Outside the Park Ave Armory, via Art Observed

Tucked away at the Park Avenue Armory uptown, the ADAA’s annual Art Show offers a more subdued fair experience versus the immense proceedings of the Armory Show across town.  With less than half the number of participating galleries, and a more focused exhibition policy leaning towards solo artists and thematic presentations, the fair is a strong counterpart to the Armory, one that invites a lingering, open browsing experience below the Armory’s softly lit drill hall.

Pablo Picasso, Tête de Jeune Fille, via Art Observed (more…)

Headed by the architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron and with a $200 million budget, the restoration of the Park Avenue Armory is in excellent hands. The New York Times reports that the refurbishment of the Armory, expected to be complete in 2018, has continued almost uninterrupted since the Park Avenue Conservancy signed a 99-year lease with the state 7 years ago. Yet it was only in the year 2000 that the Park Avenue Armory made the list of the world’s top 100 most endangered structures, according to the World Monuments Fund. When completed, the Park Avenue Armory would “visibly straddle past and present while being actively used. It will be living, lived-in history.” (more…)

Paul McCarthy, WS (2013), via Park Avenue Armory

There’s a lot that can be said about Paul McCarthy’s WS installation, which opened this week at the Park Avenue Armory in upper Manhattan.  One could note the full spectrum of sexual atrocities committed on-screen during his numerous filmic works, or the bizarre references to Walt Disney and his fantastic empire of entertainment, or even to the prosthetic noses he seems to put on all his characters of late.  No matter the line of discussion, McCarthy’s show, presented by curator Hans Ulrich Obrist and Armory artistic director Alex Poots, is a dizzying and difficult immersion into McCarthy’s powerful body of work.

Paul McCarthy, WS (2013), via Park Avenue Armory”

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French Kiss, 2009, Mia Westerlund Roosen, Park Avenue Mall. Image by Art Observed.

Mia Westerlund Roosen’s stucco and foam sculptures landscape the Park Avenue Malls between 52nd and 54th Street, New York City.  Presented by the Betty Cunningham Gallery and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, the exhibition features new works Juggler, Baritone, and French Kiss.  Sensual lines, soft textures, and elegantly cast shadows juxtaposed with towering buildings, such as the Seagram and the Citigroup headquarters, add a sense of vulnerability and calm to these bustling streets.

More text and images after the jump…

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