Johanna Fateman

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January 28, 2026

Sam McKinniss on Helene Schjerfbeck, Ajay Kurian on Marguerite Humeau...

For the Critics' Table Upper East Side Guide: I wrote about Joan Semmel at the Jewish Museum, Sam McKinniss reviewed Helen Schjerfbeck at the Met, and Ajay Kurian wrote about Marguerite Humean at White Cube.

A painting by Joan Semmel showing a white woman's nude body—sitting, legs folded to the side in Z shape—as though the viewer is looking down, their POV aligned with the woman's (the artist's). Her left breast is mostly concealed by a lock of brown hair; her right breast in shadow of hanging hair. The subject is sitting on rumpled white sheets.
Joan Semmel, Sunlight, 1978. Image courtesy of the Jewish Museum. © 2025 Joan Semmel / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

And I wrote about Joan Semmel for this UES-themed trio. Read it here! (I love having artist-critics write for TCT, and I particularly love these reviews by Sam and Ajay.) If you have run out of free articles for the CULTURED site and are not yet a subscriber, here is a free link.

And here is a free link to my last diary. xx

Read more:

  • January 14, 2026

    New Diary! 4 Days in Feminist Warsaw

    For the Critics’ Table, I wrote, at some length, about my November trip to attend the openings of “The Woman Question 1550–2025,” curated by Alison M....

    Read article →
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