Art Update: The New Whitney Museum Opening

Jasper Johns, 3 Flags, 1958, photo courtesy of the author

We arrived at the opening on the early side and were able to walk through the galleries and see the interior and exterior spaces designed by Renzo Piano. The stunning open spaces and incredible light highlighted the museum's historical collection from the early 1900’s to the present. This ingenious combination of space and light will offer endless possibilities for artists to create new projects in the future.  As the crowds had not yet arrived, we were able to see the sun setting on the Hudson River from the fifth floor. What a glorious experience.

View of the Hudson River, photo courtesy of the author

“America is Hard to See” the title of the inaugural exhibition displaying only 600 works from the museum’s vast 22,000 works now includes artists not born in the US but living and creating their art here. Josephine Meckseper’s vitrines “A Complete History of Post Contemporary Art” and “Tout Va Bien” are stunning examples of this changed policy.

Josephine Meckseper's “A Complete History of Post Contemporary Art”, 2005, photo coutesy of the author

Josephine Meckseper's "Tout va bien", 2005,  photo courtesy of the author

We caught up individually with Adam Weinberg, the Director and Donna de Salvo, the Chief Curator who were receiving the guests and basking in the glow of accolades being bestowed on the “Miracle on the Hudson”.

Donna de Salvo, photo courtesy of the author

The new Whitney Museum is a prime example of a major cultural institution expanding into the 21st century and surmounting it’s massive obstacles with outstanding success.

Art Update: Bjork Retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art

Photo courtesy of the author

We approached the Bjork exhibition with much skepticism as the majority of the reviewers had little praise for it. The first work we viewed on the third floor "Black Lake" commissioned by MoMA was a riveting and heart breaking performance. The innovative music blends haunting techno rhythms with classical arrangements to echo the loss of her partner Matthew Barney and her utter despair of being alone. Moving to the second floor where tickets are required to enter, the retrospective of her videos begins showing twenty years of Bjork's oeuvre. The videos are mesmerizing, moving, and genius. Had MoMA merely shown this commission and the music videos perhaps the show would have been better received. 

Possibly, what many critics overlooked is that Bjork is a multi accomplished artist whose career goes way beyond being a talented musician/performer. Her artistic practice pervades all aspects of her being, as is viewed in the creation of the instruments in the lobby, a gravity harp and Tesla coil that play her songs, as well as her illustrations of her self-composed lyrics and her avant-garde fashion. 

Why not have a museum have an extraordinary exhibition of an artist that exists outside of the audience's expectation?

Photo courtesy of the author

Photo courtesy of the author

Art Update: Hugh Scott-Douglas opening at Blum & Poe

Hugh Scott-Douglas at Blum & Poe, photo by author

On April 9th, I arrived at the opening of Blum & Poe’s New York gallery to view the new work of Hugh Scott-Douglas, whose career I’ve been following for a couple of years. Scott-Douglas addresses new forms of technology and their ultimate obsolescence. For this show, he printed layers of industrial black ink on aluminum panels using scans of watch gears and dust. This process produced phantom imagery from the digital scans and obscured the original digital imagery. 

Hugh Scott–Douglas

Untitled, 2015

UV-curable ink on dibond

80 x 53 inches

This reminded me of Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's work “Please Empty Your Pockets” an installation which I first saw in Rafa’s studio in Montreal in 2009. He invites the public to place objects from their pockets such as keys, wallets and credit cards on the conveyor belt. Then these objects pass through the scanner and are projected back onto to the conveyor belt surface. The work remembers up to 600,000 objects cumulatively. Both artists explore the persistence of technology in our lives and its inevitable replaceability.  

“Please Empty Your Pockets” 2010, Photo by: Peter Mallet

Art Update: Studio Visit with Tom Sachs, Giuseppe Penone at Marian Goodman, Massimiliano Gioni and Jeffrey Deitch at the NY Public Library

Linda, Tom,  Hella

On March 9th, we returned to visit Tom Sachs in his studio to see “Institutional” an iconic Cabinet that was in progress for a couple of years.  Tom proudly took us through his "Tea Ceremony", which has fascinated him and was first showcased in his “Space Program Mars” installation at the Park Avenue Armory in 2012. At first glance, “Institutional” looks like the back of a truck, in fact a dirty truck. When the doors are opened, the viewer is offered a glimpse into the artist’s practice whereby he reinvents cultural icons and everyday objects and transforms them into his very own “obsessive” world. To see more of Tom’s work check out: Tom Sachs: Boombox Retrospective” 1999-2105 at the “Contemporary Austin”.

  Images courtesy of Marian Goodman Gallery 

On March 18th, I arrived at Marian Goodman’s breakfast for Giuseppe Penone’s new exhibition, "Indistinti confini/Indistinct Boundaries” as well as a guided tour of the exhibition led by curator Dieter Schwarz. The quality of the new sculptures made from marble and bronze, which is exquisite, provoked me to touch them.  When I mentioned my desire to do so, while conversing with Giuseppe in French, he gave me permission and was pleased that his works caused this reaction. Much of his work deals with the sense of touch.

Photo Jori Klein/ NY Public Library

On March 25th, I attended the lecture at the NY Public Library where Massimiliano Gioni interviewed Jeffrey Deitch. It was a fascinating exchange between two colleagues and friends.  Jeffrey and I go way back to my years as head of the Contemporary Department at Sotheby’s when he started the investment program at Citibank. When the bank obtained a client for contemporary art, the deal was they received a complimentary appraisal from Sotheby’s. We made several trips together including a visit to Paul Anka’s wonderful home in Carmel, California. Jeffrey’s journey in the art world is unique. When he opened his gallery, “Deitch Projects” his wish to provide the platform for artists “to do their thing”, whatever that entailed and not to be criticized was launched. The openings attracted huge audiences and offered many new people a glimpse into the art world.   Jeffrey's concept of "art as spectacle" was launched. This paradigm shift led to the stardom of many artists, most notably Jeff Koons. With his finger on the pulse of the art world, Jeffrey continues to embrace the artists that resist conventionality. 

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!