Art Update: Josephine Meckseper at the Parrish Museum's Inaugural Gala

Josephine Meckseper, Bright Bay Cars/ Gratis, 2013, Installation view at The Parrish

photo courtesy of the artist 

Arrived on Saturday, July 13th at the Parrish Museum's first gala in its new building designed by Herzog and de Meuron in Watermill.  The director, Terrie Sultan proudly greeted the many guests as they caught a preview of Josephine Meckseper's solo exhibition entitled "PLATFORM: JOSEPHINE MECKSEPER", opening July 20th. The artist has installed her signature vitrines, made of glass, concrete, mirrored platforms and various materials to the exterior ground, which then continue inside the museum. She has created a dialogue within the museum's collection and with its architectural structure.  Her displays mimic the slate walls of retail establishments where shelves display large-scale commercial materials, which lend commentary to advertising and consumer consumption.  Throughout the work, car insignia and auto parts are found to reflect Meckseper’s interest in American car culture and critique of capitalist society.

Josephine Meckseper, Crow, 2011 (left), John Chamberlain, Tambourinefrappe, 2010 (right), Installation view
photo courtesy of Josephine Meckseper

A great addition to the museum would be the installation of Meckseper's "Manhattan Oil Project", 2012, consisting of two 25 foot kinetic sculptures to its front lawn.  Travelers driving along Montauk Highway would enjoy the majestic sculpture looming in the distance.

Josephine Meckseper and Linda Silverman

Art Update: Warhol Opening at Peter Brant's - May 12th, 2013

Arrived in Greenwich on May 12th to attend Peter Brant's luncheon preview and opening of Andy Warhol's exhibition at The Brant Foundation Art Study Center. Peter's interest in art goes back to his college days when he purchased two Warhols and a Franz Kline as a student. He has been collecting ever since. By establishing The Peter Brant Foundation, Inc. and the Brant Foundation Art Study Center, he gives back to the community by fostering education and appreciation of contemporary art and design as well inspiring the younger generation. 

Warhol, Marilyn, 1964 

Opened in 2009 and converted from a former stone barn into gallery space by Richard Gluckman, exhibitions have included Urs Fischer, Josh Smith, David Altmejd, Karen Kilimnik and Nate Lowman. The inaugural exhibition was an homage to Henry Geldzahaler, "Remembering Henry's Show: Selected Works 1978-2008." The current Warhol show comprises works from Peter and his family's collections. On view, a selection from over 200 works, includes examples from the following series: death and disaster, flowers, celebrity portraits, self-portraits and political portraits, culminating with the Last Supper, part of his final series in 1987. Peter mentioned to me that the large Mao, which he donated to the Metropolitan Museum in 1977 is on loan for this exhibition. 

Conyers Farm, Greenwich, CT

Peter and his glamorous wife Stephanie are the quintessential hosts. After viewing the superbly hung show, we walked outside to enjoy the beautiful grounds and polo fields of Conyers Farm, where cocktails and lunch were being served under the tent. It was a great afternoon chatting with friends and meeting new people from all over the world, invited to share Peter and Stephanie's generosity!

Art Update: Thomas Houseago at the Storm King Art Center

Thomas Houseago, Striding Figure II (Ghost), 2012, breeze and steel, 15' 6.5" x 7' 9" x 12'

On May 4th, we drove up to Storm King Art Center to attend Thomas Houseago's opening of his first U.S. museum exhibition titled "As I Went Out One Morning". The title is taken from a Bob Dylan song showing the influence that music had on the artist.

Thomas Houseago, Studio Seat I, 2011, Tuf-Cal, hemp and iron rebar,  50" x 41.5" x 42.5"

The exhibition consists of indoor and outdoor sculpture in several media including bronze, aluminum, wood, Tuf-Cal plaster and charcoal as well as drawings. For the first time a grouping of two plaster chairs can be viewed in front of the Museum Hill Building inviting visitors to sit upon them. This alludes to the artist's studio-based practice where he says "the studio for me is the center of my life".

Alexander Calder, The Arch, 1975, Steel painted black, 50' x 41' 5" x 35'   

Storm King is one of the world's premiere sculpture parks located about one hour North of NYC on over 500 acres in the Hudson Valley. It's grounds are an ideal venue to view Thomas' work as well as a unique opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the dramatic landscape with its allees, woodlands, lawns and vistas in harmony with the collection (dating from the 1960's to present). We went on the tram to cover more ground and saw many of the highlights along the way: Calder's The Arch, Maya Lin's Wavefield, Richard Serra's Schunnemunk Fork, Andy Goldsworthy's Storm King Wall, Marc Di Suvero's Pyramidian and David Smith's Volton XX.  

Another trip is definitely necessary!

   

Art Update: MAN MADE Jean-Michel Basquiat

Arrived last night at Sotheby's private S|2 exhibition to attend the opening of Jean-Michel Basquiat's show entitled "MAN MADE", hosted by entertainment mogul Swizz Beatz with his elegant and talented wife Alicia Keys.  

Swizz spoke of his affection and admiration for "Jean" and introduced Fab Freddy, a fellow graffiti artist. Swizz praised the artist to the energized crowd, (apparently Beatz tweeted that he was going to the Basquiat opening to his 1.6M followers and tons of people showed up only to be halted at the door for fear of overcrowding).

His message to the crowd was to enjoy the art on the walls and to encourage people to become artists and express themselves. He said all artists need to express themselves as do all musicians. Basquiat is a hero to the hip hop music world and his work continuously enthralls new fans! He is a true legend in the art world. 

Art Update: Openings of Serra and Palermo at Zwirner

Zwirner's new space on West 20th Street

Arrived at the opening of "Richard Serra: Early Work" and "Palermo: Works on Paper 1976-1977" last night at Zwirner's West 20th Street gallery designed by Annabelle Selldorf which opened in February 2013. This new five story building, which boasts 30,000 square feet, is the first commercial art gallery to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. 

Richard Serra, Strike: To Roberta and Rudy, 1969-71 @ Zwirner 
from the Guggenheim, Panza Collection 

 

On the ground floor early works dating from 1966-1971 by Richard Serra are on view from museum and private collections. Serra's innovative and experimental use of nontraditional materials, such as vulcanized rubber, neon and lead as well as his use of spatial and temporal properties redefined sculpture. "Strike: To Roberta and Rudy" (1969-71), hot-rolled steel plate, on loan from the Guggenheim, Panza Collection is a prime example. 

Blinky Palermo, 1-7 Untitled, 1976 @ Zwirner
from the MoMA Collection 

Up on the second floor, the Palermo exhibition, organized in collaboration with the Palermo Archive, celebrates the 70th anniversary of the artist's birth in 1943 in Leipzig, Germany. The works date from 1973-1976, executed in New York, the years before his early death at age 33 in 1977. Many of these drawings, like his late paintings have been realized in series.  My favorite, "1-7 Untitled" (1976) on loan from the Museum of Modern Art, NY is a seven part work executed in vibrant red acrylic on paper which epitomizes his extraordinary use of form and color. 

The New Parrish Art Museum, Watermill

Parrish Art Museum                                    (Photo: Iwan Baan) 

Driving west on Montauk Highway from Sagaponack, on April 13th, it was almost impossible to know when the new Parrish Art Museum was going to appear, as there were no signs anywhere. Suddenly it came into view, a plain white shed beautifully placed on an open field in total harmony with the landscape and light of the East End.

Herzog & de Meuron, the Swiss award winning architects, among whose designs include the bird's nest Olympic stadium in Beijing (2008), the de Young Museum in San Francisco (2010) and the Caixa Forum in Madrid (2008) are responsible for this project. Faced with the challenge of a slashed budget from $80M to $26.2M, the architects designed a gigantic barn with poured concrete on the outer walls and floors, as well as a corrugated metal roof spreading over the sides. Following the path alongside the newly planted deciduous trees, one happens upon the entrance, which is very modest and at the same time welcoming. The use of rough textured wood for some doors and walls adds to the casualness of the building. There is a long hall with two rows of galleries, which constitutes the basic minimal plan. A clever solution indeed! 

Currently on view is "Collective Conversations" including four works by Flavin, de Kooning, Sonnier and Youngerman, which all explore space, light and line in magnificent and poetic ways. 

Don't miss Jack Youngerman's latest paintings on view at the Joan Washburn Gallery in New York.  

Jack Youngerman, Conflux II, 2003@ Parrish Art Museum 

We were directed to The Open Studio at the end of the hall, where each Saturday, tables are set up with paint supplies and paper for families to create art. The charming teacher offered us seats and encouraged us to use either watercolors or oils. You can see how keen my granddaughters Serena (4 1/2) and Alessandra (2) are to create their dreams and visions in this stunning environment looking out upon the fields.

Alessandra and Serena @ The Open Studio 

Herzog & de Meuron created a relaxed, sophisticated and easily accessible museum for the community. It resonates both the ambience and nature, harking back to the 1950's, when painters such as Pollock, Krasner, de Kooning, Rivers and Vincente first arrived to seek refuge from noisy Manhattan. They were inspired by the extraordinary light, verdant landscapes and sublime skies, as are the artists of today. 

Art Update: Highlights of Sotheby's and Christie's Upcoming Contemporary May Auctions 2013

Arrived at the Sotheby's advisory lunch on April 8th to preview the Impressionist and Contemporary May sales. There was a flurry of activity around the tables where the unfinished catalogue layouts were made available for a sneak preview to the group of advisors. The lineup includes:

Evening Sale

Bacon, Study for Portrait of P.L. (1962)                                       $30-40M 

Diebenkorn, Ocean Park No. 46 (1971)                                             $6-8M 

Gottlieb, Pink Smash (1959)                                                               $3-4M

Hammons, Untitled  (1989-90)                                                $900K-1.2M

Koons, New Hoover Celebrity IV (1981-86)                                  $10-15M

Pollock, The Blue Unconscious (1946)                                          $20-30M 

Richter, Domplatz (1968)                                                              $30-40M 

(this could be a record for the artist)

Still, PH-21, (1962)                                                                         $16-20M

Twombly, Untitled (Bolsena) (1968)                                             $10-15M

Day Sale

Lowman, Black Escalade (2005)                                             $350-450K

Schnabel, Self Portrait by a Red Window (1982)                   $500-700K

25 works donated by various artists including Johns, Twombly, Kelly, Koons, Ligon and Sherman will be offered to benefit the Whitney's new building project downtown.

Gerhard Richter, Domplatz, Mailand (Cathedral Square, Milan), 1968

The following week, Christie's held their advisory lunch in the boardroom with their esteemed experts.  We had to wait for the evening mockups as they were just being completed. Talk about hot off the press! Major works from various private collections include Andy Williams (recently acquired in the last 6 years expected to bring $30M), Celeste and Armand Bartos and Sylvia G. Zell. 
Here are some of the highlights:

Evening Sale

Basquiat, Dustheads (1982)                                                            $25-35M

(this could be a record for the artist)

Basquiat, Furious Man (1982)                                                     $1.2- 1.5M

Lichtenstein, Woman with Flowered Hat (1963)         estimate on request

(think $30+M)

Noland, Circle (1958)                                                                $900K-1.2M

Pollock, Number 19 (1948)                                                             $25-35M

designated as Property of an American Foundation (assumed to be the Property of Mitchell Rales)

Ruscha, Mint (Red) (1968)                                                           $2.5-3.5M

Still, PH-1 (1953)                                                                              $15-20M

Day Sale

Gorky, Virginia Landscape (1944)                                             $600-800K

Oldenburg, Soft Baked Potato (1970)                                         $150-200K

Thiebaud Sandwich (1963)                                                               $9-1.2M

Jackson Pollock, Number 19, 1948

Art Update: The Pop Object: The Still Life Tradition in Pop Art and Claes Oldenburg: The Street and The Store, Mouse Museum/Ray Gun Wing

Pop is back! On Tuesday evening April 9th, I attended the Acquavella gallery opening of The Pop Object: The Still Life Tradition in Pop Art curated by the renowned art historian John Wilmerding. The survey, accompanied by a beautifully illustrated catalogue, includes more than 75 important works by Dine, Indiana, Johns, Katz, Koons, Lichtenstein, Oldenburg, Segal, Thiebaud, Warhol and Wesselmann. Various private collectors loaned works to this exhibition as well as major institutions including the National Gallery, Wash DC, the Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh, MoMA, New York, and MOCA, Los Angeles. It was a treat to see all these delectable works together! Here are some of my favorites: Rauschenberg's Coca-Cola Plan, 1958, Warhol's Coca Cola, 1962, Ed Ruscha's Lemon Drops, 1962, Oldenburg’s Pie a la Mode, 1962, Thiebaud's Three Half Cakes, 1966, Rosenquist's Orange Field, 1964, Johns' Lightbulb, 1960 and High School Days, 1964 and Koons' New Hoover Celebrity 111's, 1980. These works after more than 50 years maintain their freshness and punch!

Robert Rauschenberg, Coca-Cola Plan, 1958 @ Acquavella

Pop continued the following evening at Moma's opening of Claes Oldenburg: The Street and The Store, Claes Oldenburgh: Mouse Museum/Ray Gun Wing.  His first two major bodies of work The Street, 1960 and The Store, 1961-64 are the essence of the exhibition. “During this intensely productive period Oldenburg redefined the relationship between painting and sculpture and between sculpture and form.” Oldenburg is one of the most important artists of the 20th century. He used materials around him in imaginative and amusing ways.  His sense of humor is seen throughout the show. His painted plaster sculptures depict everyday objects. Pastry Case 1, 1961-62 from the Sidney and Harriet Janis Collection is a prime example.  Do not miss the Mouse Museum/Ray Gun Wing. 

Oldenburg at the age of 84 is one of the last surviving giants of Pop Art! 

Claes Oldenburg, Pastry Case, 1, 1961-62 @ MoMA

Art Update: The Art Show/The Armory Shows

Tuesday evening's opening of the ADAA Art Show at the Park Avenue Armory kicked off a frenzied week of art fairs in NYC March 7-10 2013. It was refreshing to see 40 galleries present solo exhibitions in their booths. This enables the viewer to have an in depth look at the artists' body of work. Among my favorites were Louise Lawler at Metro Pictures (see Jerry Saltz voguing in front of the triptych entitled "Marie + 270", Wim Delvoye's tattooed pig at Sperone Westwater, Kiki Smith's new bronze unique "Birds" at Pace, John Newman's new sculpture at Tibor de Nagy, who has reappeared after many years living abroad, and more new sculpture by Saint Clair Cemin at Paul Kasmin.

Jerry Saltz "voguing" in front of Louise Lawler's "Marie + 270" at Metro Pictures

Off to the dinner, following Rita Ackermann's opening at Hauser & Wirth's uptown gallery, with the artist in attendance.  This exhibition, entitled, "Negative Muscle", follows her last show which I saw last October in London.  She continues her practice of merging "the non-representational and the figurative in her art".

Wednesday's VIP opening of the Armory Show at Piers 92 and 94 brought out a mass of younger art enthusiasts in their search of the "new new".  This year the "Focus" section showcased the U.S. It was curated by Eric Shiner, Director of The Andy Warhol Museum and featured Gagosian's all Warhol booth. Among my favorites were Rob Wynne's poured mirrored glass sculpture "Fifteen Minutes" (with a nod to Andy's Fifteen Minutes of Fame) at Gavlak and the artist collaborative Type A, featuring "Target (Red, White, & Blue)" at Monique Meloche.  There were many references to the 100th year of the original Armory show in 1913 and Marcel Duchamp.  There was a functioning urinal at Perogi gallery (courtesy of the artist Andrew Ohanesian), homages to “Nude Descending a Staircase” at Francis M. Naumann and a booth dedicated to the Swedish artist Ulf Linde, known for his replicas of “The Large Glass” and other major works by Duchamp. 

Barbara Kruger's "The Meaning of Life is That it Ends" at Sprueth Magers gallery says it all!

Barbara Kruger at Sprueth Magers

One of my favorites of the satellite fairs was the Independent Art Fair, which returned to the Dia building on West 22nd Street in Chelsea.  It's a delight to go from floor to floor and view the work in a relaxed, open environment.  You can walk around freely as there are walls, but no booths or aisles. The Modern Institute's rainbow box by Joanne Tatham and Tom O'Sullivan was visually outstanding.   

A highlight of the private collections this year was a visit to the home of American Folk Art Museum President Monty Blanchard in his downtown loft. The Blanchard-Hill collection boasts self-taught, outsider and folk art from many diverse cultures, including Africa, Japan, Haiti, Australia and Myanmar.  It was very exciting to see and feel the energy and dialogue created by the various artists and media. It shows the power of talented artists and artisans who are mostly unknown. Indeed an incredible art experience!

Basquiat Opening at Gagosian West 24th Street

Arrived on Thursday evening to find a huge line down the block on West 24th Street. Luckily I was recognized and immediately ushered into the gallery.

The excitement that I felt over 30 years ago came rushing back when I first viewed 12 unframed drawings of Basquiat on the floor of Larry's space in LA.

His talent for drawing surfaced early in his life and by age 6, his mother had enrolled him in a junior art class at the Brooklyn Museum. At 15 as a troubled teenager, he ran away from home and gained notoriety as a graffiti artist under the name SAMO.  My first glimpse of Basquiat, the wild child, was at age 20, when he was living in the basement of Annina Nosei's gallery on Prince Street.  When Larry first saw the work at this time he was electrified by it.  He got to know him and soon after invited him to work and stay in his house in LA.

Basquiat installation at Gagosian 

This beautifully installed exhibition shows Basquiat's struggles to fit into the daunting art world as the son of a Haitian-American father and Puerto Rican mother.  He painted and drew his heroes, athletes, kings, warriors, musicians, and self-portraits with a rawness and emotional anguish, which is chilling to the bone.

His intuitive sense of rhythm, composition, his unique iconography and technique, as well as his inspiration from art history (African Art, Picasso, de Kooning and Rauschenberg) propelled him to become one of the hot stars of the 80's. His star fell when he overdosed in 1988 at the age of 27. 

Included in the exhibition is Jean-Michel's last painting entitled "Riding with Death,"1988 inspired by Rembrandt's "The Polish Rider," 1665, which is in the Frick Collection in NY.

His fame and talent is still heralded 25 years after his death. Leave it to Larry! He has put together an amazing exhibition featuring over 50 works from both private and public collections. 

Off to the dinner...

The Aesthete and Joe Mimran honor Richard Phillips

Last night, The Aesthete, a digital magazine, which features New York's most influential creators, and Joe Mimran, the founder and creative director of "Joe Fresh", honored artist Richard Phillips with a cocktail reception and dinner at the New Museum.  Cynthia Rowley, a close friend, eloquently introduced the artist before the Baldomero Fernandez film "Constants & Variables" was shown.  Racing his Porsche is another one of Richard's passions!  It was a fun evening.

Check out the attached link:

http://theaesthete.com/story/view.dT/constants-and-variables

Opening of Hauser & Wirth's 18th Street Gallery

Arriving last night at Hauser & Wirth's new expansive space on West 18th Street, it was wonderful to be greeted by Martin Creed's cheerful, permanent site-specific installation. It consists of 2 inch wide vertical stripes of adhesive tape adorning the walls, going up to the second floor.  Annabelle Selldorf designed this roughly 25,000 square feet column-free space, supported by black steel trusses. This elegant venue will be ideal for Matthew Day Jackson's upcoming exhibition. 

Martin Creed, 'Work No. 1461', 2013 

The inaugural exhibition "Dieter Roth, Bjorn Roth" includes installations, sculpture, video and prints by the father and son duo. Roth has inspired many of the artists in the gallery's stable whose practice is process-oriented and collaborative.

Dieter Roth, Bjorn Roth, 'Self Tower', 1994/2013

The most intriguing of all was the "Self Tower", a large column of busts made out of chocolates and stacked on glass shelves in a metal frame. The aroma of baked chocolate pervaded the area.  Yummy...

Don't miss the Bjorn Roth/Oddur Roth/Einar Roth New York Bar...a mixed media installation with video which remains permanently in the gallery.

A few of my favorites from 2012...

“Keith Haring: 1978-1982” - Brooklyn Museum

When Keith Haring first appeared on the scene in New York and had his first show with Tony Shafrazi in 1981, he was an instant star! The Brooklyn exhibition was special to view as one could see several very early works never seen before in public, including his first video piece “Painting Myself into a Corner”. 

Keith Haring, Painting Myself into a Corner, 1979

“Ai Weiwei: According To What?" - Hirshhorn Museum

Having seen Ai Weiwei's Turbine Hall installation "Sunflower Seeds" at the Tate in 2010, and his film "Never Sorry" earlier in the year, it was fascinating to experience how this multi-faceted artist continues to comment on the political climate in China while sharing his life and his views online, in the media and in the context of this spectacular retrospective.  

Martin Creed’s "Mothers" - MCA Chicago

The first time I saw Martin Creed perform his "Alphabet" song with his "girl band" at the Basel Art Fair for the Bulgari dinner guests several years ago, his extraordinary talent and wit blew me away! I have been a fan ever since. His largest kinetic sculpture ever created to date, "MOTHERS" measures more than 48 feet wide and 20 feet tall, steadily rotating a full 360 degrees like a 1950's roadside motel sign. That's only at the entrance. He continues to awe!

Martin Creed, MOTHERS, 2012

“Wade Guyton OS” – Whitney Museum

When Modern Collections gallery opened in London in 2011, I saw their "Guyton Guyton Walker Walker" exhibition and was intrigued by Guyton's use of the technologies of our time, the desktop computer, scanner and inkjet printer to create his random imperfect paintings.  In the Whitney exhibition, he has created two new giant canvases, stretching up to 50 feet in length using this technique. Also included are his "Fire", “U” and "X" paintings and "U" sculptures. 

Wade Guyton, installation shot, Whitney Musuem, 2012

"Portrait of Paula Cooper” by Rudolf Stingel - Art Basel, June 2012

Paula has always been a heroine of mine as she was one of the first gallerists in Soho along with Leo Castelli. Rudolf Stingel painted a portrait of Paula, based on a 1980's photograph, looking sultry and glamorous with a cigarette in her hand. It was a show stopper at the opening of Art Unlimited as we all greeted Paula in front of it. It measures 11 x 15 feet.

Rudolf Stingel, Portrait of Paula Cooper, 2012

Lucio Fontana - Gagosian

Lucio Fontana devoted his practice to investigating the concept of space and creating a new visual language.  He was a pioneer in the use of new technology, neon, UV light and the new medium, television.  To further his concepts of a third dimension (cutting the canvas), which he began in 1948, Fontana wrote several manifestos and coined the movement "Spazialismo". The works were called "Concetti Spaziali" or "Spacial Concepts".  The Gagosian Gallery mounted the most extraordinary exhibition in New York, which reconstructured six of his "Ambienti Spaziali" showing works from private and public collections, many never seen before!