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!