Tony Cragg (Installation View) all images courtesy of Lisson Gallery

Spanning both London venues, Tony Cragg’s fourteenth exhibition with Lisson Gallery features a new series of sculptural works that continue and further develop his pursuit of manifesting dynamic energy within the gallery space in conjunction with his keen interest in texture and materiality.  Cragg’s practice begins with simple, yet loaded elements of gestural line, signifying the presence of the artist’s hand in the work, often evolving into morphed, distended form that play on ideas of perception and subjective realities. Cragg works towards uncovering the unseen, both in terms of untapped energy and the unseen rules of the universe, metaphysical manifestations of connectivity and action, layering forms and lines to reshape visions of the contemporary world. (more…)

Tony Cragg, Hardliner (2013), via Thaddaeus Ropac

British sculptor Tony Cragg has brought a series of 25 new sculptural works to Thaddaeus Ropac’s Paris Pantin Gallery, showcasing the artist’s impressive range of skills in steel, bronze, wood, fiberglass, and even stone.  The show, which capitalizes on his major exhibition at St. Petersburg’s State Hermitage Museum, underscores Cragg’s relentless material and sculptural explorations, and offers a continuation of more recent work to counterpoint the more historical thread found in the Russian exhibition. (more…)

Tony Cragg,  Installation View (2012), courtesy Lisson Gallery

Tony Cragg is a prominent British visual artist known for his smooth, blobular, almost alien formations. Cragg commonly uses a range of materials to produce smooth, curved surfaces that explore his observations of the surrounding world by challenging form, volume, scale and function through the medium of sculpture. His latest exhibition at the Lisson Gallery features a variety of new works in a continuance of form, yet extending his practice beyond the previous limits with ever more intricate surfaces areas and new formations.

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Sean Kelly Gallery, Los Carpinteros, Kosmaj Toy (2012).

All images by A.M. Ekstrand for ArtObserved, on location at Art Basel Miami Beach Fair.

Art Basel returned once again in Miami Beach this past week for the 11th annual Art Basel Miami Beach Fair. Featuring over 300 galleries representing 36 countries around the world, the show has exhibited marked growth from last year’s event, with well over 2,000 artists flocking to exhibit at what has become the internationally-renowned closing party for the world art market each year.  It is of course always an irony that tens of thousands will fly down for the events and parties, with many of them never visiting the vast aggregation of what it said to be roughly $1.5 billion worth of art in one (large) room, a collection that few museums in the world could compete with.   Below is a selection of some of the works we thought to be notable from the fair.

Helly Nahmad Gallery, Mark Rothko No. 1 (1957) and Alexander Calder, installation view

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Tony Cragg, Sculptures and Drawings, Exhibition View. Images courtesy of CAFA Museum.

British sculptor Tony Cragg presents his first museum show in China, Sculptures and Drawings, at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) Museum in Beijing. Cragg, whom the exhibition’s press release hails as “one of the world’s greatest living sculptors,” has compiled 127 works—50 major sculptures and a series of watercolors and drawings—for the large-scale show, focusing mainly on his creations from the last 15 years.

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Tony Cragg, opening night. All photos for Art Observed by Aubrey Roemer.

Tony Cragg’s latest body of work is currently on display at the Marian Goodman Gallery through March 10. The show consists of 15 of the sculptor’s pieces, all of which were made in the last five years utilizing a wide variety of materials including plywood, bronze, and stone. Accompanying this exhibition are several large-scale pieces by the artist in The Sculpture Garden at 590 Madison Avenue.

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Allora & Calzadilla, Umbrella and Bell (2011), front; Anish Kapoor, Untitled (2011), behind. At Lisson Gallery, booth J1. All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse.

International collectors and art enthusiasts filled the Miami Beach Convention Center for the Wednesday preview of Art Basel Miami Beach 2011. While the maze of gallery booths could seem overwhelming, buyers were able to navigate through for a solid day of sales and works placed on reserve. Larger galleries such as Gagosian, David Zwirner, and Sprüth Magers sold several works and editions thereof. Speaking with Neil Wenman of Hauser & Wirth, “We’ve had a great response on the opening day. In particular for works by Thomas Houseago, Rashid Johnson, Paul McCarthy, Matthew Day Jackson, Richard Jackson—all works sold and all available editions.” Jenny Holzer’s new paintings at Sprüth Magers sold for upwards of $300,000, as well as Condos and Krugers at the booth. Lesser-known galleries were pleased to gain the exposure the fair offers; if not selling right away, interest was high and therefore also prospects for the remainder of the fair. Gallery Arratia Beer said the crowd was very engaged and informed, also saying, “The fair feels very international. It’s also good to see young internationals here too.” The newer Latin American presence was reportedly strong, both exhibiting and buying, as expected in Miami as opposed to the Frieze or FIAC fairs across the Atlantic earlier this year. Celebrities on hand included Julian Schnable, Eli Broad, Brett Rattner, Naomi Campbell, and Sean Combs/P. Diddy.

Larry Gagosian

Entrance D at the Miami Convention Center

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All photos by L. Streeter, Art Observed.

The Armory Show opened Wednesday for professional previews and began with an 11:30 AM press conference detailing the cultural and economic importance of the event.  “This is going to be a spectacular week of art. Our conservative estimates predict that the events this week will draw more than 60,000 attendees and generate more than 40 million dollars in economic activity,” stated Mayor Mike Bloomberg during the opening ceremony.  Later in the evening, swarms of art-enthusiasts flocked to the Armory in order to witness the newest works of established artists from across the globe. Pier 94 was host to a vibrant crowd last night, with various art-world celebrities strolling down the aisles filled with artwork.

Installations at Galerie Ron Mandos.

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Tony Cragg at the private view of Figure out/figure in at Le Louvre in Paris, all photos by Caroline Claisse for Art Observed

Currently on view at the Louvre in Paris are a group of sculptures by leading British contemporary artist Tony Cragg. The works are displayed as a counterpoint to the retrospective of Bavarian-born Austrian sculptor Franz Xaver Messerschmidt. Cragg’s sculptures are exhibited in the Cour Marly and the Cour Puget. A featured work of the exhibition is Versus (2010), a work especially commissioned to be displayed under I.M. Pei’s pyramid. The work will be stationed there for one year.

Dealer Thaddaeus Ropac with Elbow (2008)

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Hedge (2008) by Tony Cragg. All images via Lisson Gallery

Currently on view at the Lisson Gallery in London is a major exhibition of works by the British sculptor Tony Cragg. The artist’s first solo show with the gallery took place in 1979, here he presents five new larger works, a selection of smaller works and drawings. The works displayed reflect upon the consistency Cragg has used throughout his career even as he moved from his early assemblages to casting sculptures during the mid-1980s. The resulting works project the forever materialist who easily transforms a simple image into a monumental and powerful form.

Elbow (2010)

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Donald Judd, Untitled, in “Boule to Braid” at Lisson Gallery. Via the Telegraph

The Lisson Gallery is hosting “Boule to Braid” through August 15.   The exhibition draws exclusively from the collection of Nicholas Logsdail, Lisson Gallery’s young founder.  Featured are Carl Andre, Paul McCarthy, Donald Judd, Tony Cragg and more.

Related links:
Lisson Gallery – Exhibition – Boule to Braid: curated by Richard Wentworth
Art Sales: dealer who opened Saatchi’s eyes [the Telegraph]
Richard Wentworth on ‘Boule to Braid’ [Interview, artreview.com]
Boule de Braid: Private View with Adrian Searle [Guardian]

Tom Sachs, Supreme Allied Commander Moon Rock Box, in “Boule to Braid” at Lisson Gallery.

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Tony Cragg’s Big Head (2009), courtesy of the Marian Goodman Gallery, photo by Art Observed.

The 40th installment of Art Basel runs this year from June 10 to the 14th.  The annual event, dubbed the “Olympics of the Art World” by the New York Times, includes this year over 2,500 artists, and works exhibited in almost 300 galleries around the world.  Works range in medium, from painting and drawing to sculpture, installation art, photography, and video.  Featured are both old masters of modern art and contemporary artists: among this year’s roster are the works of Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Jackson Pollock, Marcel Duchamp and more, alongside that of today’s artists, including John Baldessari, Vanessa Beecroft, and Rebecca Horn.

Related links:
Art_Base [Official Website]
Art Basel Catalog
Art Basel 40 Celebrates the First Art Basel Weekend with Special Presentations [ArtDaily]
Art Basel Shows Works of Art by 2,500 Artists at World’s Premier International Art Fair [ArtDaily]
Editor’s Picks: Art Basel Preview [ArtInfo]
Il Tempo del Postino – “The World’s First Visual Arts Opera” [ArtKey]
The art market: The biggest fairs around the world [the Financial Times]
Trading Places [the Financial Times]
Meanwhile, in Basel, Contemporary Works You Can Buy [Wall Street Journal]
Brad Pitt Buys Big at Basel, with a Little Push from Eli Broad [Wall Street Journal]
Preview sales defy all expectations [The Art Newspaper]
For Art Lovers, Basel Doesn’t End at the Fair [New York Times]
Warhol Price Slashed as Art Basel Fights Slump With Bargains [Bloomberg]
Pitt Buys in Basel as Broad Browses, $2 Million Sculpture Sells [Bloomberg]
Liste: Quality Uneven but Spirits High [ArtInfo]
To Bling or Not to Bling? [ArtInfo]
Locals Rule: Alternative Art Spaces Gear Up for Art Basel [ArtInfo]
BASELMANIA 2009 [ArtNet]
Preview sales defy all expectations [ArtNewspaper]
Forty Years of Art Basel [The Art Newspaper]

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“Out Span” Tony Cragg at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac. Photo Taken by Art Observed

Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac is currently exhibiting a substantial collection of both sculptures and drawings by one of the most exciting sculptors of the moment, Tony Cragg.  The exhibition covers three floors of the gallery and includes new works in stone, bronze, stainless wood and polished stained steel.  In the drawing space, Cragg is presenting a series of recent drawings that highlight his quintessential ideas on how new forms can emerge from both figures and landscapes.  To coincide with the opening of this exhibition, Cragg’s Column will be installed in the Tuileries Gardens behind the Jeu de Paum Museum.

Exhibition Detail: Tony Cragg [ArtSlant]
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac [Thaddaeus Ropac]
Tony Cragg [The Parisian]
Tony Cragg at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac-Paris [artalog]

“Still Life One”, Tony Cragg. Photo via ArtSlant

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