Articles by Sharon Butler

Another artist worth reading

Another artist worth reading

Owing to its timeless insights about artmaking and life, art teachers traditionally assign Ashcan School painter Robert Henri’s 1923 collection of writing,  The Art Spirit, to beginning painters. The newly-released …

In Celebration of Online Archives

In Celebration of Online Archives

In 2006, the Smithsonian Archives of American Art began digitizing all of the Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner papers, photographs, and ephemera in their archives. Now that the 15,096-image collection …

Art Reality

Art Reality

No matter how hard I try, avoiding reality TV is a challenge. The shows are like invasive kudzu: Nanny 911, Extreme Makeover, The Housewives of New Jersey, Jon & Kate, …

Back in the Day: Mel Bochner and Marcelo Bonevardi

Back in the Day: Mel Bochner and Marcelo Bonevardi

Mel Bochner’s new book, Solar System & Rest Rooms: Writings and Interviews, 1965–2007, is a compilation of his writing, both about art and as art. The book opens with thirty-five …

Flash Points

Share and Share Alike

Flash Points

Share and Share Alike

Artists who garner the most attention in any given time period are those whose work, explicitly or implicitly, reflects the deeper political sensibilities of the era. Right now, contemporary artists …