Parrish Art Museum Hosts Discussion on '25 Women' by Dave Hickey

Parrish Art Museum Director Terrie Sultan will be leading a book-club style discussion about 25 Women: Essays on their Art by Dave Hickey this Friday at 6 p.m. in the museum café. As a writer and art critic, Hickey’s trademark style of provocative, witty, and highly enlightening writing shines through in 25 Women, which presents some of his most important writings about female artists from the past two decades. Published in December 2015 by the University of Chicago Press, this book includes writings about artists such as Lynda Benglis, Vija Celmins, Mary Heilmann, Joan Mitchell, Elizabeth Murray, Bridget Riley, and Nancy Rubins, as well as others.

With titles like Mary Heilmann Surfing on Acid, Sarah Charlesworth Embracing the Beast, Jennifer Steinkamp Breathing in the World and Nancy Rubins The Rapture and the Tsunami, the reader gets an excellent feel for Hickey’s sensibility as he discusses the artists’ work. Hickey explores topics in politics, gender and many more. His book engages with these influential and innovative artists while also reflecting on life and the role of an art writer.

Hickey’s other critically acclaimed books include Air Guitar: Essays on Art and Democracy, The Invisible Dragon: Four Essays on Beauty, Pirates and Farmers: Essays on Taste and Wasted Words and Dust Bunnies.

Sultan has been the art director of Parrish Art Museum since 2008, with over 30 years’ worth of experience as a museum professional, having worked at the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and the Blaffer Art Museum at the University of Houston, Texas. Sultan has contributed essays and articles to numerous publications including Art in America, Art on Paper and Ms Magazine; and throughout her career has organized more than 45 exhibitions of modern and contemporary art.

Parrish Art Museum is located at 279 Montauk Highway, Water Mill. The discussion in the café with Parrish Art Museum Director Terrie Sultan is free for members and students, but $10 otherwise. Space is limited, and advance reservations are recommended. For more information, call 631-283-2118 and visit parrishart.org.