Cecily Brown, A Day! Help! Help! Another Day! (Installation View), via Art Observed

Since parting ways with Gagosian Gallery in 2015, painter Cecily Brown has remained conspicuously out of view, occasionally popping up for an exhibition here or there in her home city of New York.  Now, two years after her last show at Maccarone, the artist has appeared again, bringing a body of new paintings to bear on the spacious halls of Paula Cooper’s Chelsea exhibition space.  In its last week of exhibition, Brown’s pieces have once again underscored her complex relationship between the image and its modes of expression, ultimately blurring easy readings of the act of gestural abstraction and its relationship to the artist herself. (more…)

Dan Walsh, Fin (2016), via Art Observed

Artist Dan Walsh’s work draws on process as a mode of transcendence, working through canvases through a series of evolving forms and rule-based approaches to the canvas space.  The artist, currently presenting a body of new works at Paula Cooper’s upstairs exhibition space on 21st Street, draws on repetitive, undulating bars of color and expanding forms to create shifting perceptions of space within the closed bounds of the work, or applies similar rules to the deconstruction of the image into a series of lines and dots. (more…)

Liz Glynn, Untitled (after Balzac, with Burgher) (2014), via Art Observed

Spread across two rooms at Paula Cooper’s 21st Street exhibition space, artist Liz Glynn has installed an enigmatic series of sculptures, ranging in form and scale while playing on distinct threads of classical art history, and on the mechanical processes underlying these works.  Continuing a thread of the artist’s practice drawing on critical examinations of the art object, its historical contexts, and the aura conferred on it as a result, the exhibition is a striking, and occasionally comical, examination of function and form in both modern and historical practice. (more…)

Sol LeWitt, Wall Drawing #368: The wall is divided vertically into five equal parts. The center part is divided horizontally and vertically into four equal parts. Within each part are three-inch (7.5 cm) wide parallel bands of lines in four directions in four colors. In each of the other parts, three-inch (7.5 cm) bands of lines in one of the four directions. The bands are drawn in color and India ink washes. Red, yellow, blue, ink, India ink 3” (1982), via Art Observed

Spread across all three of Paula Cooper’s Chelsea spaces, the gallery has embarked on a major celebration of the work of Sol LeWitt, posing a series of exhibitions that explores the range of the artist’s conceptual oeuvre, both as a solo artist, and in his historical impact on the development and evolution of art in both the 2oth and 21st Century.  Combining this diverse range of perspectives and interpretations of the artist’s work, the show is a fittingly nuanced exploration of an artist whose work continues to influence the progression of the field today, almost fifty years after his first exhibitions of work.

Sol LeWitt, (rip) R724, The area of Florence between the Piazza della Unita Italiana la chiesa S. Frediano and il Porticato dell ‘Ospedale di S. Maria Nuova (1976), via Paula Cooper

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Meg Webster, Solar Grow Room (2016), via Paula Cooper Gallery

Currently on view at Paula Cooper’s West 21st Street space, Meg Webster is currently presenting a selection of new works, continuing her focus on sculptural works that encourage viewer participation while engaging subtly with the space around it.  In Chelsea, Webster has injected the pristine gallery with natural elements, fostering a deeper sensory examination of the spatial and relational interactions among viewers and the space they pass through, in turn revealing the always-existing power and beauty of nature through the individual’s relationship with it, and within it. (more…)

Matias Faldbakken, Europe is Balding (2016), via Quincy Childs for Art Observed

Matias Faldbakken sits among a select group of artists working at a certain crux of politically-critical work and a unique sense of material-based composition.  Crossing signifiers from the domestic and lifestyle commodities with the rough elements of building construction (cement, tile, nylon rope), Faldbakken’s work investigates the application and representation of force, often with disturbing contextual undertones. This notion sits at the core of Europe is Balding, his new exhibition of work at Paul Cooper Gallery in Chelsea.

Matias Faldbakken, Tiled Dashboard #3 (2016), via Quincy Childs for Art Observed (more…)

Jonathan Borofsky, Acrylic on Unprimed Canvas with Bubble Wrap and Duct Tape at 2,680,377 (1978-80), all images via Osman Can Yerebakan for Art Observed

A large scale exhibition of historic work by artist Jonathan Borofsky is currently on view at Paula Cooper Gallery.  Globally recognized for his large-scale, representational and industrious sculptures exploring and elaborating on the human condition in performative gestures, Borofsky’s work here exposes his cognition and subjective outlets.  Compiled of modest scale sculpture, painting and print, the selection promises a studious route to the more remote corners of the artist’s practice. (more…)

Tauba Auerbach, Shadow Weave – Metamaterial/Slice Ray (2013) © Tauba Auerbach. Courtesy Paula Cooper Gallery, New York, Photo: Steven Probert

Tauba Auerbach’s work does much with its slight physical moorings.  Utilizing sparse, repeated patterns, meticulously executed sculptural objects and a nuanced eye for her selected materials and colors, Auerbach’s work creates delicate structural harmonies and ordered, meditative pieces that create a sense of calm despite their geometrically-complex, constantly evolving surfaces.  This method is executed to great effect in the artist’s just-opened exhibition at Paula Cooper’s 21st Street location, compiling selections from several ongoing series of the artist’s work, as well as new sculptural elements, a library of texts, and several new publications from Auerbach’s Diagonal Press publishing house, included in the gallery bookstore. (more…)

Paula Cooper is interviewed in Art Newspaper this week, discussing her vision for her gallery, and her preferred modes of working.  “I could just send in a crew to hang everything eight inches apart, which would make things go faster, but where’s the fun in that?”  She says.  “And I’ve always thought that if you’re interested in making money, you’ll make money.” (more…)

Christian Marclay, Green Plop on Yellow (2014), via Art Observed

Christian Marclay returns to Paula Cooper this fall with an exhibition of new video work and paintings, continuing the artist’s interests in the intertwining of action and image in pop culture formats.  Here, turning his attention to comic books and graphic novels, the artist’s collagist practices are given a light-hearted twist.

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Gallerist Paula Cooper is featured in Interview Magazine this month, reflecting on her dynamic impact on the New York art world, and her early days running her gallery.  “I once had an incident with an artist who had become quite well-known,” she says. “He started to bring his lawyer into negotiations because he thought I was too innocent and open. I said, “If I have to work any other way, if I have to be suspicious and bring a lawyer in all of the time, then I don’t want to work that way.” (more…)

Sol LeWitt, Wall Drawing #564, via Daniel Creahan for Art Observed

As an aspiring painter in New York City during the late 1950s, American artist Sol LeWitt struggled to find his “touch,” in the midst of the waning days of Abstract Expressionism- a movement which focuses on the importance of individual creation.  After taking a job at the book counter of the Museum of Modern Art in 1960, LeWitt became familiar with the engineering aesthetic of Russian Constructivism and Eadweard Muybridge’s sequential photographs, developing an interest in reducing art to its bare essentials. Literally recreating art from square one though his explorations of geometric forms, LeWitt is now considered to be one of the essential founders of both Conceptual and Minimal art. Differing from strict Minimalists by his focus on systems and concepts over materials, LeWitt’s art is one in which ideas and collaboration are paramount.

Sol LeWitt, Wall Drawing #564 (2013), Courtesy Paula Cooper Gallery (more…)

Mark di Suvero, Little Dancer (Installation View), via Paula Cooper Gallery

Mark di Suvero is an American abstract expressionist sculptor that often works in kinetics, incorporating dynamic movements to add an element of illusive grace to his monumental sculptures. Continuing his exhibition partnership with Paula Cooper Gallery in New York, the artist is currently exhibiting a new sculpture, Little Dancer, as well as a number of other works in both sculpture and canvas.

Mark di Suvero, Little Dancer (Installation View), via Paula Cooper Gallery (more…)

Paula Cooper, 74, discusses why she thinks the art world has become too homogeneous and ruminates that perhaps she’ll leave Chelsea. The first gallerist to open a space in Soho and one of the first to move to Chelsea in the 90s, she has seen major changes in her 40+ years in the business, but continues to draw crowds and run her gallery’s program with a youthful energy. (more…)

Carte Blanche (Installation View), courtesy Galerie Seguin and Paula Cooper Gallery

Each year, Galerie Patrick Seguin in Paris opens its doors to international galleries of note from the United States, Europe, and the rest of the world.  With no limits or constraints placed upon the guest curators, “Carte Blanche” allows a broad international audience exposure not only to great works from around the world, but also a taste of the various curatorial approaches and personal idioms of each invited gallery.

Bruce Conner – CROSSROADS (1976), courtesy Galerie Seguin and Paula Cooper Gallery

This year, the invitation was extended to Paula Cooper Gallery in New York City, who chose a selection of artists from their early years as the first art gallery in the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan.  First opened in 1968, the gallery has continued to grow with its hometown, now recognized as one of the premier art spaces in the city.

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John Baldessari at the Edison Ballroom, all photos by Elene Damenia for Art Observed

This year, SculptureCenter honored Paula Cooper with a presentation by John Baldessari and a performance by Christian Marclay. The program included artist projects by Alisa Baremboym, Ian Cheng, and Martin Soto Climent, and the Karaoke Afterparty. New limited edition artworks by Uri Aran, Adam McEwen, and Hanna Sandin were also introduced.

Christian Marclay’s performance (more…)

Chris Burden‘s Curved Bridge (2003) from Galerie Krinzinger at Art Unlimited; All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse

Art 43 Basel continues today with the 2nd VIP Preview day, although the fair’s Art Unlimited and Art Statements sections were unveiled two days prior on the evening of Monday, June 11.  Art Unlimited is exhibiting 62 projects this year, all traditionally large in scale, surpassing the conventional gallery confines.  The value of the works shown is equally as sizeable and many have already been sold by the nearly 100 internationally represented galleries participating. Art Statements, another of Basel’s parallel events, features solo shows by promising new artists and rising galleries in the art world.

This year, Art Unlimited is curated by Gianni Jetzer, the director of the Swiss Institute in New York.  An interview with him featuring commentary on the exhibit’s selection process and the projects that made it in can be found here.

Franz West’s contorted, neon pink installation resembling human innards drew crowds to Gagosian’s stand at Art Unlimited.  The sculpture, titled Gekröse (2011), which translates as “bowel,” is the largest of West’s repertoire and sold on the first day of its showing, according to Reuters.

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Art Basel via The Telegraph

In it’s 43rd conception, Art Basel is continuing its legacy as the leader among the contemporary art world’s fairs.  Last year, 65,000 people flocked to the cultural capital, situated at the border of Switzerland, France, and Germany.  For this year, Basel will no doubt draw a similar, if not greater audience throughout its four-day duration.  Art Observed will be on site to cover and photograph throughout this fair.

Founded in 1970, Art Basel quickly surpassed Germany’s Art Cologne and similar fairs in scale and remains today as the world’s largest.  Almost 300 galleries from around the globe participate, spanning five continents.  This international representation results in a large and diverse assortment of exhibitions, video works, performances, and public installations.  This year specifically there will be more than 2,500 artists exhibiting $2 billion worth of art, nearly 300 gallery booths, and many more single stands present.

Perhaps the star feature of this year’s Basel will be Marlborough Fine Art’s Mark Rothko canvas, dated 1954.  The painting, for which there is already buyer interest, is priced from $78 to $84 million.

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Crowds outside the Grand Palais on the public opening of FIAC, October 21, 2011. All photographs for Art Observed on site by Caroline Claisse.

After two days of previews, FIAC opened its doors to the Paris public on Friday, October 21st. Jill Silverman, Director of Paris/Salzburg-based gallery Thaddaeus Ropac, tells Art Observed that the fair presents “a very good cross section of European collectors.” FIAC is one of the most nationally-focused art fairs, boasting a solid 32% of French exhibitors, whereas last week’s Frieze in London had only 25% British galleries. American presence increased this year with several New York galleries making their debut at the fair: Matthew Marks, Eleven Rivington, Andrew Kreps, Michele Maccarone and Friedrich Petzel. After a 30+year absence, Pace Gallery made a comeback to the fair. Works by seasoned veteran Damien Hirst are exhibited at both White Cube and Gagosian. Anish Kapoor also has work spread across the fair, whose gargantuan installation Leviathan filled the entire interior of the Grand Palais earlier this year. Lisson is showing one of his signature colored concave mirrors in fire-engine red; Kamel Mennour has wine-red, Galeria Continua has green, and Kukje/Tina Kim has purple; all have different price tags. Sales have been strong thusfar; Pace Gallery’s Arne Glimcher told Artinfo, “We had sales right off the bat, it was really fascinating. I hadn’t anticipated this kind of rush, especially in this economy, where Europe is not in as good of shape as America. But I think we have the right artists.” He added, “FIAC is certainly an enormous cut above Frieze.”

Michelangelo Pistoletto, Two Less One (2011) at Galleria Continua

More on site coverage and images after the jump… (more…)

Sophie Calle, from “Take Care of Yourself,” French Intelligence Officer, Louise (2007). Via Paula Cooper Gallery.

French conceptual artist Sophie Calle has invited guests into her temporary bedroom in the Eiffel Tower, worked as a maid to photograph strangers’ travel possessions, collaborated on a fictional character with writer Paul Auster, and been followed by a private detective at her own request.  Her latest turn, at New York gallery Paula Cooper, finds Calle dealing with a lover’s breakup via email, using the traumatic experience to explore issues of intimacy vs. mass technology.

Paula Cooper Gallery
Sophie Calle, Take Care of Yourself
534 West 21st Street
April 9 – May 22, 2009

RELATED LINKS
Exhibition Page [Paula Cooper]
Interview: Sophie Calle [Guardian UK]
Sophie Calle: Paula Cooper [Art Forum]
Private pain, public revenge [FT]

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Instructions (1989) via Saatchi

Paula Cooper Gallery is currently showing works on paper by Rudolf Stingel, in the recently opened 23rd Street space. Back in 1989, Stingel published a manual giving instructions for how to make knockoffs of his work; here Stingel paints directly onto those black-and-white instruction photos. He also follows his own directions and applies white onto white producing abstract patterns. The exhibition will be open through June 7th.

Rudolf Stingel [Paula Cooper Gallery]
Rudolf Stingel [ArtCal]

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