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frank stella retrospective

11/27/2016

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After seeing this show at the Whitney, we had a second chance to see it in San Francisco. It looked more impressive - and viewers had a better chance to contemplate the work - in Whitney's majestic space, not to mention that six pieces didn't make it. Nevertheless, it was still wonderful to take a journey through Stella's career. The earlier work from the 1960s (the Black paintings and their family) has an unparalleled clarity verging on spirituality, and remains a favorite. Later work is a playful balancing of forms, colors, and masses.

@ de Young Museum, San Francisco, through February 26
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CORNELIA PARKER

7/4/2016

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Unlike some of Cornelia Parker's other work, "Transitional Object (PsychoBarn)" is a little flat. Contrary to the Hitchcock movie that inspired it, the installation is short on mystery and fails to hook the viewer, who, after a quick look at the piece alone and the piece within the context of the environment, has not much more to discover. However, it is still enjoyable, and successfully takes into consideration the site it is made for. 
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landscapes

6/24/2016

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An underwhelming show on a theme of theoretically infinite possibilities. Almost giving credit to those who proclaim that painting is dead, and representational painting even more so, most pieces in this show have no vision, no passion, and no ambition (there are few exceptions, including a quiet Alex Katz). Even the gallery itself seems to acknowledge defeat, from its banal, uninspiring title (just "Landscapes") to its shockingly disparaging press release, which treats artists as visual art historians rather than creators who believe in what they do: "For these artists the painting has lost its privileged place as an end in itself and instead is deployed like a type of scenography. Some artists in this exhibition are considered by the dominant discourse to be over-dedicated to technical proficiency, situating themselves somewhat outside of the 20th century avant garde tradition, while others pursue “bad art” for the sake of critique. Still others seek to realign the earnest attempt to depict one’s surroundings with a commitment to avant garde principles."

@ Marlborough Chelsea, through July 29

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the female gaze

6/23/2016

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Cecily Brown, Raspberry Beret. Click to enlarge
The show is called "Women Look at Men", but for the most part it's specifically women looking erotically at men. The sexualization of men doesn't seem gratifying from a feminist point of view (with the exception of individual pieces), but it does result in better art than the objectification we usually get when the roles are reversed. Check out the Louise Bourgeois drawing, Cecily Brown, Alice Neel, and Sylvia Sleigh among others.

​@ Cheim & Read, through September 2
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unfinished

6/15/2016

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What a wonderful idea for an inaugural show to have the theme of Unfinished! And what a marvelous collection of works, spanning many centuries and styles! Don't miss the Picasso as you walk in (portrait of a woman), the other Picasso (Harlequin Portrait), the Cezanne of Aix-en-Provence, the Liechtenstein, the Kerry James Marshall (wow!), the Janine Antoni, the van Eyck (detail!), the Freud self-portraits, the van Gogh Auverne-sur-Oise, and many many more! Time and again I found myself admiring the Whitney for putting together such a successful show, only to be reminded that it's now the powerhouse of the Met :)
@ The Met Breuer till September 4th
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DEGAS

6/1/2016

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Click on image to enlarge.
"Strange New Beauty" is a mesmerizing show. It is exhilarating to see Degas experimenting with a new medium, loosening up, and getting adventurous with his markings (painted, wiped, scratched etc). There is a boldness and directness that draws you into the work, and the result is at times dramatic, other times atmospheric, and always enchanting.

@ MoMA through July 24
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pergamon and the hellenistic kingdoms of the ancient world

5/27/2016

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PictureClick on image to enlarge
An extraordinary collection of items from Pergamos (Pergamon) that shows the unbelievably high level that Greek civilization achieved. You can see not only how it is the foundation of Western art and culture, but how relevant and appealing it is to our contemporary eyes. Don’t miss the oldest surviving fragment of the Odyssey, the intricate gold jewelry, the mosaic with street musicians, the bronze head from Kalymnos, and the fragment of a colossal head of a young man, just to name a few. It is a pity that more hasn’t survived the centuries.
@ The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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james turrell

5/21/2016

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As the title implies, "67 68 69" is a show of Turrell's earlier work. It is an investigation in perception that plays with the boundaries between light and form. But its also a beautiful, minimalist experience. In these fascinating pieces you can see that Turrell is onto something big.
@ Pace Gallery
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asya resnikov

5/19/2016

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"Turning Life" is a heavily autobiographical show, featuring photographs, video, and installation. Some pieces are too personal to interest the general audience, while others are more successful thanks to their wittiness, like the two installations "Packing for delivery", where an actual suitcase contains a screen showing a video in which the artist is packing the suitcase with baby clothes and other essentials needed for a baby delivery at the hospital.
​@ Nancy Hoffman Gallery
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tracey emin

5/18/2016

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Click to enlarge
Tracey Emin's "Stone Love" leaves you wanting more. More pieces, more work, more of her genius. She draws and sculpts with an economy that walks a fine line between brilliance and laziness, and the spontaneity of gesture and expression touches some some deep chords. I'm not convinced about the medium of embroidery for this specific body of work, but I think it's worth investigating.
@ Lehmann Maupin
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