The best of 2016... (Part I)

8:36 p.m.

12/28/16 - Here, our review of the year that's about to end...

Artist of the year: Ai Weiwei, because he captured the attention of the public and the media throughout the world when he photographed himself lying on a beach in Turkey in the same position as the Syrian boy found dead, Aylan Kurdi. Because of that "artistic expression", the issue concerning forced migration reached the front pages of the papers again.
Weiwei also had exhibitions in important cities, such as London, New York, Paris and Florence, proving his ability to use art as an activist and focus on the politics of his home country, China. The huge quantity of people visiting Ai Weiwei's exhibitions can be explained not only by the message he proclaims, but also because of the quality of his work.

Black and white photo, honoring Syrian refugees, by Ai Weiwei.

The year of the women in the Arts: in 1971, art critic Linda Nochlin wondered why there haven't been female equivalents to Michelangelo, Rembrandt, De Kooning or Warhol. And Art Historian Carol Duncan demonstrated in the permanent collection of the early years of the MoMA that women were usually depicted as objects. Both helped us see that the Art institutions had much to do with the absence of women artists and the way women were treated in the Art world. But things started to change and this year the MET in New York presented an exhibition dedicated to French revolutionary artist, Vigée Le Brun, and the Prado, almost 200 years after its opening, presented the first exhibition dedicated to a woman artist: Clara Peeters. Also female mentors and Art collectors have gained importance: Patricia Phelps de Cisneros donated part of her collection and was received by the MoMA. In Argentina, two women will represent our country in the main biennials of 2017: Claudia Fontes, in Venice and Marta Minujín, in Kassel. The MACBA dedicated the entire year to female artists (the last one was Orlán) and the MALBA had exhibitions by Yoko Ono, Alicia Penalba and Voluspa Jarpa. It's the beginning of a long journey...