Rebecca Ness Reinterprets Art History in New Exhibition 'Inheritance'

In her latest exhibition, 'Inheritance,' painter Rebecca Ness reimagines historical artworks within contemporary settings. The show features a reinterpretation of Édouard Manet's 'A Bar at the Folies Bergère' (1882), which Ness transforms into a lively scene at Cubbyhole, a lesbian bar in Manhattan's West Village. Additionally, Ness updates the 19th-century trompe l'oeil board paintings of William Harnett and John F. Peto by incorporating cut-out and crumpled pages from art history textbooks and personal photographs on a corkboard, likening it to a Pinterest board brought to life. Through this exhibition, Ness asserts that art history is a shared inheritance, belonging to everyone equally. The exhibition includes her oil on linen painting 'Orange Wall' (2026). By revisiting and updating these historical works, Ness explores themes of transformation and inheritance, challenging traditional notions of artistic lineage and ownership.