

Art In America 2011 Guide to Galleries —
Arguably the world’s most obsessive living artist, Kusama, now 82, has voluntarily lived in a psychiatric institution since 1977. This retrospective surveys the Japanese artist’s career through 150 works made since 1949, from her early New York performances to her phallus- and dot-covered objects and “Infinity Net” paintings to recent immersive installations, including the 2011 Infinity Mirrored Room—Filled with the Brilliance of Life. The exhibition is jointly organized by Tate Modern, London, and the Reina Sofía, Madrid, where it is on view through Sept. 12, 2011. Itinerary: Centre Pompidou, Paris, Oct. 19, 2011-Jan. 9, 2012; Tate Modern, Feb. 8- May 20, 2012; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, June-September 2012.
Our Take —
Art in America started in 1913 when there seemed to be a glaring gap in the American cultural scene for a contemporary art magazine that, unlike many contemporaneous art lovers, would no longer look back to the ‘old country’ for guidance on visual culture.
Ironically, the name might now be somewhat misleading. For, if its early years were an exercise in stating the validity of homegrown American contemporary art, then it has evolved a lot over the years. Its initial raison d’etre was entirely accomplished a long time ago and, these days, it is a magazine that focuses on the international art scene as much as on homegrown product.
With highly knowledgeable and respected contributors, Art in America is a magazine that is trusted by those who are serious about art. Whilst the content is certainly meaty, as a number of key observers have noted of late, it is also an increasingly readable magazine; informative without being too pretentious. This, together with its specific American perspective –in one sense it is the only serious-but-accessible USA art title offering the right balance between text and image with a notable circulation- puts it in a special league of art magazines beloved of the upper echelons of the international art world.