Intermediate Studio Art Students Venture Into NYC's World of Contemporary Art

Students experienced a wide range of paintings and drawings, from loosely done representational work to tight, photographic realism by a diverse number of artists.

Our first stop was the David Zwirner Gallery, where we encountered absolute masterpieces by the incredibly talented Njideka Akunyili Crosby, whom Hackley students had the unique pleasure of getting to know through a special Zoom meeting last year. She had graced the space with her latest large-scale collage works on paper. Students responded to the vibrant colors, intricate details and layers of carefully crafted collage elements pulled from her world, where the past and present fuse in arguably what are some of the best contemporary art compositions. The students especially marveled at how she seamlessly blended her Nigerian heritage with American experiences.

Another highlight was a visit to the Philippe Labaune Gallery, where the walls were filled with the enchanting New Yorker cover illustrations and character designs of Peter de Seve. The man behind some of our favorite animated films like Ratatouille, Ice Age and Finding Nemo lent his preparatory sketches for this mini-retrospective. To make our visit even more special, gallery dealer Philippe Labaune himself led us through an intimate tour and discussion of the artist’s process, giving us an anecdotal description of the world of illustration and animation. Students were especially excited to view original artwork from some of the New Yorker magazine’s most famous covers.