Derrick Adams: View Master at ICA Boston

A survey of the last twenty-six years of Derrick Adams’ (b. 1970) work is currently on view at the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) in Boston. The show, Derrick Adams: View Master is his  first museum retrospective. 

 

His colorful, geometric paintings, prints and sculptures reflect the joy and serenity of leisure moments with family, friends and community. 

 

Adams has been working in Brooklyn since his days at the Pratt Institute. After earning his BFA from Pratt in 1996, Adams went on to earn an MFA from Columbia in 2003. He still keeps his ties with his hometown of Baltimore, where he founded a nonprofit to support art and artists in the Baltimore community.

 

 

One of the most impressive paintings in the exhibit is View Master, a large, acrylic and collage work. The painting depicts the View Master stereoscope with an image of Charles Harrison (1931-2018) in each lens. It is an homage to Harrison, an industrial designer and educator. Harrison was the first African-American to executive to work at Sears, Roebuck and Company, becoming the manager of the company's entire design group. Although he was involved in the design of hundreds of consumer products, Harrison is best known for leading the team that updated the View Master in 1958, designing the classic Model F View Master. The View Master was the equivalent, in the mid-twentieth century, of what innovative toys are for kids today.

 

Adams watched a lot of Sesame Street and other tv shows when he was young. He frames many of his paintings in a tv screen. This Could All Be Yours, 2020, available at VFA, is a recent acquisition that showcases his creativity. 

 

Visitors to the retrospective will see color bars, used as a tv test pattern, that Adams painted at the Institute’s entrance.

 

Derrick Adams: View Master will be on view at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston through September 7, 2026 and will travel to the Queens Museum in New York for its next presentation, scheduled for Fall 2027.

 

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Our focus at Vertu Fine Art has always been the fine art print. The significance of printmaking is often misunderstood and under appreciated. The Story of Print Making: A Global History of Art by Holly EJ Black was recently released by Yale University Press. It explains the historical significance of printmaking and how the artists, from ancient to modern times have shaped the shaped the world, including works by Robert Rauschenberg and other artists whose fine art prints are available at VFA.

 

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Please contact us if you would like more information about the work of Derrick Adams and the many fine artists whose work is available at VFA.

 

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References:

Lee Ann Norman. Derrick Adams: View Master. The Brooklyn Rail. July/August 2026.

Robin Givhan. The Artist Who Gives Me Joy. The New York Times. April 26, 2026.

Kristen Tauer. ‘View Master’ Derrick Adams Talks About Transforming Everyday Experiences Into Extraordinary Art. Women’s Wear Daily. April 21, 2026.

Jonathan Glancey. Classics of everyday design No 48. The Guardian. July 31, 2008.

Bridget Quinn. The Story of Printmaking Is the Story of Democracy. Hyperallergic. July 10, 2026. 

July 16, 2026