“Eye to Eye: Untraditional Voices” explores how an artist might fall in love with another artist’s work. This fall, collector John L. Thomson toured the studios at the Academy and selected eleven works by second-year MFA students. Thomson, who serves on the board of trustees of MoMA PS1 and on the Modern Women’s Council of the Museum of Modern Art, has over 100 works in his home, and each student artist was invited to roam through and choose a piece from his extensive contemporary art collection to present alongside their own. Eye to Eye: Untraditional Voices thus exhibits pieces from the student artists side by side such masters as Peter Saul, Robin Williams, Dana Schutz, Red Grooms, Natalie Frank and Larry Rivers, in a dialogue about artistic influence and comparative value in the contemporary art world. This marks the second edition of Eye to Eye mounted at the Academy; in 2016 the collector Laura Skoler initiated the exhibition concept with eight student artists and works from her contemporary art collection. “Eye to Eye: Untraditional Voices” will be on view through February 23.
John L. Thomson’s collection as selected by New York Academy of Art students (left column) and New York Academy of Art student works selected by John L. Thomson (right column)
Video Tour Preview Provided by Eazel