New Yorker Reviews Tuymans

In a rare review of an Ohio art exhibition, revered critic Peter Schjeldahl–longtime art critic for The New Yorker–came to Columbus to review the Luc Tuymans exhibition, on view at the Wex through January 3, 2010. In his dense, typically elegant, highly researched review ("Flemish Master," October 12 issue, on newsstands this week and available to subscribers online), Schjeldahl writes that this retrospective "invites a verdict" on Tuymans (whom he calls "the most challenging painter in the recent history of the art"), and that his is "a thumbs-up." Tuymans is "plainly fascinated by the power of images to roil minds and hearts," and while he notes that Tuymans "conveys a very dim view of the world today," Schjeldahl adds that "if you like painting enough, you will gamely tolerate the bitter flavor of this artist's amazingly intoxicating brew." The full review is available at our front desk. In other national coverage of note, The New York Times, vogue.com, ELLE, and Artforumhave all dubbed this exhibition one of the highlights of the fall season.