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Report from the Front

Art criticism, sometimes with context, occasional politics. New shows: "events;" how to support the online edition: "works."

 

CROWNING JOYS AT THE CROWN BUILDING

Martin Lewis (1881-1962), Dawn, Sandy Hook, Connecticut, c.1933. Oil on canvas, 30 x 40 inches. Courtesy D. Wigmore Fine Art, Inc.
Back in the 1960s, when I was patrolling the art scene for Time and 57th Street was the center of the action, the Crown Building, at 730 Fifth Avenue, didn’t count for much, even though its entrance was just around the corner from 57th Street.

Nowadays, all that has changed. Even though the center of the art action has shifted southward, the Crown Building has become the HQ for a handful of good-sized galleries – three of which stood out for me in a recent visit.  Read More 
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FROM THICK TO THIN, ETC.

Peter Reginato. WTF. 2011. Stainless steel and enamel, 47 x 48 x 35 in. Photo courtesy the artist.
In my last posting, I mentioned that Jean Fautrier was in “Thick Paint,” a three-man show uptown. Never having seen Fautrier’s work first-hand, I got there—as well as to two other galleries, with work by Scott Williams, Chuck Thomas, and Peter Reginato. Finally,capsule coverage of three monster shows staged in the first week of March.  Read More 
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SUMMER SIZZLER: GROUPS & SOLOS

KENNETH NOLAND. Time Lift, 1966. Acrylic on canvas (can hang both ways). 96 x 24 inches. Courtesy of Loretta Howard Gallery
As temperatures rose, I remembered that summer is a season for group shows, so I made a point of getting to some exhibitions featuring more than one artist. First was “New Paintings: Dana Gordon, John Mendelsohn” at Sideshow in Williamsburg (closed May 10). Both Gordon & Mendelsohn are mid-career abstractionists making  Read More 
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10 Reviews & 1 Advisory

Thornton Willis. Love at First Sight. 2012. Oil on canvas, 83 x 68 inches. Courtesy Elizabeth Harris Gallery
In the following post, I will offer reviews of ten (count them, 10) gallery exhibitions, around about Manhattan & in Williamsburg. I also offer a briefer advisory about “Painted on 21st Street: Helen Frankenthaler from 1950 to 1959,” at Gagosian on 21st Street (through April 13). I don’t yet know what I’ll say about  Read More 
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RABBITS IN THE HAMPTONS

Sara McCulloch. Tree & Beach, 2012. Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches. Courtesy of Kathryn Markel Fine Arts.

Out on the South Fork of Long Island, the art fairs are multiplying like rabbits. The oldest, which has been in business for five years, is ArtHamptons, which was held this year between July 12 & 15, showcased the wares of about 75 galleries, and featured a special party celebrating the 100th birthday  Read More 
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AH SO! VERY INTERESTING!

A highly interesting and very stimulating exhibition is “Kenneth Noland: Paintings, 1958-1968” at Mitchell-Innes & Nash Chelsea (through April 30). The emphasis on these ten paintings is on variety, rather than unity. A Noland show in the ‘50s or ‘60s might have focused more immediately on just one aspect of the artist’s output  Read More 

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TWO STEAMY DAYS & NOTES

On two steamy days last week, I visited five galleries, all with reasons to recommend them. First was “Images of Dance: Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Evidence Dance Company” at Peg Alston Fine Arts (through July 15). Founded in 1985 by Ronald K. Brown,  Read More 
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History's Mysteries & Contemporary Soupçons

Down in the bowels of West 21st Street, Larry Gagosian, who is to Chelsea what P. T. Barnum was to circuses, has mounted what he obviously hopes will be the same kind of historical blockbuster that his big late Picasso show was last season. “Claude Monet: Late Work,” curated by Paul Hayes Tucker,  Read More 
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