Betye Saar Facsimile Object

a picture of a picture of a Betye Saar at the NY Historical, by Lexi Parra for NYT Robin Pegrebin reports in the Times that soon after opening its debut exhibition in its swanky new wing, the New York Historical quietly removed 20 objects and replaced them with reproductions. The issue was light sensitivity; the director directed that giant, south-facing windows be uncovered, because blinds that protected the artworks and historic artifacts were “disrespectful of the architect [Robert A.M. Stern]’s final museum project.” Go to Pogrebin’s story for the on the record quotes of how this went down, and stay to admire its immediate impact. Because after several weeks of displaying it, when the NYH found out the Times was on it, they removed the flat color picture of Betye Saar’s 2017 sculpture, Extreme Times Call for Extreme Heroines. Which, honestly? Right call. The NYH’s facsimile is slightly smaller than Saar’s object. Based on the dimensions of the Augusta Savage sculpture below it,…