“Long before social media, digital filters and endless reposting became part of everyday life, Roy Lichtenstein was already exploring how images are copied, enlarged, circulated, and transformed—and how their meanings shift along the way.”
Claire Danes
BY ALEXANDER HANKIN
The buzz of the art world is the opening of Roy Lichtenstein: Like New, an expansive exhibition that looks beyond the familiar comic-book dots, bold outlines, and pop-culture imagery and discovers an artist whose ideas feel remarkably current in our image-saturated world.
With more than 130 works that span six decades, from the early 1940s through the 1990s, the monumental show is a fresh perspective on one of the defining figures of Pop Art. Moving through the galleries, I’m struck by just how much Lichtenstein anticipated the way we consume images today. Long before social media, digital filters and endless reposting became part of everyday life, he was already exploring how images are copied, enlarged, circulated, and transformed—and how their meanings shift along the way.
The artist Pat OleszkoScott RothkopfFran DrescherRyan McGinleyErik Bottcher and I.D. AruedeBrian Donnelly (the artist known as KAWS)
Some of Lichtenstein’s most recognizable pieces are on view, like Look Mickey (1961), Girl with Ball (1961), Masterpiece (1962), Drowning Girl (1963), and Happy Tears (1964). Seeing these pieces together is a reminder of how radically Lichtenstein transformed the visual language of comics, advertising and commercial printing into fine art. At first glance, his paintings may appear mechanical, but their crisp, machine-like surfaces conceal an intensely deliberate, handmade process. At the opening, I spot faces from both the art world and pop culture, a fitting juxtaposition: Whitney director Scott Rothkopf, Fran Drescher, photographer Ryan McGinley, Sharon Coplan, Bre Harrison, and Brian Donnelly (the artist known as KAWS), ti name a few.
Among the exhibit’s highlights are a recreation of three murals, including a nearly 96-foot-long iteration of Greene Street Mural (1983), alongside an outdoor presentation of Girl in Window (1964), realized by artist and guest co-curator Alex Da Corte. Paintings, drawings, collages, prints, sculpture, and film reveal the breadth of Lichtenstein’s practice, while works by artists including Louise Lawler, Richard Pettibone, and Sturtevant explore his far-reaching influence on appropriation, artistic authorship, and the very idea of originality. Roy Lichtenstein: Like New is more than a celebration of an American art icon. It is an invitation to reconsider how we see, what we recognize, and how images shape our understanding of the world.
The Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education brings its annual Fiesta! gala back to the Plaza Hotel and the night is glamorous and quintessentially New York.
Paul Florez
“The evening is refreshingly light on speeches and heavy on dancing. Bob Hardwick Sound keeps the party moving, and soon, the Plaza feels less like a charity ball and more like one giant dance floor.”
Javier Medrano
The ballroom is filled with beautiful gowns (Jackie Weld Drake wows in a Moschino slot machine number) and plenty of energy. The evening is refreshingly light on speeches and heavy on dancing. Bob Hardwick Sound keeps the party moving, and soon, the Plaza feels less like a charity ball and more like one giant dance floor.
Jackie Weld Drake speaks about the children and families Casita Maria serves, reminding everyone that many of them come from underserved communities with limited opportunities. Ben Rodriguez-Cubeñas gives the evening a serious boost, quite literally, announcing that the Rockefeller Brothers Fund just committed $100,000 to Casita Maria and challenged the room to match it. The response is immediate. Paul Florez whips the crowd into a giving frenzy with the paddle raise bringing in more than $200,000 on the spot.
Jackie Weld Drake and the artist Hunt SlonemBen Rodriguez-Cubenas and Victor RoquettePaul Florez and Alexander HankinMoataz Refaie, Gabriel Rivera-Barraza, Sissi Fleitas and Alexa Rodulfo
Founded in 1934, Casita Maria was the first charitable organization to serve New York City’s Latino community and has spent nearly a century creating opportunities through arts and education. Based in the South Bronx, Casita Maria provides free programs ranging from academic support and arts training to paid teen apprenticeships, career readiness, and preparation for college and the workforce. I was thrilled to see artist Hunt Slonem celebrated. His exuberant paintings of bunnies and butterflies are instantly recognizable but hearing him speak about his personal connection to arts education made the honor even more meaningful. What I love about Casita Maria is that its story goes far beyond one glamorous night and makes a real difference in the community.
Carnegie Hall’s star-studded opening night bash.
F. Murray Abraham, Lisa Rinehart and Mikhail BaryshnikovPeter SarsgaardMarina Kellen French, Peter Marino and Andrew GundlachLena HallWilliam AbadieJessica Joffe and Margarita LevievaAndrew Saffir and Daniel BenedictConstance WuElettra Wiedemann, Caleb Lane, Doris Wong and the fashion designer Prabal Gurung
At the New York Film Festival premiere of Sony Classics’ “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” at Alice Tully Hall, the buzz is that star John Turturro just might get a Best Actor Oscar nod.
Frances McDormand and John TurturroEdie Falco and Aida TurturroMalin Åkerman and Stellan SkarsgårdBrendan Hines and Tatiana MaslanyGiancarlo Esposito and Ralph MacchioJoel Coen and John Turturro
