Robert Mangold, Pace Gallery, all images by Aidan Chisholm for Art Observed

Having concluded opening hours yesterday at the Grand Palais Éphémère, a temporary installation erected at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, FIAC opened its doors to the public today, beginning a run of days at the site that once more bring contemporary and modern art to the French capital.  The first outing of the fair since it shuttered last year during Covid-19, and the first since Brexit was fully implemented, this year’s edition saw the Parisian event taking on a new role at the forefront of the European art market.

Gary Simmons, Hauser and Wirth

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Mark Grotjahn, Untitled (Backcountry Capri 54.37) (2021), via Blum & Poe

Mark Grotjahn brings a body of new work to bear at Blum & Poe this month, continuing the artist’s expressive exploration of the potentials for abstraction and gesture. Bringing a series of paintings unified under the title Backcountry, the artist’s work continues to explore a range of geometric iterations and variations on canvas.  Read More »

Harold Ancart, Untitled (2021), via David Zwirner

Marking the first exhibition to focus exclusively on the artist’s sculptural work, David Zwirner is presenting a selection of new sculpture by artist Harold Ancart at the gallery’s Paris exhibition space, a show that also marks the artist’s first solo exhibition in the French capital. The show, which compiles a set of new sculptures from a series begun in 2017, the exhibition focuses in particular on swimming pools, cast in concrete, and painted with rich layers of color that recall art-historical, architectural, and everyday influences.

Harold Ancart, Untitled (2021), via David Zwirner

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Rob Pruitt, Studio Calendar 2020 (2020), via 303 Gallery

Marking his first solo exhibition with 303 Gallery, Rob Pruitt returns to New York with a body of new works assembled under the title These Are the Days of Our Lives. Serving as a fitting reflection on the passage of time, social memory and the tumultuous, unforeseen changes of the past two years as they have unfolded across political and public realms, the show makes for a unique and insightful look into Pruitt’s studio practice and ongoing body of work.  Read More »

Nairy Baghramian, Side Leaps (Installation View), via Marian Goodman

Presenting a series of new works at Marian Goodman’s London Projects exhibition space, Nairy Baghramian’s Side Leaps brings a new series of enigmatic sculptural interpretations to the British capital. This is the first time that this body of work has been exhibited in the UK, with several drawings never having been seen previously, and showcases Baghramian’s use of sculpture and form as a starting point for conversations on space and perception.  Read More »

Simone Leigh at Hauser & Wirth, via Art Observed

After a long hiatus and the challenges posed in the wake of months of crippling pandemic lockdowns, the Frieze Art Fair has returned to Regent’s Park in London for its annual run, bringing with it over 160 international galleries and a range of projects and talks that underscore its continued vitality in the world of contemporary art. The full first edition back in the British capital since the fair was forced to cancel its 2020 edition due to Covid-19, this year’s opening was a return to form, filling its exhibition halls with a range of diverse works and artists from around the globe. Read More »

Ibrahim Mahama,  (2019-2021), via White Cube

Marking his third show with White Cube, artist Ibrahim Mahama brings together a body of new works addressing the passage of time, the notion of obsolescence and the potential for regeneration. The Ghanian artist, whose work often incorporates materials from the everyday landscape of his home in Tamale, touches down at the gallery’s Bermondsey exhibition space for Lazarus, a show that draws reference from the biblical story of a miracle resurrection and one of Mahama’s works on view, a group of suspended sculptures formed from armatures made of metal rebar and draped with tarpaulin, which together take on the form of cloaked figures or large bats. Haunting and ethereal, the work challenges framings of economic and cultural history in his home country and abroad.  Read More »

Anish Kapoor, Blackness From Her Womb (2021), via Lisson

On view now at Lisson Gallery in London, Anish Kapoor presents a new series of paintings, an element of his practice that has rarely been seen, exploring the intimate and ritualistic nature of his work. Created over the past year, the show provides a poetic view of the artist’s recent preoccupations, while delving into his more expressive and visceral modes of practice. The exhibition is presented in conjunction with the artist’s show at Modern Art Oxford. Read More »

Issy Wood, What if you showed up (detail) (2021), via Carlos Ishikawa

Marking the latest entry in a body of work that has long evaded easy classification, painter Issy Wood has opened a show of new works this month at Carlos/Ishikawa, continuing her exploration of the painted canvas as a site for the juxtaposition of realities, memories and figments of the imagination. Read More »

Ron Nagle, Pink Flamenco (2021), via Matthew Marks

Ron Nagle is known for his intimately scaled sculptures made of ceramic elements that are slip-cast, fired, and embellished with epoxy and other synthetic materials that allow him to expand his forms beyond the limits of clay. Evoking otherworldly landscapes or surreal architectural arrangements, Nagle’s inventive works elicit a vast range of associations. A new exhibition of the artist’s work is now on at Matthew Marks in New York. Read More »