Installation view. All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse.

The Tate Modern‘s exhibition ‘Panorama,’ featuring the work of living German artist Gerhard Richter, will be coming to an end after thee months. The exhibition pays homage to Richter’s variant inspirations, spanning 50 years of work and 14 rooms, providing an all-encompassing display of his oeuvre. Works include photo-realist paintings, landscapes, cloud, squeegee, and history paintings, with less conventionally displayed glass and mirror constructions from the 1980s, as well as his first Color Chart from 1966. One noted work, the 20-meter-long Stroke (on Red) (1980) was developed from a photograph of a brush stroke. This is its first exhibition outside of Germany.

‘Panorama’ gallery view, with curator Mark Godfrey

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All photos by Caroline Claisse for Art Observed

The work of Daniel Buren has, for over 40 years, sought to explore the relationship of art and space, using his trademark striped painting technique as a method to emphasize the engagement between art, exhibition space and the viewer.  His current show One Thing To Another, Situated Works at the Lisson Gallery in London, continues this dialogue, exhibiting a number of brightly-colored works that incorporate Buren’s technique into new mediums.

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Paul McCarthy, White Snow Cake (2011). Bronze  Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth.

Multimedia artist Paul McCarthy brings fairy tales to Hauser & Wirth‘s New York gallery space in a second installation of the series. Works included in “The Dwarves, The Forests” are based on the drawings that made up the 2009 show “White Snow.” The exhibition series will continue, as Hauser & Wirth’s Andrea Schwan tells Art Observed, with a third installation, in which pieces from “The Dwarves, The Forests” will serve as sets for video art, to be hosted by the gallery sometime in 2013.  On view until December 17, “The Dwarves, The Forests” includes pieces cast in bronze and wrapped in gauze, and one, White Snow and Dopey, Wood (2011), that is McCarthy’s first wood sculpture.

Paul McCarthy, White Snow and Dopey, Wood (2011). Black Walnut.

More images, story, and related links after the jump…

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Richard Hughes, Dead Flies (2010). Anton Kern Gallery. All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse.

Art Basel Miami Beach attracted some 50,000 visitors for the fair’s 10th edition this year in Miami South Beach. Showcasing over 2,000 artists represented by over 260 galleries, the decadent week seemed to exist outside of the current dubious economic situation worldwide. Miami Beach Convention Center hosted the main fair, housing an endless number of gallery booths, a VIP Collectors Lounge, and Art Basel Conversations throughout the week. Nearby the Bass Museum of Art opened a solo exhibition by Erwin Wurm, its front lawn, Collins Park, spotted with sculptures by artists such as Antony Gormley and Damien Hirst. Seventeen satellite fairs got in on the action as well, Art Observed focusing on NADA and OHWOW in particular, while Scope, Pulse, Design Miami, and Art Miami, among others, also drew crowds. The week would not be complete without its exhausting nightlife, exclusive events at hotels like Delano, Mondrian, Raleigh, Shelborne, Shore Club, The Standard Miami, and W, partying late into the morning hours.

Lucian Freud, Seated Figure (1980-82); The Painter’s Mother (1972). Richard Gray Gallery.
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Zhang Huan, 49 days nO. 1 (2011). Blum & Poe. All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse.

Collins Park, located just outside of The Bass Museum of Art on Collins Avenue just off the ocean, held the Art Public sector of Art Basel Miami Beach 2011, including artists such as Antony Gormley, Glenn Kaino, Thomas Houseago, and Zhang Huan,.   The following is a photoset of the works.

Artist Glenn Kainto participating in his Levitating the Fair piece

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Agathe Snow, Hear No Evil, See No Evil (2008-2011). All photos on site for Art Observed by Alexandra Bregman.

OHWOW’s It Ain’t Fair lived up to its name as a successful destination apart from the Art Basel main fair last week. Located in Miami’s Design District, the show featured 20 artists in the fourth consecutive curated group show by OHWOW, this year’s theme: Materialism. As explored in Marxist philosophy, materialism at its most literal, tangible entity, focuses on the tactile rather than the abstractly metaphorical. Experimental materials served to manifest the ideology, with David Benjamin Sherry’s sand-filled photograph frame, Justin Beal’s use of plexiglass and plastic wrap, and the unique approach of Angel Otera, peeling and reapplying paint. “There’s not a bad piece in here,” said Operations Director Lydia Ruby. By Saturday evening, the gallery had sold most works on view, and had noted the remarkable curiosity and intellectualism overheard in the showroom.

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All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse

The Visionaire Magazine Art Basel Rio Party delivered colorful dancers to the wading pool of Delano, the pool already glowing with candles afloat. The extremely exclusive event also entertained guests with a 3-D stereoscopic projection and a Victorian table set in the shallow pool, with plenty of bed-like lounging arrangements and curtained private rooms around.

Jefferson Hack

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All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse.

Artists and gallerists headed south from the Deauville location of the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) art fair to host a poolside cocktail party at Shore Club Friday night. A few large colorful abstract paintings framed the atmosphere, and a subtler Curtis Kulig banner draped above the DJ—a facade to more obscured lounging and a secret fabric gazebo.

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All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse and Samuel Sveen

The New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) art fair explores “new or underexposed art that is not typical of the ‘art establishment.'” Posting up nearly 50 blocks north of the main fair—Art Basel Miami Beach—the satellite fair moved to its Deauville Beach Resort location in 2009 to cut costs, making it a more affordable venture for the younger galleries while remaining a non-profit organization. Since first launching in 2003, the fair has clearly demonstrated the demand for emerging artists and their work, many of the galleries consistently selling out their booths within the first few days of the fair, if not hours. And despite this year’s questionable global economic environment, the fair proved a success once again, with galleries like Lisa Cooley, Kate Werble Gallery, The Hole, The Journal Gallery, Leo Koenig Inc., and White Columns all pleased with the results, prices topping out around $50,000. Also at the fair, multimedia artist Jayson Musson A.K.A. Hennessy Youngman lectured/performed “His History of Art” Thursday evening.

Kate Werble Gallery

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All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse.

Interview Magazine—founded by Warhol—and the Andy Warhol Museum debuted a never-before-seen film by the artist himself, shot on 16 mm film in 1968 with Paul Morrissey at The Standard Miami on Friday night. The film’s trailer looped throughout the night before Eric Shiner, Director of the Andy Warhol Museum, introduced “San Diego Surf.” In Warholian style, the film meandered with little plot, and most of the actors couldn’t actually surf. The party’s guest list, including celebrities from the art world and beyond, was pleasantly surprised by the evening’s flash mob: wigged and black-clad dancers performing to Lou Reed’s “Take a Walk on the Wild Side.”

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Marina Abramović fielding questions after the preview screening of Marina Abramović The Artist is Present at Soho Beach House. All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse.

Marina Abramović was on site at Soho Beach House to present her new documentary Marina Abramović The Artist is Present, which was recently confirmed to show at Sundance Film Festival, and will air on HBO next year. The showcase featured a looping 15-minute preview clip—made while the film was still in production—and between each screening was a Q & A session with the artist and her filmmakers Jeff Dupre and Matthew Akers. Moving from the second floor screening room, a cocktail reception at the 8th floor poolside bar followed. The after-party was attended by the artist herself, along with Dasha Zhukova, magazine editor Jefferson Hack, and Waris Ahluwalia, among others. Both the viewing and the party were sponsored by NOWNESS, an online publication on luxury lifestyle and entertainment. A slide show of fashion, travel, art, and gastronomy was projected by the pool.

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All photos by Caroline Claisse.

On December 1st Mexican-born artist Gabriel Orozco sat down with Michelle Kuo, Editor-in-Chief of Art Forum, kicking off the series of “Art Basel Conversations” in Miami this week. The yearly panelist series begins each fair with an actual artist contributing to the conversations, and Orozco’s multicultural influence and Latin American roots suited this year’s intent to bridge global connections. The artist’s focus skirted his Tate Modern retrospective that debuted in January, reflecting instead on the metacognitive forms of recognition and orientation in his work, most notably life-size Corplegados, or “folded bodies,” on site at Basel, and later on the archaeologically excavated whale skeleton work, Mobile Matrix (2006), and the recast skeleton of Dark Wave (2006).

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Marina Abramović, Waris Ahluwalia, and friend in the back of Paris Paris. All photos by Caroline Claisse.

The grittier, satellite party to Le Baron, André Saraiva’s ‘Paris Paris’ pop-up karaoke club opened its exclusive downstairs doors Wednesday night. Paris Paris is something of a throwback, taking place in the original home of Le Baron after the latter jumped from the basement of Shelborne to Delano, with a few stops in between. Artists Marina Abramović, Aaron Young, and Nate Lowman, among others, arrived sometime after midnight, a full-band-backed karaoke session awaiting. Featuring mixologist Charles Vexenat’s Pernod Absinthe infused “Green Beast,” Paris Paris remains open through Saturday night, with Saraiva closing out the week with a Sunday BBQ at the Standard Hotel.

Karaoke on the stage

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Artist Erwin Wurm in attendance at the Bass Museum of Art for his opening of Beauty Business. All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse.

Erwin Wurm: Beauty Business held its opening reception at the Bass Museum of Art Wednesday night, along with several other Art Basel Miami Beach related events. The adjacent Collins Park displayed the Art Public sculpture park sector of the fair, and across the street Mr. Brainwash‘s 2nd annual “Under Construction” building takeover held its own party. Inside the Bass, crowds wandered through Wurm’s large gray architectural experiments and distorted sweater sculptures. Walls at each end of the ramp up to the exhibition space were dressed in sweaters themselves, covered in knit cotton with a neck hole and sleeves. Drinking Sculptures were arguably the main attraction and the most literally interactive. Wooden desks elevated or turned sideways invited viewers to open drawers and consume the bottles of vodka and whiskey stored within. One large wooden box on the floor had two holes in which to climb into and place one’s feet, shoulder width apart for a drink.

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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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Paul McCarthy, Cultural Gothic (1992). All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse.

Art Observed was on site for the private Tuesday evening preview of the Rubell Family Collection/Contemporary Arts Foundation show American Exuberance. Throughout 28 gallery spaces in a 45,000 sq ft museum, 190 works by 64 artists explore the American condition today through art, dissecting the paradoxical arenas of culture, economics, and politics. A 244-page catalog includes written commentaries by 13 of the artists from the notable roster, as follows: Thomas Houseago, Richard Jackson, Rashid Johnson, Nate Lowman, Richard Prince, Sterling Ruby, Haim Steinbach, Ryan Trecartin, and to name a few. About a quarter of the works were made in 2011 specifically for the show.  Also, Art Observed returned the next morning on Wednesday for Jennifer Rubell’s 11th annual breakfast, which is presented every morning throughout the week, treats visitors to a small jar of fresh yogurt, to be ‘anointed’ with honey dripping from the ceiling.

Collecting dripping honey at Jennifer Rubell’s Incubation yogurt and honey breakfast.

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All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse.

An extensive collection of Ferraris, spanning decades of makes, models, and colors, filled the seven floors of 11 11 Lincoln Road on the first preview night of Art Basel Miami Beach. Officially a party in honor of Ferrari chairmen Luca di Montezemolo, hosted by Interview magazine, Peter Brant, and Tobias Meyer of Sotheby’s, the latest Ferrari 458 Spider was unveiled in shades of both red and yellow. The Herzog & de Meuron designed open-air parking garage could be seen glowing from blocks around.  RPM, a Ferrari-inspired 3D film by Marco Brambilla came to life with Wayfarer-esque glasses on hand.  While no doubt many enthusiasts would consider Ferraris to be works of art the event certainly leaned to the commerce side of the art and commerce equation and could be seen as a harbinger of some of the big ticket selling within the walls of the art fairs to occur over this week.

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Franco, Ryan McNamara, and Nakadate, Three Performances in Search of Tennessee (2011)

In a one-time only, Performa 11 new commission, James Franco and Laurel Nakadate presented Three Performances in Search of Tennessee at the Abrons Arts Center on November 13, 2011. A loose interpretation of Williams’ famed work, The Glass Menagerie, Franco and Nakadate acted as directors and judges for the series of performers that participated in the work. Both an experiment in performance and a tribute to the renowned playwright, the work was divided into three distinct sections.

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All images via Performa 11.

London-based artists Ed Atkins, Haroon Mirza, and James Richards mounted their sizable art installation, An Echo Button, in the thick of Times Square. Claiming the massive Toshiba screens as their canvas, the artists showcased a series of video pieces that actively responded to the setting in which they were in, projecting a nonstop, multisensory experience. The commercialism and history that constantly infuse Times Square are the main subject matter in the video clips. Simultaneously, the signboards outside function as an “echo chamber,” highlighting each artist’s zeal to display sound in varying contexts while taking advantage of the multiplying powers of the Toshiba screens. The site-specific work explores the crossroads of multimedia installation on a titanic scale.

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Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe, image from “Shadow Pool: A Natural History of the San San International” slide lecture. Courtesy of the artists.

Last Wednesday evening the Masonic Temple at the well-known Hollywood Forever Cemetery was filled with major Los Angeles art world players, including Jeffrey Deitch, MOCA trustee Jeffrey Soros, MOCA donor Karyn Kohl, curator Shamim Momin, Hammer curator Ali Subotnick, and gallerist Maggie Kayne, as well as artists Mark Hagen, Nate Lowman and Hanna Liden. All had gathered under the night’s full moon for the most recent project by New York-based artist duo Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe, Shadow Pool: A Natural History of the San San International, an event organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Freeman and Lowe are known for their immersive environments, such as Hello Meth Lab in the Sun, Black Acid Co-op, and Bright White Underground—and Shadow Pool proved to push their engagement tactics to the next level.

MOCA Director Jeffrey Deitch with the Towel People from Shadow Pool fashion show. Image courtesy of Daniel DiScala.

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Stuart Watson, The hostess never lies (2011). All photos on site for Art Observed by Tara Sheena.

Agathe Snow’s monologue, The hostess never lies, was the finale event of the Vogt Gallery’s performance series of the same name. Curated by Snow’s sister, Anne Apparu, the series emphasized artists working in the medium of performance art and offered a platform for the presentation of works at all stages of their development. The original inspiration for the entire series, this was the first live performance of Snow’s monologue.

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Cy Twombly, Untitled, 2006 (est. $8-12 million, realized $9 million), via Phillipsdepury.com

Phillips de Pury kicked off the week of Contemporary art sales on Monday night with two back-to-back auctions. First came a 22-lot benefit auction with all proceeds going to the Guggenheim Foundation, immediately followed by the 44-lot evening sale of Contemporary art. The Guggenheim sale was estimated to bring $1.5-2.2 million and realized $2.7 million (the buyer’s premium was eliminated for that sale), and the evening sale brought in $71 million against a high estimate of $97 million. The evening’s top lot was an untitled Cy Twombly canvas that fetched $9 million against estimates of $8-12 million.

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All photos on site for Art Observed by Samuel Sveen.

In 2007, Urs Fischer used a jackhammer to tear up the floor of Gavin Brown’s enterprise in Chelsea, leaving the room an enormous pit of dirt. With his return to the gallery for a joint show with Cassandra MacLeod, Fischer has sought to “build” on the past show both literally and theoretically. The press release refers to the “inverted pyramid of excavated earth,” the natural next step of invention being a flat surface above the earth—the table, with which Fischer has filled the three gallery spaces. Paintings by MacLeod cover the walls of the gallery, making for an intriguing dialogue between the two artists’ work. Stacks of tables, some three or four high, perhaps even offer a better view to the paintings mounted high above.

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Gustav Klimt, Litzlberg am Attersee, 1914-15 (est. in excess of $25 million, realized $40.4 million) via Sothebys.com

The Impressionist and Modern art evening auction at Sotheby’s New York on Wednesday night realized $200 million for 57 of 70 lots sold. Business proceeded as usual within the auction house despite the deafening cacophony from protesters stationed outside the building’s main entrance (Sotheby’s has been feuding with their art handlers for months). Earlier today the auction house announced that one of the evening’s top lots – one of Matisse‘s bronze Nu De Dos sculptures estimated to bring $20-30 million- had been withdrawn from the sale after having been sold privately yesterday afternoon (along with the other three in the series, which also belonged to the Burnett Foundation, and which were slated to sell at auction over the next year). Excluding the Matisse, the sale carried estimates of $168-230 million. The $200 million total fell comfortably within expectations and bested Christie’s comparable sale on Tuesday evening. At the press conference Sotheby’s noted that last night’s results at Christie’s were “sobering” and that they did take the opportunity today to talk to consignors and in some cases lower reserves.

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