Visual art
50 YEARS AND FORWARD AT THE CLARK ART INSTITUTE Two exhibitions opened this fall to mark the 50th anniversary of the Clark’s Manton Research Center, where its nearly 6,000 prints, drawings, and photographs are held: one, of British prints and drawings, a spectacular storehouse including major pieces by John Constable and J.M.W. Turner; and another, broader display from all over the world that includes photographs and contemporary pieces. Together, they put on view a depth of material that would be the envy of any institution, anywhere — let alone one tucked amid the idyllic forests and hills of the Berkshires, which is exactly as its founders, Francis and Sterling Clark, intended. “British Prints and Drawings Acquisitions” continues through Feb. 11; “Works on Paper Acquisitions” continues to March 10. At the Clark Art Institute, 225 South St., Williamstown. 413-458-2303, theclark.edu
2023 JAMES AND AUDREY
FOSTER PRIZE Established in 1999, the Foster Prize exhibition has evolved into a vital showcase for contemporary artists in the Boston area to make their presence known here at home on a major institutional stage. The three artists selected this year, Cicely Carew, Venetia Dale, and YuWen Wu, work across a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, and video, each enjoys a solo presentation of their work as part of the overall Foster Prize exhibition. Through Jan 28. Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, 25 Harbor Shore Drive. 617-4783100, icaboston.org
MATTHEW WONG: THE REALM
OF APPEARANCES Wong, a selftaught painter who lived between Hong Kong and Edmonton, Alberta, achieved outsize renown for a career that spanned just six years, cut short with the artist’s suicide in 2019. In the aftermath of his death, prices at auction for his work — most often dark, moody landscapes tinged with off-kilter, dreamlike qualities — have soared into the millions.
The anomaly of his success, posthumous and otherwise, goes against the orthodoxy of artists whose formal training is a critical part of their pedigree; and his struggle with mental illness is often obscured by the dollar figures his work now commands. This exhibition, the first significant survey of his work in the US, looks to address both. Through Feb. 18. Museum of Fine Arts Boston, 465 Huntington Ave. 617267-9300, www.mfa.org
THE STORE OF STURTEVANT’S THE STORE OF CLAES OLDENBURG This is meta. In 1961, Claes Oldenburg opened “The Store” in New York’s East Village, from which he sold plaster replicas of mundane objects. Five years later, Elaine Sturtevant, whose practice involved crafting likenesses of artworks, created “The Store of Claes Oldenburg.” Now Reniel Del Rosario takes up the charge. Is it art if it’s a copy of a copy of a hamburger? It is when it pushes the envelope of old beliefs in a contemporary art gallery with merchandising in its business plan. Through Jan. 7. Praise Shadows Art Gallery, 313A Harvard St., Brookline. 617-487-5472, www.praiseshadows.com