Global contemporary art events and news observed from New York City. Suggestion? Email us.

New York – Olaf Breuning: “The Life” at Metro Pictures Through July 31st, 2015

Monday, July 6th, 2015

Olaf Breuning, Brancusi (2015)
Olaf Breuning, Brancusi (2015)

Olaf Breuning, the Swiss-born, New York-based artist who has received wide acclaim for his playful appropriations of the iconography of popular culture, has returned to Metro Pictures for a highly anticipated solo exhibition, titled The Life. Consisting of 25 MDF panels each reaching to 9 feet high, the artist’s lofty, circular panels and free-standing steel sculptures incorporate Breuning’s mix of the humorous, quotidian and idiosyncratic imagery of the contemporary social landscape: emojis, bean bags, beer bottles, human figures and other objects, omitting any hierarchal separation so that each element blends into a somewhat objective examination of reality. (more…)

Takashi Murakami Collaboration with Vans Launches this Saturday

Friday, June 26th, 2015

New shoes from artist Takashi Murakami and Vans hit stores this weekend, a collaboration that sees the artist’s signature flowers and skulls adorning the skateboard shoe company’s iconic slip-ons.  The collaboration also features a number of limited-edition skateboard decks and t-shirts. (more…)

New York – Lucas Samaras: “Album 2” at Pace Gallery Through June 27th, 2015

Thursday, June 18th, 2015

Lucas Samaras, XYZ 1700 (2015), via Pace
Lucas Samaras, XYZ 1700 (2015), via Pace Gallery

On view at its 25th Street galleries, Pace is currently presenting Lucas Samaras’s exhibition Albums 2, featuring over 700 digitally enhanced photographs and a mirrored room installation.  Samaras’s exhibition showcases his continued exploration of manipulated imagery as a way of plumbing his own existence, this time playing through his autobiographical accounts with digital technologies. (more…)

London – Barbara Kruger: “Early Works” at Skarstedt Through April 11th, 2015

Thursday, March 12th, 2015

Barbara Kruger Untitled (Business as usual) (1987), via Skarstedt
Barbara Kruger Untitled (Business as usual) (1987), all images courtesy of Skarstedt Gallery

On view in London’s Skarstedt Gallery is an exhibition of early large-scale, black and white photographic works from artist Barbara Kruger, early entries in Kruger’s ongoing project to challenge the visual language and power structures of consumerist culture and print advertising, always under the understanding that her works will themselves enter the marketplace as commodities.

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Photographer Sends Cease and Desist to Gagosian, Richard Prince Following Instagram Exhibition

Tuesday, February 17th, 2015

Photographer Donald Graham has sent a cease and desist letter to Richard Prince and Gagosian Gallery, after a work of his ended up in Prince’s recent show of Instagram appropriations.  Interestingly enough, the work itself was already used without license on user @rastajay92’s account, which is the image Prince apparently printed. (more…)

New York – Ryder Ripps: “Ho” at Postmasters Through February 28th, 2015

Monday, February 16th, 2015

Ryder Ripps, Heater (2014), via Art Observed
Ryder Ripps, Heater (2014), via Art Observed

If there’s one thing that can be said about Ryder Ripps, it’s that the artist loves context.  Over the past few years, the artist has produced a number of timely and often razor-sharp critiques on the notions of authorship and production in the digital sphere, including his “WhoDat.Biz” troll of Kanye West, and his recent, controversial Ace Hotel performance piece, in which the artist hired a group of “sensual masseuses” to draw pictures for him to protest what he saw as an inequitable payment situation. (more…)

Connecticut Dealer Awaits Sentencing in Chagall Fraud Case

Tuesday, December 16th, 2014

David Crespo of the Connecticut-based Brandon Gallery is awaiting sentencing today over his conviction in the sale of imitation Marc Chagall lithographs, which the dealer reproduced and forged the signature on.  Crespo was apprehended after selling a fake print to an undercover FBI agent.   (more…)

Richard Prince Instagram Prints Wildly Popular at Gagosian

Friday, September 19th, 2014

Richard Prince’s recently executed series of prints, created using the actual photos of celebrities’ Instagram accounts, have been selling strongly in a private sale through Gagosian, the New York Post reports.  An unconfirmed report has priced the works at up to $100,000.   (more…)

Oxford – Barbara Kruger at Modern Art Oxford Through August 31st, 2014

Sunday, August 17th, 2014


Barbara Kruger (Installation View), all images courtesy Modern Art Oxford

On view at Modern Art Oxford through August 31st is a major solo exhibition of recent work by American conceptual artist Barbara Kruger. Kruger, who is best known for her paste-up works, black-and-white photographs with declarative phrases in bold letters laid on top, has created a site-specific architectural wrap of the museum’s Upper gallery space in a similar style.

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New York – Ed Ruscha: “Prints and Photographs” at Gagosian Gallery, through July 11th 2014

Thursday, July 10th, 2014


Ed Ruscha, Periods (2013), all images courtesy Gagosian Gallery

On view at Gagosian Gallery in New York is a survey of prints and rarely seen photographs produced by Ed Ruscha from 1959 until the present. The exhibition was organized by Gagosian’s director Bob Monk, and will remain on view through July 11, 2014.

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New York – Margaret Lee: Closer to right than wrong/ Closer to wrong than right at Jack Hanley Gallery Through March 9th, 2014

Saturday, March 8th, 2014


Margaret Lee at Jack Hanley (Installation View), via Art Observed

Currently on view, Closer to right than wrong/ Closer to wrong than right is Margaret Lee’s second solo show at Jack Hanley Gallery. For the exhibition, Lee—co-founder of the Lower East Side gallery 47 Canal, an arbiter of art-world cool—has assembled a showroom of sorts, featuring an array of furniture-like pieces festooned with a uniform black and white Dalmatian print. While Lee’s previous work frequently dealt in a brash take on domestic objects, such as eggplant or cucumber-shaped telephones, the tone of the current exhibition is comparatively subdued. A tongue-in-cheek minimalism prevails, with polka dots turning the installation’s assorted objects—a chair, a lamp, a side table, and even a painting on the wall—into the sort of kitsch that undermines what could otherwise be mistaken as a serious design sensibility.


Margaret Lee at Jack Hanley (Installation View), via Art Observed (more…)

London – Darren Almond: “To Leave a Light Impression” at White Cube Bermondsey, Through April 13th, 2014

Tuesday, February 25th, 2014


Darren Almond, Fullmoon at Volcanic Archipelago (2013)

Photographer Darren Almond is currently exhibiting a selection of works from both his “Fullmoon” and “Present Form” series, alongside a group of small bronze sculptures at White Cube’s location in the Bermondsey neighborhood of London. The works will remain on view through April 13, 2014. Over a period of 13 years, Almond has worked on a photographic series entitled Fullmoon picturing scenes from every continent, all taken under the light of a full moon. Utilizing long exposure times and well-placed cameras, the images capture details within the darkness that the human eye is normally unable to see, all while adding an eerily surreal atmosphere to the environments on view, stuck somewhere between the bright light of day and dark night. These works represent a continuing effort by Almond to follow themes of geology, myth, and history alongside his fascinations with time and light themselves.


Darren Almond, To Leave a Light Impression (2013), all photos via White Cube

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New York- PRINTS: FLAVIN, JUDD, SANDBACK at David Zwirner Gallery through March 1st, 2014

Monday, February 24th, 2014


Donald Judd, Untitled (Schellman 24), (1961-1978)

Now through March 1st, the David Zwirner gallery hosts a group exhibition of the printed works of Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, and Fred Sandback. The three artists’ shared Minimalist aesthetics unite this work of prints made between 1961 and 1994. Though predominantly known for their three dimensional work, printmaking and drawing were significant practices for all three artists throughout their respective careers, and ultimately helped to shape and reshape their practices throughout their broader body of work. (more…)

New York – John Houck: “A History of Graph Paper” at On Stellar Rays Through October 27th, 2013

Wednesday, October 9th, 2013


John Houck, Peg and John, (2013), via On Stellar Rays

John Houck’s latest show at On Stellar Rays, A History of Graph Paper is a subdued, disquieting display of one artist’s innovative approach to the medium of photography. Houck’s images of neon rectangular prisms, swatches of colorful paper, and household objects take on the feeling of collage, as if each element were cut out from some other context and pasted into his composition. His keen attention to color, combining saturated oranges and reds with gauzy seafoams, and his strong focus on line and juxtaposition make the photographs in “A History of Graph Paper” stand out from the increasingly crowded field of contemporary photography. (more…)

New York – Robert Indiana: “A – Z” at Woodward Gallery, Through October 26th, 2013

Sunday, October 6th, 2013

Robert Indiana, Red Gold Alphabet, (2011), via Woodward Gallery

On view at Woodward Gallery in New York is American pop artist Robert Indiana’s most recent series on paper and canvas entitled “A – Z,” serving as a fitting accompaniment to the artist’s current show at The Whitney Museum.  Born Robert Clark in New Castle, Indiana in 1928, Robert Indiana is best known for his iconic LOVE series. He has also created similar works in the same style with short words such as EAT, HUG, and more recently, HOPE, from which all proceeds were donated to Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008. (more…)

Garage Magazine Brings John Baldessari Together with Inez and Vinoodh for Cover Art

Monday, September 2nd, 2013

The newest issue of Garage Magazine is featuring a diptych cover, created in a collaboration between fashion photographers Inez and Vinoodh, and artist John Baldessari.  Photographing supermodel Adriana Lima, Inez and Vinoodh then turned the image over to Baldessari, who abstracted the image in his signature color overlays.  The issue also features an interview with Baldessari, whose solo show at the Garage Center in Moscow opens this fall. (more…)

Washington D.C. – Peter Coffin, “Here and There” at the Hirshhorn Museum Through October 6th, 2013

Sunday, September 1st, 2013


Peter Coffin, Untitled (Dog), 2012. Courtesy Hirshhorn Museum.

Now through October 6, the work of Peter Coffin is on view throughout the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC. Here and There presents this collection of work through an installation that demands the viewer engage in the play of a hunt, or the happenstance of casual encounter.  Photography, sculpture, video installation and lithography are a few of Coffin’s mediums  scattered through both the museum and its online site.  A checklist that serves as a guide to the exhibition can be found on the museum’s website.


Peter Coffin, Untitled (Design for Colby Poster Company) (2008),  Courtesy Hirshhorn Museum. (more…)

UK Announces Final Works for “Art Everywhere”

Tuesday, August 13th, 2013

The final selection of 57 works for the United Kingdom’s ambitious Art Everywhere project have been announced, covering a broad spectrum of British art that includes works by Peter Blake, Edward Burra, Francis Bacon, Peter Doig and John Constable.  The Guardian has published a photo gallery of the works, allowing interested parties a sneak peak at the works before they appear on billboards across the country. (more…)

Christopher Wool and Luhring Augustine Sued for $6 Million Each

Thursday, June 20th, 2013

Artist Christopher Wool, and his gallery, Luhring Augustine, are being sued by print studio Brand X Editions, over accusations that Wool violated an agreement over a monoprinting technique allegedly “created, developed and perfected” by the studio’s master printer, Robert Blanton.  No comment has been issued on the case as of yet. (more…)

Richard Prince Unveils Composite Print of 57 “Seinfeld” Girlfriends

Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

A week after Richard Prince’s court case on fair use was decided in his favor, the artist has announced the release of a new print series, featuring a composite rendering of Jerry Seinfeld’s 57 girlfriends from his hit television show Seinfeld.  Titled Jerry’s Girl, the prints are available from Two Palms Press in a fitting edition of 57. (more…)

London – Chuck Close: “Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration” at White Cube Bermondsey, through April 21st 2013

Saturday, April 20th, 2013

Preview
Chuck Close, Prints: Process and Collaboration (Installation View), via White Cube

As part of a global tour featuring Chuck Close’s graphic works, curated by the Parrish Art Museum, USA, are currently on view at the White Cube Bermondsey South Galleries in London. Featuring a particular focus on Close’s prints, the exhibition brings a series of meticulously time-consuming works by the artist to light that stand strongly alongside his better-known, large-scale paintings.

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