Archive for the 'Featured Post' Category

New York – N. Dash at Casey Kaplan Through October 26th, 2019

Thursday, October 24th, 2019

N. Dash, Untitled (2019), via Casey Kaplan
N. Dash, Untitled (2019), via Casey Kaplan

Currently on view at Casey Kaplan’s exhibition space, artist N. Dash presents a selection of new works delving into process, time, material and the act of representation, a series complex silkscreen arrangements that seem to reference space and time, production and material as bound up in an ongoing exchange. The works, spread throughout the gallery space, serve as an intriguing meditation on the concept of production, and how the continued extension and elongation of the productive process can create an ever more expansive range of works.

N. Dash (Installation View), via Casey Kaplan
N. Dash (Installation View), via Casey Kaplan

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Paris – Raymond Pettibon: “Frenchette” at David Zwirner Through November 23rd, 2019

Wednesday, October 23rd, 2019

Raymond Pettibon, Frenchette (Installation View), via David Zwirner
Raymond Pettibon, Frenchette (Installation View), via David Zwirner

With the days of FIAC now fading into the distance, the art world has settled down a bit in Paris, but some of the fresh energy and excitement of the week remains, particularly in the Marais, where David Zwirner’s brand new exhibition space at 108, rue Vieille du Temple has now opened permanently. The well-appointed space is christened by American artist Raymond Pettibon, who marks his first solo show in the city since 1995. (more…)

Paris – Jim Shaw: “Strange Beautiful” at Praz-Delavallade Through November 2nd, 2019

Tuesday, October 22nd, 2019

Jim Shaw, Strange Beautiful (2019.), via Praz-Delavallade
Jim Shaw, Strange Beautiful (2019), via Praz-Delavallade

It’s hard to avoid the bizarre poignancy of Jim Shaw’s work in the modern era. The artist’s incisive and often hysterical engagements with the language of modern U.S. politics, moments of historical violence, pop culture and even commodity capitalism (usually all at once), makes him one of our era’s most erudite cultural critics, even if he may, simultaneously, be one of our most ribald. His work, on view now at Praz-Delavallade in Paris, makes the most of our current historical moment, putting the full weight of the current era into a new series of works. (more…)

RIP – Painter Ed Clark Has Passed Away at the Age of 93

Monday, October 21st, 2019

Ed Clark, Untitled (2005), via Hauser & Wirth
Ed Clark, Untitled (2005), via Hauser & Wirth

Pioneering painter Ed Clark, the African-American painter known for his use of a push broom to spread bold colors across his canvases to create energetic and engaging comments on the state of the world, has passes away at the age of 93.  His death was announced by his gallery, Hauser & Wirth. (more…)

New York – Jeppe Hein: “I Am With You” at 303 Gallery Through October 19th, 2019

Friday, October 18th, 2019

Jeppe Hein, Moon Mirror (2019), via 303
Jeppe Hein, Moon Mirror (2019), via 303

Artist Jeppe Hein rounds out a new show of works at 303 Gallery this month, a selection of works that continue a frank, emotive sensibility and a meditative approach towards perception and understanding in his work.  The show, including neon works, LED-lit sculptures and painted canvases, seems to reflect and rework a range of expressive tendencies from the contemporary canon through a colorful, subdued lens. (more…)

New York – “Embodiment” at Mitchell-Innes & Nash Through October 26th, 2019

Friday, October 18th, 2019

Jonathan Lyndon Chase, watch shopping (2019), via Mitchell-Innes & Nash
Jonathan Lyndon Chase, watch shopping (2019), via Mitchell-Innes & Nash

Currently on view at its Chelsea exhibition space, Mitchell-Innes & Nash is currently presenting Embodiment, a group exhibition of works by Pope.L, Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Cheyenne Julien and Tschabalala Self that explores the different ways in which corporeality is envisioned and depicted within the spatial confines of the two-dimensional picture plane. Focusing on a selection of works that tease and turn the human form through a variety of perspectives and varied iterations, the show is a fascinating investigation of how the human form exists in contemporary art, and how it might be incorporated in the future. (more…)

AO On-Site – Paris: FIAC Art Fair at The Grand Palais, October 17th . -20th, 2019

Thursday, October 17th, 2019

Yayoi Kusama at Victoria Miro, via Andrea Nguyen for Art Observed
Yayoi Kusama at Victoria Miro, via Andrea Nguyen for Art Observed

Spread out along the spacious aisles and picturesque dome of the Grand Palais in Paris, the Foire internationale d’art contemporain, also known as FIAC, has returned once again for another year of sales and exhibitions in the French capital. With Wednesday evening slowly dragging into the late hours, the fair’s VIP opening is now concluded, once again garnering strong praise and enthusiastic response from its attendees. This year, the list of galleries brings together exhibitors from 25 countries, marking its 46th edition with a fitting reflection of its storied history, one echoed by the prestigious locale of the Grand Palais. With an exacting selection of modern art, contemporary art, and design galleries, among the most emblematic of the international scene, the fair’s opening hours once again underscored its vitality in the modern fair circuit. (more…)

AO Preview – Paris: FIAC Art Fair at the Grand Palais, October 17th – 20th, 2019

Tuesday, October 15th, 2019

Sadie Benning, Blow Up #26 (2018), via Kaufman Repetto
Sadie Benning, Blow Up #26 (2018), via Kaufman Repetto

Returning to the French capital for another year of exhibitions inside the iconic expanses of the Grand Palais, the Foire International Art Contemporain, or FIAC, opens its doors today in Paris.  The fair, which has operated for over 45 years in the city, has undergone several facelifts over the course of its lifetime, with its most recent editions courting a healthy mix of contemporary and modern works alongside more classical and historical modes, making it one of the world’s more ambitiously curated programs. (more…)

RIP – John Giorno, Revered Poet and Artist of New York’s Downtown Scene, Has Passed Away at Age 82

Monday, October 14th, 2019

John Giorno, via Sperone Westwater
John Giorno, via Sperone Westwater

Artist John Giorno, the poet and artist whose practice turned poetry towards a living, breathing mode of art, separated from the page, has passed away at the age of 82 in his home in Lower Manhattan.  A longtime fixture in the New York art scene, Giorno would explore a range of techniques and modes for promoting his work outside the book or magazine.  He founded Giorno Poetry Systems, a nonprofit foundation, and designed a mass communication system called Dial-A-Poem, which allowed for people to call in and hear orated poetry over the phone.   (more…)

New York – Paul Chan: “The Bather’s Dilemma” at Greene Naftali Through October 19th, 2019

Monday, October 14th, 2019

Paul Chan, Khara En Tria (Joyer in 3) (2019), via Greene Naftali
Paul Chan, Khara En Tria (Joyer in 3) (2019), via Greene Naftali

On view this month at Greene Naftali in Chelsea, artist Paul Chan makes his fourth solo entry in the gallery program, featuring a new series of works Chan calls “Bathers.” Marking new iterations and elaborations on his prior work, the show explores space and movement through simple materials. (more…)

New York – Janiva Ellis: “Tip Drill” at 47 Canal Through October 20th, 2019

Friday, October 11th, 2019

Janiva Ellis, Wokey Doke, (2019), via 47 Canal
Janiva Ellis, Wokey Doke (2019), via 47 Canal

There’s a remarkable concept of balance and duality in the work of Janiva Ellis, moments of sublime beauty and fragile, held states that seem to make the moments of bizarre surrealism and sinister iconographies all the more unnerving.  For her most recent show, ‘Tip Drill,’ on view at New York’s 47 Canal Gallery through October 20th, the artist continues her practice of elaborate systems of tension and release. (more…)

Marseille – Kiosk’s Marseille Art Space at Cité Radieuse, A Running Curatorial Project Open Now

Wednesday, October 9th, 2019

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Sophie Kitching, Untitled (Plume) (2019), via Kiosk

Known for its shop selling a range of meticulously curated and enigmatic products, the online platform Kiosk has traveled widely, orchestrating various projects and pop-ups, not to mention an inclusion in MoMA PS1’s Greater New York show that spotlighted its daring vision and unique approach to the fine lines traditional distinctions between shop and art gallery, product and art object.  (more…)

AO On-Site – London: Frieze Art Fair, October 3rd – 6th, 2019

Friday, October 4th, 2019

Dan Graham, via Art Observed
Dan Graham, via Art Observed

After a whirlwind few hours in London, the Frieze Art Fair is underway, and the doors are open for the public. Opening its doors this week for its 17th edition in Regent’s Park, Frieze London has once again turned the art world’s collective eye towards the British capital for the next week, as sales and installations across its spacious halls make for a fitting center to one of the city’s busiest art events. (more…)

AO Auction Results – London: Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale, October 4th, 2019

Friday, October 4th, 2019

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Four Big (1982), via Christie's
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Four Big (1982), final price: £8,605,250 via Christie’s

Capping off a week of auctions amid the hustle and bustle of London’s Frieze Week, Christie’s capped off a procedural auction in the British capital tonight, selling 41 of 46 lots to reach a final total of £64,507,125, a mark that seemed notably underwhelming after a string of works sold under estimate or near its low bound. A last note before the auctions in New York next month, the sale seemed to hint at more instability further down in the market, especially as the Britain’s exit from the E.U. grows increasingly confused, and increasingly perilous.

Sigmar Polke, Alpenveilchen Flowers (19767), final price £5,654,250, via Christie's
Sigmar Polke, Alpenveilchen/Flowers (1967), final price: £5,654,250, via Christie’s

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AO Auction Results – London: Sotheby’s Contemporary Evening Sale, October 3rd, 2019

Thursday, October 3rd, 2019

Banksy, Devolved Parliament (2009), final price £9,879,500, via Sotheby's
Banksy, Devolved Parliament (2009), final price £9,879,500, via Sotheby’s

Taking over from Phillips steady sale last night in London, Sotheby’s launched its own take on the Contemporary Art Market, albeit one with a little more unpredictability. The sale, one of the first since Sotheby’s formally became a privately traded company, saw 5 of works go unsold, and one massive record, as Banksy demolished his previous auction high, ultimately landing the auction house at a final tally of £54,386,250. (more…)

AO Auction Recap – London: Phillips 20th Century and Contemporary Evening Sale, October 2nd, 2019

Thursday, October 3rd, 2019

Alex Katz, Blue Umbrella I (1972), via Phillips
Alex Katz, Blue Umbrella I (1972), final price: £3,375,000 via Phillips

Marking the first of a trio of sales this weekend in London, Phillips Auction House made a strong opening note on a bustling week of sales last night, pulling interested buyers to its Berkeley Square location for a 43-lot offering that saw strong results and a £25,877,250 final on the night, with only 3 works on offer going unsold.

Hurvin Anderson, Beaver Lake (1998) final price £2,175,000, via Phillips
Hurvin Anderson, Beaver Lake (1998) final price: £2,175,000, via Phillips

The sale opened with a string of underpriced lots that surged beyond initial estimates, often doubling or tripling their price, among them pieces by Simone Leigh (£175,000), Nathaniel Mary Quinn (£212,500) and Tschabalala Self (£275,000). A George Condo work also performed well at £471,000, before the first pass of the evening on a Mark Grotjahn Butterfly. The sale regained its composure quickly, however, as the sale’s prized Mark Bradford finished at £1,935,000, followed close behind by a Hurvin Anderson piece that sold for the final price of £2,175,000.

Mark Bradford, Value 35 (2010), final price: £1,935,000 via Phillips
Mark Bradford, Value 35 (2010), final price: £1,935,000 via Phillips

The sale continued at a brisk pace over the next lots, bringing up the evening’s cover lot, an Alex Katz painting that sold quickly over estimate to the tune of £3,375,000, while a Rudolf Stingel held its ground in the next lot at £1,035,000. Momentum carried the works through the meat of the auction, with a KAWS sculpture finishing above estimate for a final price of £1,455,000, and a Thomas Schütte work, Maschine, settling at the final of £1,215,000, squarely within estimated range. A Gerhard Richter Abstraktes Bild also performed well in the following lot, closing above estimate at £1,695,000. The sale was systematic from this point on, works selling quickly to bring the sale cruising to a strong conclusion.

The next auction is this evening at Sotheby’s.

KAWS, At This Time (2013), final price £1,455,000, via Phillips
KAWS, At This Time (2013), final price: £1,455,000, via Phillips

— D. Creahan

Read More:
Phillips 20th Century and Contemporary Evening Sale [Auction Page]

AO FAIR PREVIEW – LONDON: FRIEZE LONDON ART WEEK, OCTOBER 3TH – 6TH, 2019

Tuesday, October 1st, 2019

Cindy Sherman, Untitled #603 (2019), via Metro Pictures
Cindy Sherman, Untitled #603 (2019), via Metro Pictures

As the summer weather fades slowly into the dim light and changing leaves of autumn in London, the art world once again gears up for the annual return of Frieze to Regent’s Park this week, bringing with it its reputation for presenting the best of international contemporary art by emerging and established artists, and its signature program of dynamic commissions, talks and films, all unified under the fair’s bespoke tent design at the heart of the British capital.  Opening Wednesday with its VIP previews, the fair will offer a unique look at the state of the British art market, and that of the EU more broadly, while providing a platform for artists in Europe and abroad to explore and express new concepts and ideas in art practice. (more…)

AO Auction Preview – London: Contemporary Art Evening Sales, October 2nd – 4th, 2019

Tuesday, October 1st, 2019

Alex Katz, Blue Umbrella I (1972), via Phillips
Alex Katz, Blue Umbrella I (1972), via Phillips

Opening alongside the bustling aisles of Frieze London this week, the Contemporary Art Market will give a test of its secondary branch in the British capital this week. Kicking off a trio of auctions at the major auction houses, this week should provide ample chance for bidders to show just how confident they are on the current state of Britain, its place in the European art market, and how Brexit might have changed those forecasts. With a hard deadline of October 31st looming, this week should provide ample evidence of just how buyers are feeling with major changes just over the horizon. (more…)

New York – Amy Sherald: “The Heart of the Matter…” at Hauser & Wirth Through October 26th, 2019

Wednesday, September 25th, 2019

Amy Sherald, Sometimes the King is a Woman (2019), via Hasuer & Wirth
Amy Sherald, Sometimes the King is a Woman (2019), via Hauser & Wirth

This fall in New York, artist Amy Sherald, the artist tapped for First Lady Michelle Obama’s commanding, cool portrait for the National Archives, opens a show of new works at Hauser & Wirth, her first with the gallery. Titled ‘the heart of the matter…,’ the show debuts two paintings that reach a new, monumental scale for the artist, with monochromatic backgrounds that evolve into fully realized scenes referencing quintessential Americana, as well as a series of portraits that continue her iconic exploration of the contemporary black experience.   (more…)

New York – Liz Glynn at Paula Cooper Through October 12th, 2019

Monday, September 23rd, 2019

Liz Glynn, To Write (2016/2017), via Paula Cooper
Liz Glynn, To Write (2016/2017), via Paula Cooper

Over the course of the last few years, artist Liz Glynn has explored techniques in the production and presentation of technological objects and tools, seeking to explore and understand how disparate pieces and parts of a cultural milieu, particularly the tools used to construct, them, might provide a richer understanding of the culture itself. A sort of self-styled archaeological proposition, Technological Tools, as Glynn calls them, take center-stage at her current exhibition at Paula Cooper in New York, now on view through October 12th. (more…)

AO On-Site – New York: Printed Matter’s New York Art Book Fair, September 20th – 22nd, 2019

Friday, September 20th, 2019

Graphzine Exhibit, via Art Observed
Graphzine Exhibit, via Art Observed

The leaves are slowly beginning to change in New York City, the fall equinox is on its way, and like clockwork, the time has once again come for the New York Art Book Fair to set up shop inside the halls and yards of MoMA PS1, kicking off its fourteenth annual edition of a unique and energetic exhibition of young artists, publishers, writers and thinkers, each representing a small part of the national and international art publishing community.  Always free and open to the public, the event draws more than 35,000 individuals including book lovers, collectors, artists, and art world professionals each year. (more…)

New York – Judith Hopf: ‘Alifi” at Metro Pictures Through October 5th, 2019

Wednesday, September 18th, 2019

Judith Hopf, Tongue as a Wall Piece (2019), via Metro Pictures
Judith Hopf, Tongue as a Wall Piece (2019), via Metro Pictures

Taking over the ground floor of Metro Pictures Gallery for her first exhibition with the space, the Berlin-based artist Judith Hopf has orchestrated a range of works drawing on surreal juxtapositions of space and material, narrative and image that marks a strong opening to the fall season. Comprised of three different sculptural series–Walls, Tongues, and Pears–the works on view further Hopf’s practice of employing everyday construction materials and common manufacturing processes to investigate the social dynamics of the contemporary built environment and its influence on human behavior. (more…)

New York – Elaine Cameron-Weir: “strings that show the wind” at JTT Through October 27th, 2019

Tuesday, September 17th, 2019

Elaine Cameron-Weir, it thought you were someone else it thought you were me bounded by strings in the distorted phases of a topological superfluid a mysterious density half-speed vortices and long walls  (2019), via JTT
Elaine Cameron-Weir, it thought you were someone else it thought you were me bounded by strings in the distorted phases of a topological superfluid a mysterious density half-speed vortices and long walls (2019), via JTT

On view this month at JTT Gallery in downtown Manhattan, artist Elaine Cameron-Weir has orchestrated a taut but conceptually nuanced exhibition, continuing her exploration of varied sculptural tropes, studied investigations of materiality and scale, and subtle, evolving narrative forms that hint at the artist’s rigorous process and abilities.

Elaine Cameron-Weir, it thought you were (detail) (2019), via JTT

Elaine Cameron-Weir, it thought you were someone else it thought you were me bounded by strings in the distorted phases of a topological superfluid a mysterious density half-speed vortices and long walls (detail) (2019), via JTT (more…)

New York – Roe Ethridge: “Sanctuary 2” at Andrew Kreps Through November 2nd, 2019

Monday, September 16th, 2019

Roe Ethridge, Nathalie with Hot Dog and Flag (2014), via Andrew Kreps
Roe Ethridge, Nathalie with Hot Dog and Flag (2014), via Andrew Kreps

Currently on view at Andrew Kreps’s new 22 Cortlandt Alley exhibition space in the thriving TriBeCa arts district, photographer Roe Ethridge has opened a show of new works continuing his unique approach to the construction of the portrait, winding together strange environmental elements, a broad range of characters, and cultural milieu that act to disrupt and reshape the understanding of any one framing.

Roe Ethridge, Sanctuary 2 (Installation View), via Andrew Kreps
Roe Ethridge, Sanctuary 2 (Installation View), via Andrew Kreps

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