Still: A Survey of Contemporary Still Life Paintings

Still: A Survey of Contemporary Still Life Paintings brought together 49 artists working in one of art history's oldest genres. It was curated by Calvine Harvey, Sotheby's Old Master Paintings expert, and the artist Dina Brodsky, and it looked at the still life as a reflection of a year when time itself seemed to slow down.

A still life may be static, but since the genre's height in the flowers, citrus, globes and skulls of Dutch Golden Age tables, simple and stationary things have been able to breed a kind of magic, turning the everyday into something composed, harmonious and worth sitting with. Artists turn to the still life when learning to draw, trying new techniques or flexing their skills. The artists came from many schools and mediums, from traditional tabletop arrangements to quieter and more conceptual takes, and they included Miriam Escofet, who had just presented a commissioned portrait to Queen Elizabeth over Zoom, and Caroline Nelson, whose painting of mandarin oranges was the show's cover image and who was making her New York debut.

Still opened with a live online preview on September 3, 2020, and in the gallery at High Line Nine on September 10, with timed entry so visitors could keep a safe distance. The curators chose the works for the Chelsea hang, set off by a deep blue title wall and accent wall, while the full exhibition could be seen and collected online.