Kent Monkman Reimagines the Frick Collection Through Indigenous Eyes

Kent Monkman, an Indigenous painter, has created a new show for the Frick Collection in which he imagines what Indigenous people see when they encounter fur trappers, General Custer, and even Jeff Bezos. The exhibition places Monkman's work in dialogue with the Frick's holdings, using the museum's collection as a lens for Indigenous perspectives on colonial history and contemporary power. Monkman's project at the Frick engages directly with the institution's Old Master paintings, including works by Vermeer, and reframes them through an Indigenous viewpoint. The show is on view at the Frick Collection. The presentation pairs historical European art with Monkman's own imagery, asking viewers to consider how figures such as fur traders and General Custer appear from an Indigenous standpoint, and extending that question to present-day figures like Jeff Bezos. The exhibition is reported by The New York Times.