Sperone Westwater celebrates its 50th anniversary

Sperone Westwater: 50 Years

Sperone Westwater, New York

5 September – 25 October 2025

Sperone Westwater celebrates its 50th anniversary. The gallery’s early years established a lasting tradition of presenting challenging, provocative and engaging work to new audiences. Founded as a three-way partnership between Angela Westwater, Gian Enzo Sperone and Konrad Fischer, the initial program brought together the European avant-garde with a core group of American artists to whom the founders were deeply committed. Over five decades, the program has continually evolved and expanded, particularly through long-term relationships with artists such as Bruce Nauman, Richard Long, Wolfgang Laib and Susan Rothenberg.

The gallery began and continues with Angela Westwater as resident managing partner, while Fischer and Sperone continued operating their respective galleries in Düsseldorf and Turin.Westwater worked briefly for John Weber at his gallery at 420 West Broadway, the first gallery building in SoHo, before becoming the Managing Editor at Artforum from 1972 to 1975. Bruce Nauman, who first exhibited with the gallery in 1976 (and held his fifteenth solo show there in 2024), said of Westwater: “The first time I met her, the gallery had just opened. She was so nervous. She had the art background but not the sales experience, so she learned it. She had to learn it. She was like Leo Castelli in the sense that the work was the work, and she is deeply invested in her artists' work.”

Opening at 142 Greene Street as the SoHo gallery scene emerged, Sperone Westwater later expanded to a second location at 121 Greene Street. In 2002, the gallery moved ahead of the curve to the Meatpacking District at 415 West 13th Street. Artists Alexis Rockman, Kim Dingle and Bertozzi & Casoni were among the artists joining the gallery’s dynamic program around this time. In 2010, Sperone Westwater inaugurated its award-winning building at 257 Bowery, designed by Norman Foster, with a solo exhibition by Guillermo Kuitca. The building—known for its distinctive “moving room”—was among the first purpose-built galleries in New York commissioned from a major architect. In 2011, the Municipal Art Society of New York presented Foster + Partners their MASterworks Award of Best New Building for Sperone Westwater at 257 Bowery. Over the past decade, a new generation of artists has joined the program, including Joana Choumali, Shaunté Gates, Jim Gaylord, Jitish Kallat, Amy Lincoln, Katy Moran, Gamaliel Rodríguez, Kyungmi Shin and Kevin Umaña, contributing to the gallery’s innovative and evolving identity.

Artists featured in Sperone Westwater: 50 Years are Carl Andre, Bertozzi & Casoni, Alighiero e Boetti, Joana Choumali, Francesco Clemente, Hanne Darboven, Kim Dingle, Shaunté Gates, Jim Gaylord, Peter Halley, Jitish Kallat, On Kawara, Guillermo Kuitca, Wolfgang Laib, Helmut Lang, Charles LeDray, Sol LeWitt, Amy Lincoln, Richard Long, Emil Lukas, David Lynch, Heinz Mack, Brice Marden, Mario Merz, Katy Moran, Malcolm Morley, Bruce Nauman, Mimmo Paladino, Otto Piene, Alexis Rockman, Gamalíel Rodriguez, Susan Rothenberg, Robert Ryman, Peter Sacks, Peter Schlesinger, Julian Schnabel, Kyungmi Shin, Richard Tuttle, Cy Twombly, Kevin Umaña, Andy Warhol, William Wegman.

SPERONE WESTWATER

257 Bowery New York, NY 10002

www.speronewestwater.com

Kiira Miesmaa: New director of Kiasma, Helsinki, Museum of Contemporary Art

Kiira Miesmaa has been chosen as the director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma

Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma

Photo: Finnish National Gallery/ Susanna Kesänen

The board of the Finnish National Gallery has selected KIIRA MIESMAA as the next director of the Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma for a five-year term starting from June 1, 2024.

Kiira Miesmaa has worked in leadership positions in various organizations in the art sector, both in the public and private sectors. At Galerie Forsblom, she has been responsible for the operational management of the gallery. While the gallery operated in Stockholm, she handled the strategic management of both galleries in collaboration with the gallery owner. Miesmaa has consistently contributed to the internationalization of Finnish art, with the gallery participating in contemporary art fairs worldwide. She has been a member of the HIAP board since 2019.

“Kiira Miesmaa has excellent qualifications to lead Kiasma and the Finnish National Gallery forward in the next five-year period. Miesmaa’s expertise complements the Finnish National Gallery’s management team in a positive way,” says the chairman of the board Matti Vanhanen.

The Finnish National Gallery initiated the search for directors for Ateneum and Kiasma simultaneously in June 2023. Anna-Maria von Bonsdorff was selected as the director of Ateneum in early November, commencing her duties on January 1, 2024. Both museum directors are part of the National Gallery’s management team and collaborate with the CEO and other department heads to develop the National Gallery’s activities.

Miesmaa will succeed the current director of Kiasma, Leevi Haapala, whose second term in office concludes on May 31, 2024.

“Haapala has done excellent work as the director of Kiasma. He has navigated Kiasma through a challenging period with the pandemic and a major renovation. During his tenure, Kiasma has hosted, among other things, two major international ARS exhibitions and exhibitions of significant Finnish artists such as Markus Copper and Tom of Finland, not to mention numerous international names,” acknowledges Kimmo Levä, the General Director of the National Gallery.

Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma

Mannerheiminaukio 2, 00100 Helsinki

www.kiasma.fi

Meridian New Sector @ Art Basel Miami Beach 2019

Art Basel announces new sector, Meridian, for its Miami Beach show in December 5-8, 2019

Art Basel announces Meridians, an ambitious new sector that will premiere at the 18th edition of the Miami Beach show from 5 through 8 December, 2019. Curated by Magalí Arriola, Meridians will present large-scale sculptures and paintings, installations, film and video projections, and live performances in the Miami Beach Convention Center’s (MBCC) new Grand Ballroom, which boasts nearly 6,000 m² (60,374 ft²) of space and is directly connected to the main exhibition halls. The new space – a result of the extensive refurbishment of the MBCC – enables Art Basel to introduce a new sector for art works that push the boundaries of a traditional art fair layout. Meridians will provide galleries with a unique opportunity to present ambitious, monumental works at the Miami Beach edition.

Magalí Arriola, curator of Meridians, said: 'I am thrilled to steer this fantastic project. Meridians brings enormous possibilities to Art Basel in Miami Beach, creating a vibrant platform for large-scale sculptures, installations and moving image works, as well as performance – which did not have a dedicated space at the fair until now.'

Noah Horowitz, Art Basel's Director Americas, said: 'We are extremely excited to introduce Meridians to our upcoming Miami Beach show this December. The sheer scale of the Grand Ballroom and its immediate proximity to the show floor give us unprecedented opportunities to present ambitious artistic projects that go far beyond the limits of the conventional art fair layout. In combination with the new floorplan and show design that we’ve introduced over the last two years – as a result of the completed renovations of the MBCC – this initiative heralds an exciting new chapter for Art Basel in Miami Beach.'

ART BASEL MIAMI BEACH
1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139
www.artbasel.com

Indianapolis Museum of Art's Contemporary Design galleries

Indianapolis Museum of Art's new Contemporary Design galleries

The Indianapolis Museum of Art has announced that it will open new contemporary design galleries November 21, 2013, after a three-year, multi-phase renovation project. The reinstallation of the Museum’s expanded collection of modern design will span nearly 10,000 square feet and will feature more than 400 objects. Unlike most design installations, the IMA’s will focus on design after 1980—a period of immense growth and creativity. The galleries will be based on the two overarching concepts: design as industry and design as art. The new installation will be one of the largest displays of contemporary design in any North American art museum and one of the first surveys of recent trends in this dynamic field. 

The IMA's Department of Design Art was created in 2007 and focuses on a collection of post-1945 design, representing a wide range of media, including furniture, glass, ceramics, metalwork, and product design from Europe, the US, and Asia. Over the last six years under the leadership of R. Craig Miller, senior curator of design arts, the department has acquired more than 1200 objects. Notable designers in the collection include Charles & Ray Eames, Hans Wegner, Eero Saarinen, Ettore Sottsass, Robert Venturi, Michael Graves, Philippe Starck, Ron Arad, Jasper Morrison, Hella Jongerius, the Bouroullec Brothers, and Konstantin Grcic.

The new IMA's design arts galleries will feature a tripartite space linked by a dramatic 180-foot-long vista. 

- The entrance gallery will be an introductory space that will showcase recent acquisitions or small special exhibitions and will also provide visitors with an orientation of the entire installation.

- The second, transitional gallery will concisely illustrate the history of modern design from 1945 to 1980 using highlights from the IMA’s collection. Through the display of a wide range of works, from Modernist chairs designed by Charles and Ray Eames to a Postmodernist sculptural piece in the shape of a foot by Gaetano Pesce, this gallery’s installation will demonstrate the enormous changes in design technologies and materials that took place in the decades following World War II. As the demand for modern furnishings rose, designers responded by utilizing emerging technologies and new materials such as plastics and polyurethane to create enticing and innovative forms. 

- The main gallery, consisting of approximately 9,000 square feet, will present the Museum’s collection of contemporary design from 1980 to the present. An important goal of the new installation is to present modern design in an innovative conceptual and visual manner. The new galleries will allow the visitor to experience the evolution of contemporary design stylistically or chronologically depending on how the visitor chooses to move through the gallery. The layout will juxtapose three larger stylistic movements —Modernism, Expressionism, and Postmodernism— against three generations of designers representing the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. The installation will also feature an architectural treatment of space employing a matrix of articulated bays defined by a coffered ceiling, free-standing walls, floating platforms, and dramatic cantilevered wall cases. The gallery will present masterpieces by established designers such as Ettore Sottsass, Frank Gehry, and Achille Castiglioni, alongside objects by emerging artists such as Tord Boontje, Konstantin Grcic, and the Bouroullec brothers. The installation will demonstrate for visitors the complexity of ideas and the variety of movements that have characterized this contemporary era of design. The new galleries are designed by Phil Lynam and Lara Huchteman of the IMA’s Design Studio, in association with Jeff Daly, formerly Senior Design Advisor to the Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

INDIANAPOLIS MUSEUM OF ART - IMA 

www.imamuseum.org

Carl Zeiss New CP.2 Super Speed lenses presented at NAB 2012

Three new Super Speed cine lenses are presented by Carl Zeiss at NAB 2012 : the Compact Prime CP.2 35/T1.5, Compact Prime CP.2 50/T1.5, Compact Prime CP.2 85/T1.5 Super Speed

Three new Compact Prime CP.2 Super Speed lenses with a T-stop of 1.5
Photo: Courtesy of Carl Zeiss

Available with a fast T1.5 aperture and in focal lengths of 35mm, 50mm and 85mm, the new Compact Prime CP.2 Super Speed lenses offer filmmakers new opportunities for shooting in low-light conditions. Like the other Compact Prime CP.2 lenses, the new Super Speed lenses cover a full-frame sensor format and are equipped with the interchangeable lens mount system for use with a variety of cameras ranging from HDSLR to professional cinema cameras.

“With the new Compact Prime CP.2 Super Speed lenses with a fast T-stop of T1.5, we expand our family of CP.2 lenses with an even more powerful choice of lenses”, says Michael Schiehlen, Sales Director of the Carl Zeiss Camera Lens Division. “This opens up new creative possibilities in low-light situations, especially with the new high ISO HDSLR’s and HD video cameras. The Super Speed name has a long history at Carl Zeiss and these new lenses are a fitting tribute to their legacy”.

The faster T1.5 aperture is one of the key advantages to the Compact Prime CP.2 Super Speed lenses, especially for night-time shots or under low-light conditions. This helps to limit the need for artificial light, delivering more natural looking scenes with less effort and expense.

The cinematographer Sebastian Wiegärtner has tested the Compact Prime CP.2 Super Speed lenses and was very enthusiastic about the faster aperture while shooting a short film: “We filmed for three days in outdoor locations, with about eighty percent of the shots being taken at night. During the medieval-looking filming of two actors, the faster aperture was particularly effective by using lighting accents in the form of torchlight. The resulting images achieved the desired look and were appropriately stylish and soft.”

As with the rest of the CP.2 family, the Compact Prime CP.2 Super Speed lenses feature a 14-blade aperture, which creates a round iris opening and a natural, out of focus rendition. The standard cine-style housing with gearing allows the attachment of any standard follow-focus system. A long, 300 degree focus rotation and smooth action provides fine control, which is especially important given the shallow depth-of-field when using these lenses at wide open aperture. By using the interchangeable mounts for PL, EF, F, MFT and E, the Compact Prime CP.2 Super Speed lenses can be easily adapted to numerous camera systems and ensures compatibility with future cameras as technology changes. Carl Zeiss T* anti-reflection coating ensures the maximum contrast and color rendition by minimizing stray light and ghosting within the lens.

The Compact Prime CP.2 Super Speed lenses can be purchased individually, or combined as set with other Compact Prime CP.2 lenses in the product line.

The lenses will be shipped in August 2012. The recommended retail price for the Compact Prime CP.2 35/T1.5 Super Speed is €3,700 or US$4,900 (excluding VAT)*. The recommended retail price for the Compact Prime CP.2 50/T1.5 Super Speed and Compact Prime CP.2 85/T1.5 Super Speed is €3,300 or US$4,500 (excluding VAT)*.  * Status: 16 April, 2012

Curious George: A Bike Ride Adventure - George is back on a new DVD!

Curious George: A Bike Ride Adventure 
8  more shows from his Daytime Emmy-winner TV series 
DVD release date has been announced by Universal Studios Home Entertainment 

CURIOUS GEORGE 

A BIKE RIDE ADVENTURE 

CURIOUS GEORGE: A BIKE RIDE ADVENTURE
Cover of the New DVD, courtesy of Universal Studios

Get ready for adventure with everyone’s favorite little monkey—Curious George! George is back with a whole lot of exciting things to do and learn in 8 more shows from his Daytime Emmy-winning TV series. Join George as he goes on his first bike ride, chases rainbows, and meets canine royalty! Every day is a special day with Curious George: A Bike Ride Adventure!

DVD Release Date:  February 8, 2011 

Run Time: 1 Hour 48 Minutes 

Alison Rossiter Photographs Exhibition - Stephen Bulger Gallery

The Stephen Bulger Gallery, in Toronto, announce "Lament", an exhibition of new work by Alison Rossiter that pays homage to the disappearing materials of analogue photography.

In the project, "Lament", Alison Rossiter creates photographic objects that rely on the intrinsic qualities of expired papers. She collects expired photo papers from throughout the 20th Century and processes them to reveal the years of extemporaneous exposure, moisture, humidity, and physical disruptions that have created latent imagery. The remarkable images she produces are silver abstractions and illusions, which come from coaxing these silver gelatin papers to completion.

The artist writes "Five years ago, I thought that I could no longer buy sheet film for a 5 x 7 camera. Fortunately, I was mistaken, but my momentary panic prompted a massive search for discontinued gelatin silver materials. Photography, as I know it, is disappearing." This project would have been unimaginable just some two decades ago when graded gelatin silver papers of every variety were still widely available and the norm. Considering the digital advances in photography, the work speaks to the materials of the medium and makes one aware of the subtlety and variety of photographic surfaces that are now a part of our history.

Alison Rossiter has been making photographs since 1970, and in the past decade has focused her work on the elemental components of the photographic process. Exploring the inherent characteristics of the medium, she works in the darkroom to create photograms of books, light drawings of horses and formal contact prints of sheet film.

Alison Rossiter's photographs can be found in the collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania; the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis; the Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago; the Centre for Creative Photography, Tucson; the Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California; the Edmonton Art Gallery, Edmonton; the Winnipeg Art gallery, Winnipeg; the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Ottawa; the Canada Council Art Bank, Ottawa, among many others.

Stephen Bulger Gallery - April 25 - May 23, 2009, Tuesday to Saturday 11am - 6pm - 1026 Queen Street West - Toronto ON - M6J 1H6 - Canada - http://www.bulgergallery.com/

Phil Bergerson Photographs Exhibition - Stephen Bulger Gallery

The Stephen Bulger Gallery announce its fifth exhibition by Canadian Phil Bergerson featuring his most recent work "Sublime Encounters". Spanning the last fifteen years, Phil Bergerson has traveled extensively across the United States, photographing cities both small and large. His last series, "Shards of America," was an ironic commentary on the culture of the United States. It harnessed the best of documentary traditions, interweaving a selection of powerful themes to present a critical examination of America's rich social landscape. In his most recent body of work, "Sublime Encounters," Bergerson continues his investigations of cultural detritus of everyday life but with a more poetic approach. He is interested in exploring the complexities of what it is to be human with less emphasis on the American experience.

Bergerson's photographs are poignant records of the beauty of 'organic' installations, small moments created through a mixture of human intent, nature's intervention, time and his own curiosity. The photographs document that which people consciously and unconsciously leave behind - that which speaks about them as individuals. Often the residue of these elements is so subtle that detection is difficult. "Sublime Encounters" refers to the awe inspiring moments of recognition that a photographer experiences when contemplating sets of relationships that suddenly becomes deeply and clearly "seen". Bergerson's images transcend the viewer's vision of our urban landscape by presenting us with an original perspective that is consistently moving and entirely unforgettable.

Bergerson has photographed for over 30 years. His work has been exhibited internationally and is found in many prestigious collections, including the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris; and the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Ottawa. His photographs have been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Toronto Life and Walrus Magazine, and his book, Shards of America, was published in September 2004. From 1975 to 2007, Bergerson was a professor of photography at Ryerson University in Toronto where, amongst other community initiatives, he established and organized the annual international "Kodak Lecture Series" on photography.

Stephen Bulger Gallery - March 14 – April 18, 2009 - Reception for the artist on Saturday, March 14th, from 1 – 5 pm. 1026 Queen Street West - Toronto ON - M6J 1H6 - Canada - http://www.bulgergallery.com/

Canon produces 20-millionth EF lens

Canon produces 20-millionth EF lens

Canon announced that it has reached a new lens-production milestone with cumulative production of the company's EF lenses passing the 20-million mark.

Production of interchangeable EF lenses for Canon EOS-series AF (autofocus) SLR cameras began in 1987 at the company's Utsunomiya Plant in Japan. Canon produced its 10-millionth EF lens in August 1995 and, a mere five and a half years later, reached the 20-million plateau. This achievement reflects users' high level of satisfaction with the performance and quality realized by EF lenses, as well as the service offered through Canon's marketing operations.

Canon's proprietary EF (electro-focus) lens, which combines a large-diameter fully electronic lens mount and an internal autofocus motor, was born in 1987. In November of that year, Canon introduced the industry's first [1] Ultrasonic Motor (USM)-powered lens: the EF 300mm f/2.8L USM. In September 1989 the EF 50mm f/1.0L USM, featuring the world's largest aperture [1] of f/1.0, was launched and in September 1995 the EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM, equipped with the world's first [1] Image Stabilizer to correct for the effect of camera shake, made its debut. Canon's EF lens lineup, through the introduction of the latest innovative technologies, has consistently been recognized as the state of the art in the industry.

In September 2000 Canon announced the development of the world's first Multi-Layer Diffractive Optical Element for camera lenses and intends to soon launch a commercial version of the compact, lightweight, high image-quality EF 400mm f/4 DO IS USM lens, which incorporates the element.

Canon's current EF lens lineup comprises 54 [2] models, the most comprehensive selection [3] in the industry. Canon EF lenses span the gamut from ultra-wide 14mm to super-telephoto 1200mm lenses and include standard and super-telephoto zoom models, large-aperture lenses, and TS-E lenses, which are equipped with a special tilt-shift mechanism that permits the manipulation of image perspective and distortion. Canon EF lenses have garnered high praise from a wide user base, from professional and advanced amateur photographers to novice photo enthusiasts, and earned Canon the top share in the interchangeable lens market.

Also, as the each EF lens is compatible with Canon's EOS D-series of digital SLR cameras, both film and digital camera users can benefit from the exceptional quality, performance and versatility realized by the EF lens lineup.

Canon, through continual innovations in every area of production technology, including optical design and electronics, intends to continue its efforts to deliver attractive products in response to user needs, opening up new directions in the future of photographic expression.

[1] For 35mm AF SLR cameras

[2] Including EF lens extenders

[3] As of February 27, 2001

TOKYO, February 27, 2001