Aniela Rybak-Vaganay
Author
Art historian living in Chicago. Passionate about women artists and abstract art.
Joan Mitchell: An American in France
Who hasn’t dreamt of moving to Paris at some point in their life? The city where the Impressionists started their careers in the picturesque...
Aniela Rybak-Vaganay 11 August 2025
Gustave Caillebotte Painting His (Male) World at the Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago is the last of three institutions to be hosting a major monographic exhibition of Gustave Caillebotte (1848–1894). It...
Aniela Rybak-Vaganay 24 July 2025
Maria Pinińska-Bereś—The Artist Who Made Pink Feminist
When I think of Maria Pinińska-Bereś her name appears in my head in light-pink hand-written letters embroidered on a white duvet. It is of course...
Aniela Rybak-Vaganay 22 May 2025
Muse: Uncovering the Hidden Figures in Art History
Muse – Uncovering the Hidden Figures Behind Art History’s Masterpieces by Ruth Millington is a fascinating book that aims, and one could even...
Aniela Rybak-Vaganay 7 March 2025
Project a Black Planet: The Art and Culture of Panafrica at the Art Institute of Chicago
The verb “to project” has a variety of meanings. It can allude to planning a project, presenting an idea, or promoting a concept. The exhibition...
Aniela Rybak-Vaganay 20 February 2025
Florian Yuriev—Colorful Portraits-Modus
Florian Yuriev (1929-2021) was a Ukrainian painter, architect, and visionary. His extraordinary, colorful paintings combine music, color, and linear...
Aniela Rybak-Vaganay 22 January 2025
Faith Ringgold, Sunflowers, and Van Gogh
Faith Ringgold’s The Sunflower Quilting Bee at Arles is part of the artist’s series of mixed media works titled The French Collection, in which...
Aniela Rybak-Vaganay 25 November 2024
Georgia O’Keeffe: My New Yorks at the Art Institute of Chicago
When thinking of Georgia O’Keeffe, many would have the image of her breathtaking renderings of nature. Did you know that she also made a series of...
Aniela Rybak-Vaganay 27 June 2024
Gego: An Architect of the Line
I encountered Gego (or rather her art) for the first time at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City last spring. It was a Sunday afternoon, and I was...
Aniela Rybak-Vaganay 23 May 2024