Derrick Adams’ Funtime Unicorns; Alex Katz on Park Avenue

Derrick Adams 1970 –

The works of Derrick Adams focus on play and leisure in the Black community. In his Floater Series he painted friends, family members, and even himself, relaxing in large, Black Unicorn pool floats.

This summer, children visiting the Channel Gardens at New York’s Rockefeller Center will be able to play on Funtime Unicorns, sculptures that Adams created as an extension of the Floater Series.

“In each one of these sculptures, my hope is that young Black boys and girls have a chance to laugh and bounce, climb and lean,” Adams said. “This is a place to make new friends – who are just as magical and colorful and who represent a more imaginative future for all of us.”

Based on the classic spring rider toys, the Funtime Unicorns will be at Rockefeller Center through September 9, 2022.

In an interview in Forbes, Isabella Lauria, Associate Vice President at Christie’s, explained why Derrick Adams has achieved such success in the art world. “His works are in the collections of The Met, Whitney Museum and The Studio Museum, among many others.” Laurie said, “This institutional focus and recognition propelled his primary market forward, and now that we have achieved a major record at auction, I firmly believe the secondary market will continue to strengthen as demand increases. I think demand for his work is driven by interest in artists working through identity politics and issues of systemic racism, while Derrick’s use of bright, happy motifs and palettes adds to the esthetic appeal and desirability, setting him apart from his peers.”

Adams has been living and working in Brooklyn for the last thirty years. He has also been creating projects to help Black artists in his hometown of Baltimore. Adams recently received a $1.25 million grant from the Mellon Foundation, with which he is establishing a cultural center known as the Black Baltimore Digital Database and a vacation retreat for Black artists.

Alex Katz 1927 –

Restaurant Daniel, on Manhattan’s Park Avenue, has begun to exhibit great art in its dining rooms. The restaurant’s initial exhibit is composed of large-scale paintings by Alex Katz.

Although Katz is best known for his figurative works, his landscapes, seascapes and flower paintings are just as extraordinary.

A retrospective of Alex Katz’s works will be on exhibit at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in October 2022. The show will include works that Katz did as a young student at Cooper Union in the 1940s.

Alex Katz currently has solo exhibits in London, Brussels, Trento and Madrid. Please contact us if you would like more information about the works of Derrick Adams and Alex Katz available at VFA.