four of the original paintings that toured America after the war and drew an unprecedented 2.5 million visitors.
My personal favorite was this 17th-century landscape by Philips Koninck, “Panorama of Holland,” on loan from the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. It was shown in all 14 stops of the US tour. You must stand there a while to drink it all in — the sunbreak in the threatening sky, the water ways and the little villages.
But there are so many other riches in this exhibition — a Watteau, a Titian, a Rubens. Then there is the remarkable story — and the excellent book that goes with the exhibition. Its authors and co-curators, Peter Jonathan Bell and Kristi A. Nelson, were there last week for a long-postponed opening. Of courses, the show was to have opened during the pandemic last year.
The co-curators Bell and Nelson share a moment/photo by Cliff Fennel
I plan to make several visits. Do go when the crowds are not large. You might also want to learn more in these special events:
See the Story Book Club: Monuments Men by Bret Witter and Robert Edsel – July 17, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Join librarians from the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library and members of the Cincinnati Art Museum staff for this bi-monthly book club. You can check out the book, e-book, or audio book at CinLib.org/monuments-men
Art After Dark | A Monumental Celebration – July 30. 5-9 p.m. Free admission. Registration not required. Enjoy live music from the Monday Night Big Band in the Alice Bimel Courtyard, swing dancing with Pones, food for purchase from Dewey’s Pizza, cash bars and free admission to special exhibition Paintings, Politics, and the Monuments Men. #ArtAfterDarkCincy
Monuments Men Symposium – September 24 (details to be announced)
More will likely be added to the calendar in September. Here’s the link.
CSO audiences and musicians have been greatly socially distanced for this spring’s in-person shows.
I am one of the lucky people who has been able to see live, in-person concerts at Music Hall as organizations have begun opening up now that Covid appears to be waning.
Cincinnati is one of the first cities in the nation to welcome people back into the concert hall, albeit with plenty of Covid mitigation. I have to admit, for my first visit back to Music Hall — even before the vaccine became available to most people — I had some trepidation. But the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, as well CAA, which oversees Music Hall, have taken excellent precautions. With all of the social distancing in a 2200+ seat hall, an audience of 300 seemed pretty sparse. And with 90-minute concerts and no intermission, I barely encountered anyone at all. Just parked the car, donned a mask, saw the concert and left.
I loved this concert featuring Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde.” And how great that the orchestra made it available free for streaming a few weeks later.
Mandy Gaines
Now that the state is allowing 30% of hall capacity to be seated, it is nice to see up to 500 people. It really does make a difference, and I’m sure it does to the musicians, as well. Here’s my review of the Pops last weekend with Cincinnati treasure Mandy Gaines and that terrific singer Darius de Haas.
Melissa White made her subscription debut in Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3, “Strasbourg.”
And here’s my report of Louis Langrée’s Mozart festival with the CSO, the first time nearly 500 were allowed attend.
Thankfully, we have had our art museums to visit over the pandemic. Now, we can look forward to the May Festival — a slimmed-down version of that massive choral experience, of course. Read about it here.
And Cincinnati Opera will return as well, although not in Music Hall but at Summit Park, on land that was formerly the Blue Ash Airport. (Years ago, I met a relative there, who was delivering us a cello on his private plane… ) Here’s the story.
And yes, theater is returning too. Playhouse in the Park will seat reduced audiences for two productions this spring, and also offers some outdoor events. Here’s the announcement.
Cincinnati Ballet will begin moving into its new, $30.8 million home in Walnut Hills this June. (Click here to read about it.) The company has done an admiral job presenting both outdoor and indoor performances during the pandemic.
All of these organizations have had to toss out their planned seasons and re-imagine them with new productions and concert programs.
I admire CCM for putting together an imaginative performance series online. I have enjoyed myriad virtual shows over the past year. But there is nothing like experiencing a performance live and in person.
We’ve all missed all of it, terribly. I feel grateful to live in a city where arts leaders are creatively and safely reopening to allow in-person experiences.
Cincinnati Art Museum announced today it will be open to the public for special engagement days on the weekends in January (Jan. 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, 31). Hours will be 11 a.m.–5 p.m. each day.
Members will have special access each Friday starting Jan. 8 (continuing Jan. 15, 22, 29), as well as “Member Mornings” each Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.–11 a.m. The museum will not be open on New Year’s Eve or Day.
To ensure community wellness, limited hourly capacity remains reduced and advanced online registration is required. The museum will continue its safety policies requiring masks covering noses and mouths, and six feet of social distance between visitors. Increased cleaning and use of hospital-grade air filtration allow the museum to operate safely. The museum asks that all patrons limit their visit to two hours and ONLY visit with members of their own household.
This makes me happy, because yesterday — the last viewing day previously announced — I attended Frank Duveneck: American Master, which is set to run through March 28, 2021. With 90 works of art, it is a revelatory exhibition. Both comprehensive and beautifully organized, it also offers a personal view of the artist, including his friendships with other artists such as Whistler — featuring side-by-side works — the Duveneck Boys, his Art Academy students and especially with his wife, who died much too young.
It is a rare, sweeping look at Duveneck’s output in its only showing in America. (Due to Covid, it will not travel elsewhere after Cincinnati.) At CAM, it is the first major exhibition of Duveneck’s work in more than 30 years.
“The Three Boys” are together, perhaps for the first time
In a Q&A for the Business Courier, I asked curator Julie Aronson for some of her favorite works. This topped her list:
“Seeing the “three boys” hung together is going to be a great moment in the exhibition. “The Whistling Boy,” “The Cobbler’s Apprentice” from the Taft Museum of Art and “He Lives by his Wits,” still in a private collection, will be hung together.”Read More »
Kusama’s career spans seven decades. Now 97, she describes her pumpkins as a form of self-portraiture. She first encountered pumpkins in the fields of her childhood home in Matsumoto, Japan, saying that they speak to her of the joy of living. “They are both humble and amusing at the same time,” she said. Her pumpkin motifs began appearing in her art in the 1980s. Her first pumpkin mirrored room was featured in the 1993 Venice Bienniale, where Kusama represented Japan. “All the Eternal Love I Have for the Pumpkins” is on loan from the Dallas Museum of Art.
If you go: The installation is ticketed. Free to members. Entrance is limited to two people at any one time and is timed based, allowing each group of visitors 1 minute and 30 seconds in the installation. There are cubby holes for your purses and bags. Read more about it here.
