After years of civil war and continuity violence, Yemen’s heritage has suffered hugely, with buildings damaged across the country and antiquities looted. Yet across the country, there is a determination to protect and restore its historical landmarks and cultures. Ben Luke speaks to Melissa Gronlund, one of The Art Newspaper’s reporters on the Middle East, about these efforts.
Robert Frank, Parade—Hoboken, New Jersey (1955, printed 1977)
National Gallery of Art, Robert Frank Collection, Robert B. Menschel Fund, in Honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Gallery of Art, 1991.82.5 © The June Leaf and Robert Frank Foundation, from The Americans
At the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the exhibition American Icon: The US Flag in Art opens this weekend. Ben speaks to the gallery’s chief curatorial and conservation officer, E. Carmen Ramos, about the exhibition.
Felix Gonzalez-Torres, Untitled (Revenge) (1991) installed in Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Sweet Revenge at the Museo Reina Sofía, 2026
Installation view by Roberto Ruiz Photography
And this episode’s Work of the Week is Untitled (Revenge) (1991) by Felix Gonzalez-Torres, one of the late Cuban-American artist’s sculptures using hundreds of wrapped candies. The work was first exhibited in Madrid in 1991 and is being shown there for the first time since that initial presentation in a survey show of Gonzalez-Torres’s work at the Museo Reina Sofía, which opened last week. The exhibition’s curators are Alejandro Cesarco and Nancy Spector and Ben spoke to them about the work.
- American Icon: The US Flag in Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 6 June-6 December
- Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Sweet Revenge, Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid, until 12 October