Video on site for Art Observed by Samuel Sveen.

A glowing sky over Greenpoint in Brooklyn drew several thousand art and light enthusiasts for the Bring To Light | Nuit Blanche New York 2011 light festival, a one-night event on October 1st. Wandering a playground and weaving through dark warehouse alleys, even out onto the India Street Pier, visitors could see over 50 installations—depending on how hard they looked—including sculptures, light projections, interactive installations, and live music and performances by both established and emerging artists. ‘Nuit Blanche’ translates to ‘white night’ or ‘all-nighter,’ a European tradition turned art festival ten years ago in Paris. New York’s second annual installment was joined by not only Paris, but also Brussels and Toronto in a simultaneous night of light, an effort to “re-imagine public space and civic life.”

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The artist, Richard Prince. All pictures by Caroline Claisse for Art Observed.

Art Observed was on site for the opening “American Prayer” featuring works by American artist Richard Prince at the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris. A book enthusiast and collector of American pop culture and counter culture ephemera, on view are works by the artist relating to American literature books, a consistent source of inspiration and a material he often incorporates into his oeuvre. The exhibit includes two examples of his famous “Nurse” paintings from his personal collection presented to the public for the first time.

Vitrine 16: Sex & Drug & Rock & Roll. Untitled (Jimi Hendrix), 1992-93 by Richard Prince, T-shirt and oil on canvas © Richard Prince, Courtesy Gagosian Gallery

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The Three Shades (1881-1886) by August Rodin via Gagosian Gallery

Currently on view at the Gagosian Gallery in Paris is an unprecedented exhibition pairing the works of acclaimed nineteenth-century sculptor Auguste-Rodin (1840-1917) with acclaimed present-day Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto (b.1948).  The exhibition features three monumental works by the late French sculpture including The Three Shades (c.1880), Monument to Victor Hugo (1897), and the Whistler Muse (1908). Sugimoto’s work revolves around the relation of images to sculpted light. Seen side-by-side Rodin’s powerful works is his series Stylized Sculptures (2007) in which he selected distinct garments by some of the world’s most celebrated fashion designers and photographed them in such a way as to reveal their inherent sculptural qualities.

Stylized Sculpture 008, designer: Yves Saint Laurent (2007) by Hiroshi Sugimoto, via Gagosian Gallery

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Slave Auction (1982) by Jean-Michel Basquiat, via Musee d’Art Moderne

Currently on view at the Musee d’Art Modern in Paris is a retrospective of the work American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat.  Featuring a hundred major pieces including paintings, drawings and objects from numerous collections and museums in the United States and Europe, the show marks the fiftieth anniversary of Basquiat’s death and is the first exhibition of such a scale of the artist’s work ever to be held in France. The exhibition offers the viewer a chronological view of the artist’s career and his influence on post-1980s art history.

Untitled (Fallen Angel) (1981) by Jean-Michel Basquiat, via Musee d’Art Moderne

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Installation image, all photos by Caroline Claisse for Art Observed unless otherwise noted

Currently on view at the Palais de Toyko is Fresh Hell, a group exhibition curated by British-born New York-based artist Adam McEwen.  Shedding a bit of dark humor on the city of Paris, McEwen brings together medieval sculpture and conceptual work from artists long forgotten as well as contemporary artists, pondering just what sort of position and creative endeavors an artist can make in today’s world. The works deal with morbidity, decay, and notions of ‘the end,’ making Death the principle theme.

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Isa Genzken, Mona Isa III (Elefant), 2010. All images via Galerie Chantal Crousel

In her Mona Isa exhibit at the Chantal Crousel, Isa Genzken draws on iconic historical images and common modern objects to create a collection of works that bring a new relevance to both the monumental and the everyday. Taking from the concept of objective abstraction, even in her sculptures, Genzken’s work brings the surface meaning of an image or object into question.

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Pay the Debt to Nature (2010) by Kaws, via Galerie Perrotin

Currently on view at the Galerie Perrotin in Paris is New York- based artist Kaws‘ “Pay the Debt to Nature.” The exhibition reveals a collection of nine paintings, five grisailles, and three monumental sculptures in fiberglass of his fetish personalities, including “Companion,” a pirate skull on the body of Micky Mouse and “Accomplice,” replicating the head of a rabbit.

Blackout (2010) by Kaws, via Galerie Perrotin

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