Rebecca Ness has a simple but bold idea: art history is hers to rewrite. Her latest show, Inheritance, takes classic paintings and drops them into the present day, giving each one a new setting and a new meaning. The result is a collection that turns old masterpieces into something fresh and personal.
The Show’s Premise
Ness is not the first artist to reinterpret canonical works. What sets her apart is how she grounds these transformations in her own experience. She treats inheritance not as a one-way street but as a process of transformation. That means taking something old and making it new, in her hands.
The exhibition revisits historical paintings in contemporary contexts. Rather than simply copying them, Ness updates them with details that matter to her now. The effect is immediate: a familiar image suddenly feels current.
Manet at Cubbyhole
One of the standout pieces in the show is a reworking of Manet’s “A Bar at the Folies Bergère” (1882). Ness moves the scene from its original setting to a crowded and sweaty club in the West Village. The club is called Cubbyhole, a lesbian institution, and the change shifts the whole mood of the painting.
The comparison is striking. Ness’s version is loud, packed, and full of energy. The transformation works because it keeps the formal composition while changing the emotional charge.
The Board Paintings
Another series in the show updates trompe l’oeil board paintings by William Harnett and John F. Peto. These 19th-century works were designed to fool the eye, presenting still-life arrangements that looked three-dimensional. Ness takes that concept and runs with it, creating a corkboard filled with cut-out and crumpled pages from art history textbooks.
She also adds photos of herself to the mix. The result is a Pinterest board brought to life. The comparison holds up well: a digital pinboard is a modern version of a collected arrangement.
Why Personal Context Works
The show’s strength comes from how Ness ties these updates to her own life. She is not just reinterpreting the paintings; she is inserting herself into them. The textbook pages and self-portraits make the transformation feel immediate and present.
This approach is what makes the show shine. When the update is personal, the connection is stronger.
The Pieces Compared
Here is how the show’s major pieces break down, ranked by how well they carry over their original settings into the present:
- “A Bar at the Folies Bergère” (Manet, 1882) — The move from a bar in Paris to Cubbyhole, West Village changes the mood while keeping the composition intact.
- Trompe l’oeil board paintings (Harnett, Peto) — The shift from 19th-century still lifes to a corkboard with textbooks and photos preserves the illusionist trick while updating the arrangement to a modern digital format.
| Work | Original Setting | Updated Setting |
|---|---|---|
| “A Bar at the Folies Bergère” (Manet, 1882) | Bar in Paris | Cubbyhole, West Village |
| Trompe l’oeil board paintings (Harnett, Peto) | 19th-century still lifes | Corkboard with textbooks and photos |
The show also includes other pieces that extend the theme of transformation across different formats. Each one carries the same impulse: take something old and make it new.
Our View
We admire what Ness has done here. She has taken classic paintings and given them new life through personal context. The result is a show that rewards close looking and makes you see these old works afresh.
The show is a bold statement. Ness is not asking permission to touch art history; she is simply doing it. That confidence is infectious.
Inheritance is on view now. Anyone who cares about art history should see it.
See the a run of 15 images at Hyperallergic.
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