Kent Monkman Reimagines Vermeer at The Frick with Indigenous Perspective

The Frick Collection in New York will present Kent Monkman: Officer and Laughing Girl, an installation opening November 12, 2026, featuring new paintings by the Cree artist in dialogue with Vermeer's 1657 masterpiece. Monkman, born in 1965 and a member of Fisher River Cree Nation, uses his alter ego Miss Chief Eagle Testickle to explore themes of colonialism, global trade, and Indigenous history. The exhibition, held in the intimate Cabinet Gallery, will be followed by a visit to the original painting in the South Hall, creating a dialogue between centuries. In spring 2027, the series travels to the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. A bilingual catalogue with texts by Monkman, Frick Chief Curator Aimee Ng, and Emma Hassencahl-Perley will be published in November 2026. The project is part of the Frick's ongoing contemporary interventions and aims to challenge traditional narratives by presenting an Indigenous perspective on European art.