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About Art Explorations 

Nadja Hansen leads fun interactive engaging tours of the global art world. She provides private customized tours of museum exhibitions and permanent collections, galleries, art fairs and auction previews for groups, kids and families, and organizations as well as group tours and a group series. There is a vast range of themed tours to choose from as well. Everything can be entirely customized to you!

Whats New This Spring:

MUSEUM TOURS

Metropolitan Museum of Art:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism. 

Thru July 28

*Covered on the front page of the NYTIMES! Through some 160 works of painting, sculpture, photography, film, and ephemera, it will explore the comprehensive and far-reaching ways in which Black artists portrayed everyday modern life in the new Black cities that took shape in the 1920s–40s in New York City’s Harlem and nationwide in the early decades of the Great Migration when millions of African Americans began to move away from the segregated rural South. The first art museum survey of the subject in New York City since 1987, the exhibition will establish the Harlem Renaissance and its radically new development of the modern Black subject as central to the development of international modern art.

 

 

Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion

**MET GALA SPRING FASHION SHOW

May 10 - September 2

 

Approximately 250 garments and accessories spanning four centuries will be on view, visually united by iconography related to nature, which will serve as a metaphor for the fragility and ephemerality of fashion and a vehicle to examine the cyclical themes of rebirth and renewal. The exhibition will breathe new life into these storied objects through creative and immersive activations designed to convey the smells, sounds, textures, and motions of garments that can no longer directly interact with the body.

 

 

NEUE  MUSEUM

    

 

KLIMT LANDSCAPES

Thru May 6

This major exhibition of Gustav Klimt's (1862–1918) idyllic depictions in the landscape genre features significant paintings made while the artist was on his Sommerfrische (summer holiday) in the Austrian countryside. It includes highlights from Neue Galerie New York's holdings alongside important loans from museums and private collections in Europe and the United States.

 

GUGGENHEIM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Way Of: Material and Motion
Mar
ch 15, 2024–January 12, 2025


One of the most prominent features of art from the late eighteenth century onwards, particularly after World War II, is artists’ tendency to evolve traditional artmaking methods outside the studio’s boundaries. This exhibition will examine the ways in which contemporary artists enacted new ideas formed by the social and historical contexts of their time and pushed the boundaries of artmaking and materials as a result.

 

BROOKLYN MUSEUM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys
Thru 7 July 2024

 
Grammy-winning singer Alicia Keys and Grammy-winning rapper and producer Kasseem Dean, known as Swizz Beatz, have spent years building a world-class art collection together that champions the work of Black artists. Giants will showcase a selection of works from the couple's collection by approximately 40 artists, including Arthur Java, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lorna Simpson and Nina Chanel Abney.  Giants will include physically immense pieces — including the largest ever by Meleko Mokgosi — as well as historically monumental works like Gordon Parks’ seminal photographs, Kehinde Wiley’s revolutionary portraits and Esther Mahlangu’s canvases. The native New Yorkers have long been passionate about supporting Black creatives and Swizz Beatz has established a robust reputation as hip hop’s foremost art collector.

 

WHITNEY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biennial 2024

March 20 -- August 11
 

The always important and often controversial Whitney Biennial is back in 2024. This prestigious assessment of contemporary art in America will celebrate its 81st installment when it opens in March 20, 2024. Since it first began in 1932, the Biennial has showcased more than 3,600 innovative artists. We don't know exactly what to expect yet for 2024, but as always with this show, expect the unexpected.

 

ASIA SOCIETY

 

 

COAL + ICE 
February 13-August 11

Taking over the Asia Society from February 13 through August 11, this immersive photography and video exhibition will bring together the works of more than 50 photographers and video artists from China and around the world to visualize the causes and consequences of the climate crisis.
The show will take attendees from deep within coal mines to the melting glaciers of the greater Himalaya and beyond. 

 

MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Is New York: 100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture

Thru July 21

In honor of the centennial anniversary of the founding of the Museum of the City of New York as the city’s storyteller, This Is New York: 100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture explores the many ways that the city has inspired storytelling across art forms. It features both famous and lesser-known depictions of New York in film and television, visual and performing arts, music, poetry and literature, and even fashion, painting a collective, moving, and sometimes funny version of a city that has captured the imagination of the world. 

**FABULOUS SHOW!

Byzantine Bembé: New York by Manny Vega

Thru December 8


The work of Bronx-born artist Manny Vega is a common sight in East Harlem, also known as El Barrio. His murals adorn building facades, and his vibrant mosaics line the walls of the 110th Street subway station. This show includes stories from the places he knows well: the Bronx, Spanish Harlem, and the Brazilian state of Bahia.

 

RUBIN MUSEUM OF ART

REIMAGINE: HIMALAYAN ART NOW
MARCH 15–OCTOBER 6, 2024

 

Contemplate and celebrate what Himalayan art means now with a Museum-wide exhibition of artworks by over 30 contemporary artists, many from the Himalayan region and diaspora and others inspired by Himalayan art and cultures.

On the occasion of the Rubin’s 20th anniversary, Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now transforms the entire Museum with new commissions, some site-specific, and existing works juxtaposed with objects from the Museum’s collection, inviting new ways of encountering traditional Himalayan art.

**The Rubin Museum will be closing permanently in October of 2024. This is the last chance to see this world class collection. 

 

ART  FAIRS

I am giving private tours of the following NYC art fairs

Affordable Art Fair

The Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street, Chelsea, Manhattan

March 20–24

 

True to its name, the Affordable Art Fair offers artworks priced between $100 and $12,000 for all the budding collectors out there. Back for its 37th edition, the show brings together pieces by hundreds of artists in a vast array of media, from paintings and prints to sculptures and photographs. Affordable Art Fair (affordableartfair.com)

 

 

Frieze New York

545 West 30th Street, Hudson Yards, Manhattan
May 1–5


Despite its big name in the art world, Frieze New York has recently become more intimate, and accordingly, sharper and more defined. Don’t miss the Focus Section, which showcases galleries still in their adolescence (10 years or younger), historically home to the strongest and most experimental booths on view.

TEFAF New York

643 Park Ave, Upper East Side, Manhattan
May 10–14


TEFAF drops the word “prestigious” in the first sentence of its info page. Sure enough, the fair historically stocks the low-lit, hallowed halls of the Armory with works by canonical 20th-century artists, in addition to contemporary works and design objects. 
TEFAF New York (tefaf.com)

Independent Art Fair

Spring Studios, 50 Varick Street, Tribeca, Manhattan
May 9–12


This fair of contemporary art is refreshingly digestible — and, thankfully, navigable. Its short history since its inception in 2010 boasts some of the first showings of now-established names, and more are likely to come in this year’s edition.
Independent Art Fair (independenthq.com)

GALLERY TOURS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm offering Chelsea gallery tours through late June. These tours visit at least three galleries and often more. Please let me know if you're interested. 

Connecticut

I am offering tours of:

The Bruce Museum in Greenwich 

Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven

Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford

New Britain Museum of American Art in New Britain

As always, I offer themed tours and highlights tours of most NYC art museums, and we can always custom design a tour for your groups' interests. I also provide private entirely customisable tours for corporate events and special interest clubs, networks and conferences. Let's chat!

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Past Zoom Tours Included:

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JUNE ART TALK: What were the most interesting and important art stories of the year? Funny, groundbreaking, historic, exemplary, fascinating, and bizarre?

 

Hilariously botched restoration work, stolen paintings, Banksy's response to 2020, massive auction sales for a painting that then disappeared, the Black Lives Matter statue replacements, the death of art world visionaries, the discovery of an ancient city, new Dead Sea scrolls, the discovery of a missing masterpiece in a cupboard, Anthony Hopkins is actually a great artist?,  the deaccessioning debacle, the re-discovery of exceptional female artists, art world controversies and so much more. 

 

Go into the summer in the know!  

 

WHEN: JUNE 24 @ 2pm EST

As always you can buy the video to watch over the summer! 

Cost: $40.00 

REGISTER HEREhttps://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qceCqrj0jHdTFAJrlqPFdKXrgMS5gl9us

Paypal: nvvhasnen@gmail.com

Venmo: @Nadja-Hansen

Email me for address for check

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April Art Talk will be Secret Vienna.

 

A travel art tour, we will look at works from the great collections, masterpieces in lesser known spots, and pop in and out of some of the most delightful cafes, libraries, and venues in Vienna. As always with my travel tours, I will take you to secret spots and hidden treasures. 

 

APRIL 22 at 2pm EST

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqcequqT4qGt3W009x1fYZ7jcjWg70K-dX

$40.00 

Please pay through: paypal: nvvhansen@gmail.com

venmo: @Nadja-Hansen

Or send a check (email me for address)

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March Spring Art Tour : 3 Biggest Art Shows of 2021

To get us in the spring mood I chose a beautiful show at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam/ Museum of Fine Arts, Houston : Hockney-Van Gogh: The Joy of Nature, looking at the intimate ways both artists bring nature to life in their art and the profound effect Van Gogh had on David Hockney. 

Then we travel to London to see highlights of the blockbuster show  "Epic Iran" at the V&A in London, looking at brilliant works of art from 5000 years ago to the modern day in the endlessly creative and colorful culture of Iran, and then we will end in Paris for a show at the Jacquemart-Andre museum devoted exclusively to the beauty of Botticelli

 

When: March 25 at 2pm EST

Duration: 1 hour 

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0lfuuuqj8pGN0DSf5INsaRDvTLsYQjaZQ5

Cost: $40.00

 

Reminder: April Art Talk is Secret Vienna on April 22 at 2pm. 

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March 2021 The Art Delights of Windsor, England: 

Travel with me to the United Kingdom, to the charming town of Windsor for a tour of the beautiful town, its many splendors and

The Queens Collection: A Rare Peek at Windsor Castle and its Masterpieces

 

Few private collections in the history of the world rival the exemplary works owned by the Queen of England. The crown jewels pale in comparison to the works of art held in the private hands of the queen. This virtual travel and art tour will take us to the charming town of Windsor on the banks of the Thames (also home to Eton and Frogmore Castle where we will make quick stops) and around the magnificent rooms of the castle. Shockingly, when you visit Windsor in person, there are no labels, no guides, no information on the art works, and they are hard to see, roped off and across large rooms. This is a RARE chance to see these exquisite priceless works of art large and up close with context and, as always, to revel in the details. Like traveling to Windsor but better! 

 

March 11th at 2pm EST

Duration: 1 hour

Fee: $40.00

Please register for Zoom link here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvdeygqzkqG9x79DRji_U6lOGAeXTVt5X1

 

Venmo: @Nadja-Hansen / 608 213-2410 phone number

Paypal: nvvhansen@gmail.com

Check: email me for address

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February Art Talk: Art of Seduction

 

This art tour will take you on a virtual journey of world-wide art museums and private collections to see a selection of the most alluring, exciting and dramatic portraits of women and love.  Meet the artists and their sitters, hear their stories, and learn the many arts of seduction. Guaranteed to keep your attention as we navigate these stories of love, desire, deception, tragedy, survival and ambition that will rivet you and allow you an opportunity to travel back in time. Some of the artists in the tour: John Singer Sargent, Thomas Gainsborough, Jean-Honore Fragonard, Titian, Johannes Vermeer, Alfred Stieglitz, Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, Muhammed Qasim, amongst others. 

 

**A unique fun experience to plan with (or for!) a loved one, whether it be a friend or partner to celebrate this most playful of holidays.** 

 

February Art Tour: February 18th at 2pm EST

Duration: 1 hour

Fee: $40.00

Register for Zoom link here: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0ucumuqT0rGNA_01mnp_HQV_BgoeTGd2jX

Please pay in advance with: 

Venmo: @Nadja-Hansen

Paypal: nvvhansen@gmail.com

or if necessary check. Please email me for address: nadjahansennyc@gmail.com

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Revelry, Celebration, and Indulgence at the Met and Louvre, and other stops

 

Designed for this festive time of year, this lively art talk explores masterpieces that celebrate the ways humans have reveled, feted and rejoiced across millenia and around the world. From the excesses of ancient Roman bacchanals to the feasting of ancient Babylon, to the country festivals of 16th century Holland to the triumphant ceremonies of 20th century Benin and much more, this 1 hour tour discovers the myriad ways people have found to commemorate the gifts of life and the ingenious ways artists have captured them. Going around the globe we will see the dance, music, song, indulgence and, above all,  sense of abundance that characterizes the human spirit and the greatest works of art that have given us these rich insights into the revels of the past. This tour will incorporate music, short video clips, and time for interactive questions and discussion.

Date: December 17th at 2pm EST

***Register in advance for this experience here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpdOCoqD4rGtRB3Z42LZJGb7s6Ad0E9Z53 

 

Repeated on December 22nd at 11am EST

****Register in advance for this experience here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUodeGpqT8sGdOe9ck2ilvD8Py0D7CiTJo7 

Duration: 1 hour

Cost: $40.00

This fee includes a video of the talk so if you want to watch again or can't attend but want to watch later, you can!

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TOP INTERNATIONAL CONTEMPORARY SHOWS

Jordan Casteels: Within Reach at the New Museum in NYC

Andreas Gefeller: Mapping Perception at Atlas Gallery London

Patrice Charbonneau at Denise Bibro in Chelsea, NY

"Your Shadows" exhibition at Afikaris in Paris

Mark Steven Greenfield at William Turner in LA

Inherent Beauty: Photographers who change how we see the world at Tagore in NY and Singapore

 

Thursday  November 12 at 2pm  

REGISTER HERE: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcof-6vrDovEtdLF6SAH25ercZFROlstuE9

REPEATED ON:

Tuesday       November 17 at 11am  

REGISTER HERE: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcscO2trD0vHNGSLrgq0V9xeYlaCvpzauvl

 

Duration: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Cost : $40.00 (includes a video of the talk) 


"...with the world in thrall to an invisible threat and many seeking solace in nature, [Geffeler] offers a unique perspective on the new..." -- Financial Times of London 

 

"The paintings, by Los Angeles artist Mark Steven Greenfield, are as masterful as they are pointed, toying with race as well as the tropes of Western art history. " -- LA Times 

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Date: September 24 at 2pm

Make up session September 29 at 11am

Tour Cost: $40.00

Duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes

Art and Secrets of Florence!

This will be a dive into the extraordinary art, food, architecture, artisan workshops, and churches of Florence (where I was lucky enough to live). We will look at works in famed collections like the Uffizzi and the Accademia and less touristy (but wondrous) museums like the Horne, the Bargello, and the house museum Palazzo Davanzati. We will also stop off at secret spots hidden in plane sight and those that are truly hidden. We will not only see art of the Renaissance for which it is so famous but special places of 18th, 19th and even 20th century import. Along the way we will "walk" its beautiful streets, duck into some secret gardens and wineries, and see a quick video from a local.

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 24 at 2pm

Register in advance for this tour:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtdumhrDksGdG_recpDMWUzbwWHBbXk_wX

Makeup session: TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 29 at 11am

Register in advance for this tour:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAocuCopzwvG9aJV_MYfC2ZXd6KTnVdrMdc

Once you register you will receive an email with how to pay. 

Date: Friday May 22nd @ 11am EST

Tour cost: $40.00

Duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes

 

We will look at the three contemporary shows: 

Katharina Gross @ the Hamburg Bernhof in Berlin

Olafur Eliasson @ the Guggenheim Bilboa

Lynette Yiadom Boakye at Tate Britain

and then one classic show Caravaggio /Bernini : Baroque in Rome @ the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

 

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUucOGrrjwsHNfP100BfJT0w9mL4wdcoOZL 

 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

 

 


Date: Friday May 22nd @ 11am EST

Tour cost: $40.00

Duration: 1 hour and 15 minutes

 

We will look at the three contemporary shows: 

Katharina Gross @ the Hamburg Bernhof in Berlin

Olafur Eliasson @ the Guggenheim Bilboa

Lynette Yiadom Boakye at Tate Britain

and then one classic show Caravaggio /Bernini : Baroque in Rome @ the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

 

Register in advance for this meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUucOGrrjwsHNfP100BfJT0w9mL4wdcoOZL 

 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

 

 


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Customized private tours of exhibitions, permanent collections, themed tours, art fairs, auction previews and all else are always available throughout the year. Contact Nadja Hansen/Art Explorations here and we can design your unique experience together!

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Date: Friday June 26th 2020

Time: 11am EST

Duration: 1 hour

Price: $40.00 

We will be looking at three of the best art exhibitions of June 2020, two contemporary artists and one classic show. 

Christina Quarles at Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago

Salman Toor at the Whitney in New York

Titian: Love Desire Death at The National Gallery London

"Ms. Quarles draws on trompe l’oeil and Cubism in a way that feels fresh and interesting.”   

                         --NY Times

"Toor is experiencing a massive moment"

                         —W Magazine

"Titian's epic series of paintings drawn from 

the poet Ovid hang together for the first time in three 

centuries, and tell a tale of sex, power and subversion."

                        -- The Guardian 

Register in advance for this art experience:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZErcu-sqTkoG90TZ4b36ZYMWC2xpy0-aDhi 

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

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