(An Appropriate Distance)

 

FROM THE MAYOR'S DOORSTEP

 
 

In the middle of a hot-hot summer, we have a whole show of cool, cool pictures (both in a literal sense, meaning with the shapes within them mostly carefully-and dispassionately defined, and in a slang sense, that is to say "hip," "with-it" or "the cat's meow" in the slang of other eras). This modestly-scaled but nonetheless ambitious show of 20 paintings by 10 artists is called "Hard-Edged: Geometric Abstraction" and it's at the newest branch of the newish Upsilon Gallery, the branch at 23 East 67th Street (through August13).  

 

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One of two group shows that I saw and enjoyed on the Lower East Side was "The Secret Garden: Redux of a Year's Exhibitions at 1GAP Gallery, Brooklyn," at the Equity Gallery on Broome Street (closed August 14). This show was guest-curated by  David Cohen, editor of artcritical.com. On display were modestly-scaled samples of work by ten artists whom Cohen, in another guest-curatorial stint, had previously honored with far greater exposure over the past year in three consecutive exhibitions at the spacious 1GAP Gallery in One Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn. Read More 

 

 

Over the summer, with so many galleries on hiatus, I found myself collecting catalogues instead of going to shows as often as I'd like.  I now have acquired a number of these catalogues, and propose in this post to discuss two of them.  One catalogue, entitled "Esteban Vicente," accompanied a show that I'd seen and reviewed; the other, entitled "Willard Boepple: Wood and Paper, Sculpture and Prints," accompanied a show that I only wish I'd seen.  On the basis of what else I've seen of Boepple's work, I feel sure that I'd have given this show my usual rave review. Read More 

I suffer from anti-snob snobbery. I fight it as some shows & venues have good art despite being chic. Brooklyn additionally irks me because our mayor, Bill de Blasio, boasts of being a Brooklynite and wouldn’t move into Gracie Mansion, the mayor’s elegant official residence in Manhattan, for donkey’s years. Here, however, I will report on five Brooklyn shows and two in Manhattan. What do they prove? We shall see. Read More 

If you don’t insist on obsessing about the newest fads in Chelsea, two recent and two current shows elsewhere in Manhattan are more worthy of your attention. They are (or were) "Currently on View," at Leslie Feely on East 68th Street (closed February 21); “Kenneth Noland: Into the Cool,” at Pace (& Pace Prints) on East 57th Street (through March 4); “Eric Giraud: Le Rêve Aux Couleur Resilientes” at Wilmer Jennings on East Second Street (closed February 25), and “Willard Boepple Prints: 2 + 3D” at FXFowle Architects on West 19th Street (through March 31).  Read More 

Most art in building lobbies is by unknowns & forgettable. A notable exception is Tower 49, at 12 East 49th Street: it shows gallery- and even museum-quality art. Just now it's exhibiting “The Bennington Legacy: Sculpture by Willard Boepple, Isaac Witkin, and James Wolfe” (through October 29).  Read More 

Over on the east side of town, we have The Morgan Library and Museum, to which I was drawn by “The Untamed Landscape: Théodore Rousseau and the Path to Barbizon” (through January 18, 2015).

As anybody who has had to read up for orals in 19th century European painting knows, Rousseau,  Read More 

Two galleries opened 3 shows worthy of note on March 29. I’m sorry that I didn’t get around to reviewing them earlier, but I’ve been troubling my pretty little head over the many comments that David Cohen got for his negative review in artcritical.com of the Jack Bush show at Freedman Art. My positive review  Read More 

David Evison, the sculptor, normally lives in Berlin. At the moment, he has a teaching gig in China. Recently, he paused in London to take in an important exhibition there. Below is his report:

"Color and Substance" was the title of an exhibition at Poussin Gallery, Bermondsey St.  Read More 

The Museum of Modern Art has finally found a show that is both drawing mobs and landing it on Page One of the New York Times. Who among our edgy younger curators could ask for anything more? This show demands nothing but prurient curiosity from viewers, plus the willingness to pretend that this is a serious, highbrow presentation instead of a peep show for people who like to say they went to a museum but don’t really like painting or sculpture.  Read More