Raymond Pettibon, No Title (As he enlarged)
Raymond Pettibon brings a collection of new and early works to Sadie Coles HQ in London through January 9th. A prolific artist who has exhibited hundreds of times over a span of decades, the exhibition will convey interesting juxtapositions throughout his aesthetic formation.
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László Maholy-Nagy, via Maholy-Nagy Foundation
On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the foundation of the Bauhaus, Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt hosts an inclusive retrospective of László Maholy-Nagy (1895–1946). The exhibition features 170 paintings, photographs, photograms, sculptures and films, presenting the legacy of the renowned photographer, designer and Bauhaus professor in its remarkable diversity. The exhibition’s centerpieces are the artist’s Raum der Gegenwart (Room of Today), Maholy-Nagy’s progressive spatial design that brings together many of the artist’s ideas and is recreated for the first time, and Light Space Modulator, one of earliest kinetic artworks to rely on electrical power.Â
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Pile Up Life No.2 (2008) by Tatsuo Miyajima, via Lisson Gallery
Currently on view at the Lisson Gallery in London are new works by Japanese artist Tatsuo Miyajima. For over twenty years Miyajima has created installations by using LED digital counting devices which continually count from 1-9 or backwards but never employ zero. They seemingly seek to establish a definitive rhythm at once repetitive and experiential, similar to the passing of time. Tatsuo ‘s new work continues to combine performance with the architecture while also examining the development of life and the effects of large-scale natural disasters.
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Frank Auerbach, “Summer Building Site,” 1952, Via NYTimes. For Auerbach, building sites became pictorial motifs.
Currently showing at Courtauld Gallery in London is an exhibition of paintings and sketches by German-born British artist Frank Auerbach. The work captures London’s wounded infrastructure after World War II and the rebuilding that went on throughout the city from the 1950’s into the early 60’s. Fascinated by scenes of deconstructed materials and bomb sites in the aftermath of the war– which destroyed  some 80,000 buildings in the city– Auerbach documented London’s physical recovery through sketches and paintings that he reworked for months at a time, creating built-up, painted surfaces of over an inch. The exhibition brings the complete series of fourteen building site paintings together along with several, rarely seen oil sketches. The collection stands as some of the most significant painting in post-war Britain, representing a profound response to the wounded, post-war landscape. Ladders, cranes, scaffolding, steel frames–all wonders of construction sites and symbols of modernity–provided Auerbach with a plethora of lines to work with, and they materialize through his paintings into abstract and highly tangible structures that emphasize chaos.
“Construction of One New Change Street,” behind St Paul’s Cathedral in 1965, Via NYTimes
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John Baldessari’s Cast/Crutch/Ring (2009)
Currently showing at Sprüth Magers Berlin through January 16 is an exhibition of new work by the highly influential American artist, John Baldessari (b. 1931), entitled Hands And/Or Feet (Part Two). The exhibition, coinciding with a major retrospective at Tate Modern in London (which opened in October 2009 and will travel to MACBA, Barcelona; LACMA, Los Angeles and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York through 2011 after terminating in January 2010), gathers ten large-scale works continuing the artist’s exploit of the body’s expressive potential across a range of diverse media and conceptual means.
John Baldessari’s Arrow/Glass/Duck (2009)
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Damien Hirst at the opening of his 2009 Moscow show via Snob
On December 17, an exhibition of Damien Hirst‘s project “The Dead†opened at Triumph Gallery in Moscow, Russia. “The Dead†is a series of thirty colored foil-block prints on paper, exploring one of Hirst’s favorite motifs – the human skull. The exhibition is a joint project of Triumph Gallery and ABSOLUT Vodka.
Skulls on display via Popsop
Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velazquez, “Portrait of a Man,” 1630. Via The Met
Currently showing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is an exhibition of works by the great Spanish painter Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez. The heart of the exhibition features a newly identified painting by the artist. Formerly ascribed to his workshop, the work was only recently re-attributed to the master himself after an incredibly revealing cleaning and restorative process. Prior to the conservation, the painting was distorted by “degraded varnish” and “discolored restoration,” obscuring significant qualities of the work. The new attribution represents a fascinating kind of case study regarding altering critical opinion surrounding the origin of a work and changes in its identification. The painting is exhibited amongst other works by the Spanish artist, to whom fewer than 120 paintings are known to exist.
Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez, “Portrait of a Man,” (Detail of face and hair) Via The Met The subjects identity remains in question.
“Mobile Matrix” in situ at the Mexico City Library where the work was installed in 2006. Via NY Times
On Tuesday evening of December 15th, in the smaller of the two Titus theaters at the Museum of Modern Art, Ann Temkin enthusiastically beckoned Gabriel Orozco to take the stage. The premise of the followed conversation was, of course, the recently opened retrospective of Orozco’s lifetime body of work. At 47, the Mexican artist seemed grave and stoic in his words, although that may have been the fatigue of several weeks of preparation for the launch of the exhibition taking a toll.
Behind the Scenes: Gabriel Orozco. The artist talks about his long evolving relationship with the Museum of Modern Art and the experience of participating in a retrospective exhibition. Via MoMA
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All images via Galerie Eva Presenhuber
Exhibition view of Eva Rothschild’s Natural Beauty (2009)
Now showing at the Galerie Eva Presenhuber is an exhibition of Eva Rothschild‘s latest sculptural labyrinths and forms. A celebrated British artisan, exercising mastery in materials ranging from resin, ceramics, leather, wood and found objects, Rothschild brings her second show to the Presenhuber gallery, invoking themes of spirituality through the tension of tactile elements.
Detail of Eva Rothschild’s Natural Beauty (2009)
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Rulai (2008-2009), by Zhang Huan, via PaceWildenstein
Currently on view at PaceWildenstein in New York is Zhang Huan’s “Neither Coming Nor Going.” The artist’s second show at PaceWildenstein; this exhibition emphasizes the artist’s ongoing exploration of what it means to be human through tradition, historical associations and personal experience. The show will feature a monumental ash Buddha, Rulai (2008-2009) and also a series of unique large-scale works on paper.
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Untitled (We Decorate Your Life) by Barbara Kruger
Sprüeth Magers Gallery in London presents a retrospective of Barbara Kruger’s early works, now on display through January 23rd. In this rare opportunity to see this portion of her collection, one will note the raw and less yielded approach in these pieces than in her later more refined works.
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The Hirshhorn Museum with proposed “bubble” in Washington, D.C. via Washington City Paper
A high-tech, futuristic design for a meeting hall in the Hirshhorn Museum at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is making headlines this week across the art community. The proposed “bubble” would constitute dimensions of 145 feet and swell out like a balloon from the primary structure, inflating during the months of May and October and collapsing for the duration of the year. Advocating for the design, Hirshhorn Museum Director Richard Koshalek insists that it will not detract from the museum’s most valuable possession: its art [Washington Post].
Fernando Botero via Art Daily
Fernando Botero criticizes the art awarded by the $50K prize bearing his name, and the administrators of the prize decide to cancel it as a result [ArtDaily]
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Richard Tuttle's Renaissance Unframed
All images via Anthem unless otherwise noted
Richard Tuttle’s Renaissance Unframed, which is currently on view through January 9th at Carolina Nitsch Project Room in Chelsea, New York brings together 25 encaustic drawings by the artist, with an accompanying sculpture. The post-minimalist artist (b. 1941), known primarily for his scale and line, has five of these pieces on view at a time thus creating a dynamic gallery environment.
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Splitting, 1974 All images via Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes unless otherwise noticed
On November 11, a comprehensive retrospective of Gordon Matta-Clark, (1943-1978) opened at The National Museum of Fine Arts of Santiago, Chile. The first Latin American tribute to the legacy of Matta-Clark, who rose to prominence in 1970’s with his site- specific artwork, the show was organized by the Museum of Fine Arts of Lima, Peru, and is curated by Gabriela Rangel, director of the Department of Visual Arts at Americas Society in New York.
Gordon Matta-Clark working on Graffiti Truck, New York, 1971
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Roni Horn’s You are the Weather (1994-95) All images via the Whitney Museum of American Art unless otherwise noted.
Currently on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art is Roni Horn aka Roni Horn, a thirty-year retrospective of approximately seventy of the artist’s works, including drawings, sculpture, installations, photographs and artist’s books comprising two floors of the institution. Jointly organized by the Tate Modern, it is the most comprehensive survey of the artist to date.
Roni Horn’s Ant Farm (1974/2007)
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Tall Figure II and Tall Figure III both 1960 Alberto Giacometti. All images via MoCA
To celebrate their 30th Anniversary, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MoCA) are exhibiting ‘Collection: MoCA’s First Thirty Years‘ – an exhibition comprising of more than 500 artworks by more than 200 artists, it is the largest ever installation of works from MoCA’s permanent collection. This comprehensive survey of the past 70 years of contemporary art history fills both of MoCA’s downtown L.A. locations – MoCA Grand Avenue and The Greffen Contemporary.
Big Wheel, Chris Burden (1979) via MoCA
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Rosson Crow’s ‘Salon de Réception avec Bud Light’ via Galerie Obadia
Galerie Obadia presents Rosson Crow’s second exhibition in Paris with a series of paintings entitled ‘Paris, Texas’ featuring Crow’s signature blending of Americana, pop culture, and classical painting. Crow’s paint-splotched scenes typically represent opulent places that symbolize power, particularly those associated with ideals of Texas, such as oil derricks or nouveau riche interiors. The current exhibition mines the interiors spaces of Paris, including Versailles, the traditional salon, and the Parisian cafe. Those scenes are infused references to Jeff Koons, Michael Jackson, and good old-fashioned American tropes of the star spangled banner and Bud Light.
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Installation view of Rosson Crow’s ‘Paris, Texas’ via Galerie Obadia
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Tacita Dean’s Christmas tree, ‘Weihnachtsbaum‘ at Tate Britain via Zimbio
The Tate has been embracing the Christmas spirit this week with a series of headlining seasonal happenings. The Tate Christmas Tree 2009, “Weihnachtsbaum†designed by Tacita Dean, shocked critics by actually appearing “Christmassy”[Bloomberg] This weekend, Tate Modern’s vast Turbine Hall was taken over by Rob Pruitt‘s festive ‘Flea Market’ – originally held at Gavin Brown’s Passerby gallery in New York in the late 1990s, this event was programmed to coincide with the Tate Modern exhibition Pop Life: Art in a Material World, in which Pruitt also appears [POP Magazine]
Italian police have seized works of art belonging to Carlisto Tanzi – founder of the Italian firm Parmalat who collapsed in a massive fraud scandal in 2003. The 19 paintings and drawings, included works by Picasso, Monet and Van Gogh, and is estimated to be worth more than 100million euros [BBC News]
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Antony Gormley’s Event Horizon that will appear in New York’s Madison Square Park in March 2010 via ArtInfo
Antony Gormley has announced plans to install 31 nude sculptures cast from his own body in and around Madison Square Park in Manhattan’s Flatiron District beginning March 26 [NY Times]
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An installation view of the hundreds of international periodicals that compose Fischli and Weiss’s monumental exhibit “Sun, Moon and Stars,” at Matthew Marks’ 522 West 22nd location. The exhibit has been described as a “redaction of late capitalism.” Via Contemporary Art Daily
Currently on show at the trio of Mathew Marks’ galleries in Chelsea is a unique, multi-part exhibit by Swiss artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss. The duo, who have been collaborating since 1979, are renown for their “academic and playful” installations that evoke the “randomness of existence,” and are widely considered to be the foremost Swiss contemporary artists. “Clay and Rubber,” is currently installed at the 523 West 24th gallery location and consists of 26 sculptures of everyday objects–from a dish to a drawer to a hiking boot–dating from 1986 to the present. Exploring the aesthetics of the commonplace, the iconic sculptures are composed of clay and jet-black rubber and rest on white pedestals, making for a compelling and rather sensual scape of distinctive texture and color. “Sun, Moon Stars and Rain,” at the 522 West 22nd location, is the monumental installation– consisting of an encyclopedic compilation of 800 magazine advertisements taken from hundreds of international periodicals. The concept began as a project commissioned by a Swiss corporation for their annual report. Displayed in 38 tables of glass and wood, the installation totals 330 feet in length and functions as a kind of narrative with subtle sociological insight and curious color scheme associations throughout, evoking myriad interpretations. Lastly, “Sleeping Puppets” occupies the third gallery at the 526 West 22nd location and consists of their newest sculpture– two animals asleep on a pile of blankets. The work recalls the duo’s 1980 films “The Least Resistance” and “The Right Way,” in which the artists dressed in rat and bear costumes in search of adventure–scaling Alpine slopes and crossing rivers– all the way from Los Angeles to the Swiss Alps.
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La Grande Vitesse (1969) by Alexander Calder via Palazzo delle Esposizioni
Currently on view in Rome at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni, through February 14, is a complete retrospective on Alexander Calder (1898-1976) that surpasses any show dedicated to the artist in Italy during the past three decades. Running concurrently with the Gagosian Gallery’s exhibition Monumental Sculpture (through January 30) and borrowing works from the Museum of Modern Art, Foundation Solomon R. Guggenheim, Whitney Museum of American Art, National Gallery of Art, Center Pompidou and Calder Foundation collections, the exhibition pays tribute to the American master’s legacy, framing him chronologically through more than 150 works. Alongside the artist’s highly recognizable, deftly engineered wire mobiles and sculptures are lesser-known works, including installations, toys and paintings circa 1930, to provide theoretical counterpoints and pivot points in his career.
Blue Feather (1948) by Alexander Calder via Palazzo delle Esposizioni
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Tony Oursler, “Flood or Fear with Bugs” (2009), at Baronian Francey.
Currently showing at Baronian Francey are works by mixed media artist Tony Oursler. Â Running through January 9, the exhibition presents pieces completed within the last year which examines the technology-humanity interface. Â It both glorifies and mourns the pains of human subjectivity.
Tony Oursler, “Reward Risk Punish” (2009), at Baronian Francey.
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Installation view of Alighiero e Boetti’s ‘Mappa’ at Gladstone Gallery
Currently on view at Gladstone Gallery’s West 21st Street location is ‘Alighiero e Boetti: Mappa.’ The exhibition is the first retrospective of the Italian artist’s series of hand-woven carpets that depict world maps. Boetti initiated the series in 1969 with a hand-drawn prototype, coloring in each country with its flag. After a visit to Afghanistan two years later, he commissioned a group of women to weave flags until the artist’s death in 1994. Each map typically took one to two years to complete, though the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 halted production for three years and only a few maps were made between 1982-85.
One of the Afghan women Alighiero e Boetti comissioned to weave his ‘Mappa’ series via Gladstone Gallery
Curators Francesco Bonami and Gary Carrion-Murayari announce the artist list for the Whitney Biennial, 2010 – video by Pierce Jackson via Whitney.org
Today the Whitney Museum of American Art announced the list of fifty-five artists who will participate in the upcoming Whitney Biennial, 2010, which is to take over the Museum from February 25 through May 30 2010. The Biennial is the Whitney’s signature panoramic survey of the latest in American art that blends well established artists together with a predominance of emerging artists from all over the country. This is the 75th in the ongoing series of Biennials and Annuals presented by the Whitney since 1932. Traditionally the Whitney Biennial seeks to reflect the way in which art is shaped by the particular historical moment in which it was created and so in 2010 the curators, Francesco Bonami and Gary Carrion-Murayari, have told us to expect works reflecting diverse responses to the anxiety and optimism of the past two years.
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Installation view of Liam Gillick: Three Perspectives and a Short Scenario at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago.
Currently on show at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, through January 10, is an extensive exhibition of a size and significance previously unprecedented in an American museum, featuring British artist Liam Gillick. “Liam Gillick: Three perspectives and a short Scenario,” interestingly marks the final installment of an elaborate multi-part, multi-national project, in association with Witte de With in Rotterdam, Kunsthalle Zurich, and the Kunstverein in Munich, that represents this celebrated artist. Each location offered a unique, yet complementary, investigation into Gillick’s practice resulting in a rigorously comprehensive mid-career survey.
Liam Gillick, Rescinded Production, 2008. Collection of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. Image courtesy of Casey Kaplan Gallery, New York.
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