The Guardian has published an imaginative profile on Marcel Duchamp, noting some of the artist’s quirks and passions, including his avid chess-playing, his daring transportation of his art materials out of Nazi Germany posing as a cheese vendor, and his takes on quickly produced artworks: “Quick art, that’s been the characteristic of the whole century from the cubists on, ” he once said.  “The speed that’s being used in space, in communications, is also being used in art. But things of great importance in art have always to be slowly produced.” (more…)

Jorge Pardo at Petzel Gallery, via Art Observed

Through April 4^th, the work of artist Jorge Pardo will be on view at the Petzel Gallery, stretching the space into a bizarrely disorienting collection of objects and installations.  This is the Los Angeles-based artist’s eighth exhibition at this gallery, and continues Pardo’s investigation of architectural and non-specific spaces that interrogate the limits of the gallery-space, as well as the way the viewer is conditioned into looking at art.

Jorge Pardo, Spare Bedroom (2014), All images courtesy Friedrich Petzel Gallery (more…)

Three Pieces from Mira Schendel’s Spray Series, via Art Observed

Late last year, when Hauser and Wirth opened its show of Brazilian Neo-Constructivist, Concrete and Neo-Concrete works, the few works on view by Mira Schendel immediately stood out.  Light, effortless prices of rice paper printed with China ink and left hanging encased in glass, the works sat somewhere between linguistic deconstruction, minimalism and light art, tracing slight reflections of light over the multi-surface piece.  Among a show of boldly colored works and large, impressive sculptures, Schendel’s work stood out for its soft focus and minimal exertions of color.

Mira Schendel, Untitled (from series Discos) (1971-73), via Hauser and Wirth (more…)

Richard Tuttle, a work from Looking for the Map, via Art Observed

On view at Pace New York from February 7th through March 15th is an exhibition comprised of drawings and studies artist Richard Tuttle has made to prepare for his large-scale commission at the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, opening in October of this year.

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Eva Hesse, June 1959, all images courtesy Hamburger Kunsthalle

On view at Hamburger Kunsthalle is a solo exhibition of works by Jewish German-born Eva Hesse, one of the most prominent female artists of the 20th century. Entitled One More than One. the display is composed of art objects and sculptures made from polyester, fiberglass and latex, illustrating textural juxtapositions between hard and soft, fragility and sturdiness. The exhibition will continue through March 2, 2014.

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Björn and Dieter Roth, Selbstturm (1994-2013), via HangarBiocca

HangarBicocca, Milan’s 12,000 square meter former industrial space turned gallery, is the perfect place for Björn and Dieter Roth’s Islands exhibition. The huge interactive installation, curated by HangarBicocca’s Artistic Advisor Vicente Todolí (the former Director of the Tate Modern in London), interacts with the space beautifully, creating a unique environment defined by the artists. Visitors are drawn into the artwork as they walk through the several “islands” created by groupings of work: walls of paintings and prints, sculptures, an installation of repurposed materials, musical instruments, furniture, screens and household items that visitors are encouraged to interact with, including the 131 screens of Dieter Roth’s well-known video diary, the floors from the artists’ studio, and their sculptures: Zuckerturm (Sugar Tower), 1994-2013 and Selbstturm (Self Tower), 1994-2013. (more…)

Collectors Keith and Katherine Sachs, longtime supporters of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, have endowed the institution with 97 works by Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Brice Marden and Gerhard Richter, among others, valued at over $70 million.  This museum has always been committed to contemporary art,” said Museum Director Timothy Rub. “Now, with the Sachs gift, we will have one of the best collections of contemporary art in the country. It’s transformative.” (more…)

Hiroshi Sugimoto, Accelerated Buddha, exhibition view, all images courtesy Fondation Pierre Bergé

Currently on view at Fondation Pierre Bergé Yves Saint Laurent is an exhibition of work by Japanese artist Hiroshi Sugimoto, exploring the historical/cultural emergence and relevance of Buddhism in Japanese culture. Entitled Accelerated Buddha, the exhibition is the gallery’s 20th exhibition, which opened on October 10th and will run through January 26th 2013.

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Cyprien Gaillard, Today Diggers, Tomorrow Dickens (Installation View), via Art Observed

Coming off his impeccable retrospective at MoMA PS1 earlier this year, Cyprien Gaillard returns to New York with two series of works that continue his fascination with the complexly layered experience of history, and the forces that keep this process constantly in flux.  Moving towards a more active exploration of these phenomena, Gaillard’s show feels as if the artist is taking a more active role in his creative inquiries.

Cyprien Gaillard, Today Diggers, Tomorrow Dickens (Installation View), via Gladstone Gallery (more…)

Martin Creed, Work No. 1690: Self-portrait (2013), Courtesy Hauser & Wirth and Gavin Brown’s Enterprise

On November 8th, Hauser & Wirth and Gavin Brown’s enterprise opened parallel solo exhibitions in New York City featuring works by Scottish artist Martin Creed. The exhibitions will present new works in addition to selections from the past thirty years of his career. The display will remain on view at the two New York locations through December 21st 2013.

Martin Creed at Gavin Brown (Installation View), via Gavin Brown

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John Baldessari, Double Play: Eggs and Sausage (2012), Courtesy of Champagne Holdings, LLC © John Baldessari

On view at Garage Moscow, co-curated by Garage’s new Chief Curator Kate Fowle and International Advisor Hans Ulrich Obrist, 1+1=1 is the first exhibition of work by John Baldessari in Russia. The exhibition is a compilation of Baldessari’s most recent series of paintings, exploring the relationship between text and image in visual art.

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Mike Kelley, Torture Table (1992), via Skarstedt Gallery

Exploring the darker aspects of American post-modernism and urbanization, New York’s Skarstedt Gallery is presenting a tightly curated show of work by Mike Kelley, Cady Noland, Richard Prince, and Christopher Wool, exploring the artists’ various approaches to the contemporary images of American culture and economics.   Titled Murdered Out, the group show is inspired by an urban slang term, referring to a car painted all black matte. Taking this turn, the show explores American culture “through a masked, or ‘blackened-out’ lens.” (more…)

The 2012 Turner Prize nominee formerly known Spartacus Chetwynd has undergone another identity change, documenting the process in The Guardian this week. Originally named Alalia Cichosz before changing her name in 2006, the artist has yet again changed her name to Marvin Gaye Chetwynd, in honor of the deceased soul singer.  “For the last six months or so, I’ve been thinking about changing my name again – this time to Marvin Gaye Chetwynd. Again, it’s a good experiment. It could work like a shield, or a spell. In the end I just thought: ‘I’m going to try it, because nothing matters very much.'” She writes. (more…)

John Baldessari, Man Fixing Curlers in Woman’s Hair (2013), all images by Sophie Kitching for Art Observed unless otherwise noted

On view at Sprüth Magers Berlin is a solo exhibition of new works by L.A.-based John Baldessari: large-format storyboard canvases he created in 2013.

The opening for John Baldessari’s Storyboard (in 4 Parts)
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Argentine artist and activist Leon Ferrari has passed away at the age of 92.  Ferrari, whose works often invoked Roman Catholic imagery in conjunction with images of imperialism and military power, frequently drew the scorn and ire of religious leaders, including current Catholic leader Pope Francis.  While serving as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis, then known by his birthname Jorge Mario Bergoglio, had condemned Ferrari for his blasphemous images of the Holy Mother in an electric blender.  “Leon Ferrari hasn’t left, he’ll stay with us,” said Estela de Carlotto, president of human rights group Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo in an interview. “He’s left so much with us that happily he’ll never be forgotten.” (more…)

Art F City’s weekly STUFF column took an interesting twist this week, as artist John Baldessari was invited to contribute a list of his ten most prized possessions.  Rather following his cue, the artist submitted a list of 10 incredibly wealthy individuals, including photographs of each billionaire’s personal yacht.  True to form, Baldessari’s witty subversion offers a pointed commentary on the fetishization of material objects. (more…)