Rhona Hoffman — a gravitational force in Chicago's art scene for half a century

Rhona Hoffman — a gravitational force in Chicago's art scene for half a century

Rhona Hoffman leans forward in her chair. “I turned Rashid Johnson down when he was begging me to do a show,” she recalls, placing her hands on the table in front of her. “I was either busy or just stupid, because I didn’t understand the work. Sometimes things happen and you’re just not in the right place to do it. And then, looking back, you go, ‘Jesus, that was a lapse.’ ”In her decades running her namesake gallery, Hoffman hasn’t had many suc…

Amid Market Uncertainty, Expo Chicago Brings a Spirit of Hope

CHICAGO — Walking through an art fair can feel like swimming in the middle of Lake Michigan — there’s a fine line between floating through art and drowning in it. After all, these shows aren’t always made for the people trying to swim; they’re for the ones riding the yachts. But at Expo Chicago, running through this Sunday, April 27, I found little islands of hope, persistence, and affirmation. Expo Chicago has hosted its contemporary art fair a…

The Best Booths at Expo Chicago, From a Crocheted Locker Room to Metal Panties

The 12th edition of Expo Chicago opened to VIPs at noon on Thursday, following a vernissage brunch hosted by the fair and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s Women’s Board. The somewhat late opening time by art fair standards (most international fairs open at 10 or 11 a.m.) appeared to be a pragmatic choice. Attendance was light early on but picked up steadily through the afternoon, with opening day lasting until 8 p.m. Among the visitors…