As the summer winds down and the season of art fairs and openings approaches, you might assume that the entire art world is on vacation right now. Don’t make the mistake of taking your own vacation from art just yet — there’s still plenty to see. For starters, visit CLAMP’s showcase of James Bidgood’s homoerotic photographs from the 1960s, a phantasmagoria of mythological cosplay closing this weekend. An exhibition of Beauford Delaney’s drawings at the Drawing Center is another must-see, as it focuses on the importance of this medium in the artist’s practice, and Sandra Poulson’s work, currently at MoMA PS1, is a fascinating take on the political life of domestic symbols and objects. Meanwhile, a quick trip to Greenwich, Connecticut, will lead you to the Bruce Museum, where Jeremy Frey’s stunning basketry awaits. And while you’re out and about in the city, make sure to check out American Art Catalogues’s small but potent show of paintings by Joe Brainard, up through this weekend. —Natalie Haddad, Reviews Editor
James Bidgood: Dreamlands
CLAMP, 247 West 29th Street, Chelsea, Manhattan
Through August 29
“He portrayed young men with phantasmagorical aplomb, often as mythological figures, going against the grain of the beefcake sensibility dominant at the time.” —Daniel Larkin
Jeremy Frey: Woven
Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, Connecticut
Through September 7
“In each impeccable vessel, ancestral Wabanaki basketmaking traditions crisscross with the Passamaquoddy artist’s distinctive creative vision.” —Julie Schneider
In the Medium of Life: The Drawings of Beauford Delaney
The Drawing Center, 35 Wooster Street, Soho, Manhattan
Through September 14
“For Delaney, being queer meant living and creating at the margins, where sexuality, race, and modernism intertwined in both visible and concealed ways.” —Alexandra M. Thomas
Sandra Poulson: Este quarto parece uma República!
MoMA PS1, 22–25 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens
Through October 6
“Across these mostly household objects, Poulson emphasizes that history is something that haunts you as you sleep, as you dress, as you look at yourself in the mirror.” —Lisa Yin Zhang
