Recent events have pushed artists to visualize ideas of closeness in a new light. Kinship, published on the occasion of the National Portrait Gallery's tenth "Portraiture Now" exhibition, features the work of eight leading contemporary artists who explore familial relationships through photography, painting, sculpture, and performance. Contemporary portraiture offers a way to consider the mutable yet enduring qualities of familial relationships and the internal and external forces that affect our bonds with others. For example, interpretations of distance - whether emotional, physical, or geographical - have recently become more fraught. By recognizing the transformations that occur in the genre of portraiture and the threads that today's portraits share, we can better understand the universality and specificity of kinship. List of artists: Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Jess T. Dugan, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Jessica Todd Harper, Thomas Holton, Sedrick Huckaby, Anna Tsouhlarakis

This important book examines the history, process and significance of official portrait making during Korea's Joseon dynasty (1392-1910)-the country's last and longest-ruling Confucian dynasty. By highlighting significant pieces in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco's collection, including draft portraits of Bunmu meritorious officials and the portrait of Song Siyeol (1607-1689), it also discusses the complex philosophies and delicate techniques in the art of portrait making. With more than 95 photos and illustrations, Likeness and Legacy in Korean Portraiture is the ultimate guide to this specialized art form and its history. The inclusion of contemporary works that are related to or inspired by the portrait-making tradition will demonstrate to readers that this practice is still thriving in the modern art scene. See the Likeness and Legacy in Korean Portraiture exhibit at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco: April 10 - August 16, 2020.