Aimee Ng

 

 

Where in the World? Pearl

closeup of painting of woman in yellow dress with large pearl earring

In this episode of Where in the World?, Curator Aimee Ng dives deep into the history of pearls and their appearance in paintings by Vermeer. In seventeenth-century Holland, pearls signified a wearer’s ability to purchase the expensive natural gems, which skilled divers in the Dutch colonies harvested from the Indian Ocean under dangerous conditions.

Where in the World? Cochineal

video still of oil painting of main with long white beard in reddish purple robe, with hands on an open book
Assistant Curator of Sculpture Giulio Dalvit joins Curator Aimee Ng to investigate the history of the vibrant red pigment in El Greco’s sixteenth-century painting of Saint Jerome. The pigment is derived from crushed cochineal insects, sourced from the Central and South American colonies then under the control of El Greco’s adopted Spain.

Living Histories: In Conversation with Doron Langberg

video still of Aimee Ng and Doron Langberg sitting while talking

Curator Aimee Ng sits down for a conversation with Doron Langberg, one of the four contemporary artists participating in Living Histories: Queer Views and Old Masters. Doron describes developing his artistic sensibility from a young age, finding his footing in New York City, and delving into the painterly language of the Old Masters from a queer perspective to produce his painting Lover—on view at Frick Madison adjacent to Hans Holbein the Younger’s Sir Thomas More into January 2022.

Where in the World? Gold

video still of oil painting depicting biblical scene of Jesus casting out the devil

In this episode of "Where in the World?," Curator Aimee Ng discusses the use of gold in a rare painting by Duccio. Signifying both a sacred realm and material riches, the precious metal has a history intertwined with trade, conquest, and colonization in West Africa and beyond.

Duccio's Temptation of Christ on the Mountain

To learn more:

Where in the World? Mahogany

video still of painting of man holding note

In the inaugural episode of "Where in the World?," Curator Aimee Ng explores the history of mahogany, a material hidden beneath the surface of a Rembrandt portrait and sourced oceans away from the famed artist's homeland.

Rembrandt's Nicolaes Ruts

To learn more:

Lamb, Bruce F. Mahogany of Tropical America: Its Ecology and Management. Ann Arbor, 1996.

Anderson, Jennifer L. Mahogany: The Costs of Luxury in Early America. Cambridge, MA, 2012.

Cocktails with a Curator: David’s “Comtesse Daru”

video still of Aimee Ng and oil painting of woman in white dress and flower crown

In this week’s episode of Cocktails with a Curator, savor the exquisite details of Comtesse Daru, the only painting in the Frick’s collection by renowned French neoclassical painter Jacques-Louis David. Join Curator Aimee Ng as she delves into the history of how this lovely, intimate portrait came to be painted by an artist largely known for producing monumental works in the service of Napoleon. This week’s complementary cocktail, the Orange Blossom, is inspired by the orange-blossom tiara thatadorns the sitter's head.

Cocktails with a Curator: Manet's "Bullfight"

video still of Aimee Ng and oil painting of bullfighters

In this week’s episode of Cocktails with a Curator, Curator Aimee Ng explores the turbulent history behind Édouard Manet’s Bullfight, once part of a larger work that the artist exhibited at the Salon of 1864. The original canvas was derided and caricatured by critics, prompting Manet to cut it into pieces. The two surviving fragments were brought together for the first and only time during a 1999 exhibition at the Frick. This week’s complementary cocktail is, fittingly enough, the Toreador.

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