Eckert Fine Art
For "Looking Back," Jane Coats Eckert has curated a show in her Kent gallery that highlights artists she's worked with over the past 20 years, including Robert Rauschenberg, Don Gummer, John Chamberlain, James Rosenquist, Christo, Boaz Vaadia, and Roy Lichtenstein. Through December 16.
Holland Tunnel Gallery
Earlier this year gallerist Paulien Lethen opened a third location of her Holland Tunnel Gallery in a Newburgh warehouse that also houses artists' studios. This month, she and Antony Roch have curated "Esperanza," a show of small-format paintings and drawings by Jacques Roch (1934-2015). Roch, who began his career as a painter in Paris in the early '70s, also produced comic strips for Charlie Hebdo. This high-low dichotomy influenced Roch's later work, which marries whimsical figural doodles with serious explorations of color. Through February 17.
Barrett Art Center
Illustrator, animator, muralist, and painter Santiago Cohen exhibits his narrative paintings this month at Barrett Art Center in Poughkeepsie. In technique and tone, "Short Stories in Color and Light" recalls the work of fellow Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (Kahlo is appears as a bug in one of the pieces), while also serving as the visual equivalent of the magical realist prose of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. An artists' talk will be held on December 7, from 5-6pm. Through December 21.
Thompson Memorial Library at Vassar
Argentinean-born artist Raquel Rabinovich moved to the US in 1967. Throughout her career, Rabinovich has investigated how to make the invisible visible. Her mixed-media works are defined by their durations: created over long periods, they are best experienced over a prolonged period and/or repeated viewings. "Raquel Rabinovich: The Reading Room" features work on paper that span from 1978 to 2017. Through December 20.
LABspace
The holidays are the season of egg nog, gift giving, and in the galleries—small works shows. The "Big Holiday Show" opens at LABspace in Hillsdale with an artists' reception on December 2, from 2-5pm. The exhibition includes affordably priced work from nearly 200 artists from the LABspace community. Through January 6.
Museum at Bethel Woods
Peter Max revolutionized the art world with his psychedelic pop imagery, paving the way for the next generation of artists like Keith Haring. "Peter Max: Early Paintings," is a never-before-seen survey of the artist's work from the pivotal period between 1967 and 1972, when Max hit his stride creating visionary cosmic works that embodied the spirit of the psychedelic era. The show, which draws from the collections of art dealer Robert Casterline and New York City restaurateur Shelly Fireman, focuses on paintings (rare for the artist, who preferred printmaking), with a selection of sculpture, drawings, and vintage fashion (think Peter Max bell bottoms). Through December 31.
Ann Street Gallery
“Forget Me Not” features art produced by three generations of American veteran-artists. The work explores the personal narratives of 21 veteran-artists, focusing on their perspectives and practices. For many of these veterans, art expresses what words cannot, providing a positive outlet for those dealing with PTSD. The exhibition, includes photography, ceramics, printmaking, illustration, paintings, sculpture and a site-specific installation, with diverse themes that span the controversial gamut of war related subjects to stridently anti-war reflections. Through January 5.
The Edward Hopper House Museum
The Hopper House in Nyack may never be this colorful again. For her site-specific installation Shadows Searching for Light, Angela Raleigh took inspiration from the paintings of Edward Hopper and his relationship with his wife, Josephine Nivison Hopper. Raleigh’s bold palette and vigorous, animated brushwork—a bright contrast to the starkness of much of Hopper’s work—reimagine and recontextualize marginalized female figures by freeing them from their previous roles in art history. Through February 17.
