Phong Bui with Meyer and Lillian Schapiro. c. 1994. Photo by Eyal Danieli

Connection was and is of vital importance to both art historian Meyer Schapiro (1904-1996) and Phong Bui (born 1964), a writer, curator and critic, and their influence in the art world is far-reaching. They have integrated art with history, politics, psychology, sociology and social criticism. The two first met in 1986 and quickly became close friends, along with Schapiro’s wife, Lillian. Schapiro, until his death 10 years later, was also Bui’s mentor, including him in his circle of friends and colleagues (a convergence that gave birth to the Brooklyn Rail in 2000). To celebrate that relationship and as a testament to Schapiro, Bui has curated an exhibition featuring works by a number of well-known artists with whom Schapiro had a close bond throughout his life.

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“Singing in Unison, Part 13,” now on in the Brattleboro Museum’s two main galleries, showcases brilliantly the scope of the pair’s expansive minds. On one of the large walls of the museum is Bui’s “Shrine to Meyer,” which is usually mounted on Bui’s bedroom wall in Brooklyn. A large full-length mirror is surrounded by works that Schapiro collected over the years and gave to Bui, as well as Schapiro’s own art. Bui said Meyer made art so he could understand art and the speed of execution, building a sensitivity to the making of art. The Meyer Shrine acknowledges Meyer’s enduring intellectual curiosity and clearly demonstrates Bui’s love for........

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