The New York Academy of Art is pleased to announce the 2017 Chubb Fellows Exhibition, presenting works by the Academy’s three Chubb Postgraduate Fellows. Featuring work by painters Benjamin Craig and Sophia Kayafas and draughtswoman Valérie Gilbert, this exhibition marks the beginning of each artist’s promising career and the culmination of their year-long fellowships. The show will run from September 5 - 20 at the Academy in Tribeca, with an opening reception from 6 - 8 pm on Tuesday, September 5.
Each year, the Academy selects three outstanding graduates of its MFA program as Chubb Fellows. The fellowship, sponsored by Chubb, is the highest honor the Academy bestows, and is given to the three graduates who exemplify the Academy’s mission of valorizing technical skill in the service of creating vital contemporary art. The Fellows receive studio accommodations, a year-end exhibit and a generous stipend. Previous recipients include: Ali Banisadr, Fellow 2009 (represented by Sperone Westwater Gallery, permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the British Museum); Amy Bennett, Fellow 2003 (Richard Heller Gallery, permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art); Aleah Chapin, Fellow 2013 (Flowers Gallery, first American woman to win the National Portrait Gallery’s BP Portrait Award); Phillip Thomas, Fellow 2009 (Richard J. Demato Gallery, permanent collection of the World Bank), and Peter Simon Mühlhäußer, Fellow 2010 (2013 Venice Biennale).
Benjamin Craig (b. 1989, Texas) and Sophia Kafayas (b. 1991, West Virginia) both received a Masters of Fine Arts in Painting from the Academy, and Valérie Gilbert (b. 1987, Haiti) received her degree in Drawing. The Chubb Fellows have individually participated in group shows in New York, Beijing, Copenhagen, Rome, and Leipzig and in 2018, Gilbert will be the subject of a solo exhibition at the Musée Marius Barbeau in Quebec.
Although the basis of their education is the same, each artist has developed a striking signature aesthetic, demonstrating the range of styles incubated at the Academy. Tenebrous and otherworldly wall-sized charcoal artworks by Craig were created with repetitive washing of the canvas in a mixture of water and marble dust. Kayafas’ joyously colored, ecstatic paintings embrace Biblical symbols, New York City street scenes and the contradictions of spiritual faith, while Gilbert's precisely rendered, unsettling portraits excavate family history, incorporating myths and symbols in a narrative of encountering America.
About Chubb
Chubb is the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurer. With operations in 54 countries, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. The company is distinguished by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength, underwriting excellence, superior claims handling expertise and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: new.chubb.com.
About The New York Academy of Art
Founded in 1982 by artists, scholars and patrons of the arts, including Andy Warhol, the New York Academy of Art is a graduate school and cultural institution that combines intensive technical training in the fine arts with active critical discourse. The Academy believes that rigorously trained artists are best able to realize their artistic vision. Academy students are taught traditional methods and techniques and encouraged to use these skills to make vital contemporary art. Through major exhibitions, a lively speaker series, and an ambitious educational program, the Academy serves as a creative and intellectual center for all artists dedicated to highly skilled, conceptually aware figurative and representational art.
