Matthew S. Witkovsky – författare

A fascinating gathering of modern and contemporary art that considers artworks from different media as material objectsThis book features 31 objects from Constance R. Caplan’s noted collection of 20th- and 21st-century art, including works in a variety of media by artists such as Hans Arp, Lynda Benglis, Liz Deschenes, Claes Oldenburg, and Cy Twombly. Rather than specialize in one medium, artist, or movement, Caplan has instead assembled paintings, photographs, drawings, sculptures, and examples of decorative art that together capture the full scope of a transformative period in art history. Individual pieces are examined by a diverse group of scholars that includes voices from both the school and the museum of the Art Institute of Chicago, while Yve-Alain Bois provides a historical overview of the collection’s genesis, with a particular focus on the dialogue among works from different artistic disciplines.Distributed for the Art Institute of ChicagoExhibition Schedule:The Art Institute of Chicago(February 22–July 5, 2020)

A panorama of the career of South African photographer David Goldblatt, elucidating his artistic commitments, networks, and influence  David Goldblatt: No Ulterior Motive coincides with a major traveling retrospective of the renowned South African photographer’s work. From vintage handprints of the artist’s black-and-white photography, taken between the 1950s and the 1990s, to his post-apartheid, large-format, color work, photographs in the volume are approached thematically—under headers such as “Assembly,” “Disbelief,” “Dialogues,” and “Extraction”—to draw out the artist’s core interests in working-class people, the landscape, and the built environment. Objects from Goldblatt’s (1930–2018) personal archive are also included. In an effort to create a more inclusive dialogue around Goldblatt’s work, the catalogue features images and texts by contemporary photographers and scholars, many of whom were mentored by Goldblatt, including Zanele Muholi and Sabelo Mlangeni. Some write on Goldblatt’s photographs, while others discuss his influence on their own work. Goldblatt devoted his life to documenting his country and its people. Known for his nuanced portrayals of life under apartheid, he covered a wide range of subjects, all of them intimately connected to South African history and politics. The wide-ranging voices in this catalogue foster a broad frame of reference for his work, thus countering a frequent misunderstanding of apartheid as a situation peculiar to South Africa.  Published in association with Fundación MAPFRE, Art Institute of Chicago, and Yale University Art Gallery  Exhibition Schedule:  Art Institute of Chicago(December 2, 2023–March 25, 2024)  MAPFRE, Madrid(May 29, 2024–September 1, 2024)  Yale University Art Gallery(February 21, 2025–June 22, 2025)

An expansive look at more than a century of Pan-Africanist art and the ways it embodies the movement’s principles and global ambitions  Since the term Pan-Africanism was coined around 1900, the movement’s promise has been to foster liberation and solidarity for Black peoples worldwide. Focusing on its cultural expression, this book presents a rich selection of the visual, sonic, and other creative forms that have emerged throughout Pan-Africanism’s evolution. Among the nearly two hundred artists represented from across the continent and the African diaspora are Beauford Delaney, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Hoyt William Fuller, Wifredo Lam, Simone Leigh, Ernest Mancoba, Zanele Muholi, Kawira Mwirichia, Cauleen Smith, Alma Thomas, and George Albert Yon.  Reflecting Pan-Africanism’s ideals of diversity and dialogue as well as its aspirations to egalitarianism, essays from more than a dozen scholars, artists, and practitioners speak to a range of themes and places, while discussing works in all media made or circulated outside the infrastructure of fine art, including LP albums, illustrated magazines, and manifestos.  Distributed for The Art Institute of Chicago  Exhibition Schedule:  The Art Institute of Chicago(December 15, 2024–March 30, 2025)  MACBA Museu d’Art Contemporani, Barcelona(November 6, 2025–April 6, 2026)Barbican Centre, London(June 10–September 6, 2026)  KANAL–Centre Pompidou, Brussels(Fall 2026–Winter 2027)

An exploration of selfhood and self-presentation through the works of fourteen American artists Reflecting on themes of selfhood and self-presentation, this broad collection of works by renowned and lesser-known artists offers a multifaceted look at the complexities of identity in the modern world. Self, Made brings together a wide-ranging collection of media—from photographs and paintings to drawings, sculptures, and film—with an emphasis on photography and work dubbed “outsider” art. The Sandor Family Collection inspires inquiry into the relationship that particular artists and works have with fame, popular culture, and the self. Short biographies on Eddie Arning, William Edmondson, Lee Godie, Jesse Howard, Annette Messager, Mr. Imagination, Martín Ramírez, Cindy Sherman, Bill Traylor, Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Kara Walker, Slim Wasson, John Waters, and Joseph E. Yoakum accompany brilliant new photography of their works, as well as views of the Sandors’ unique art-filled Chicago apartment. In an interview with curator Matthew Witkovsky, Ellen and Richard Sandor share insights into their democratic collecting philosophy and consider how histories are often futures waiting to be made. Distributed for the Art Institute of Chicago Exhibition Schedule: The Art Institute of Chicago(June 27–November 9, 2026)