Delia Brown and Hilary Harkness exhibitions explore gender and technique through 'bad' painting

Two exhibitions in New York showcase the concept of 'bad' painting, merging kitsch with conceptual art. At D’Amelio Terras, Delia Brown's 'Precious' features intimate genre scenes of mother-child dynamics set in opulent environments, utilizing models in their late 30s with borrowed children. Her artwork draws inspiration from notable figures like Norman Rockwell, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, and Balthus. Meanwhile, Hilary Harkness's display at Mary Boone Gallery includes mannerist paintings with lively figures set against WWII backdrops, such as 'Pearl Trader' (2006), which illustrates a conflict at Christie's auction house. Both artists tackle gender themes, with Brown's 'Snack Time' (2008) highlighting awkwardness through its compact scale. Harkness's 'Gertrude Stein & Alice B. Toklas, Paris, October, 1939' (2007–08) showcases larger figures on copper. These exhibitions respond to the marginalization of painting following the 2008 Whitney Biennial. This article was published in the New York Sun on May 15, 2008.