REAL TALK: 09.28.09

"Every good painter paints what he is."

Jackson Pollock

MATTHEW CHAMBERS extended through 10.17.09

MATTHEW CHAMBERS:
An Activity so Pure

NOW THROUGH OCTOBER 17


RENTAL
120 EAST BROADWAY 6TH FLOOR NY NY 10002
T. 212.608.6002 INFO@RENTAL-GALLERY.COM
www.rental-gallery.com

ELLIOTT ERWITT at CLIC Gallery

“It’s about reacting to what you see, hopefully without preconception. You can find pictures anywhere. It’s simply a matter of noticing things and organizing them. You just have to care about what’s around you and have a concern with humanity and the human comedy.”



Elliott Erwitt
Magnum Photographer since 1953



Born in Paris in 1928 to Russian parents, Erwitt spent his childhood in Milan, then emigrated to the US, via France, with his family in 1939. As a teenager living in Hollywood, he developed an interest in photography and worked in a commercial darkroom before experimenting with photography at Los Angeles City College. In 1948 he moved to New York and exchanged janitorial work for film classes at the New School for Social Research.

Erwitt traveled in France and Italy in 1949 with his trusty Rolleiflex camera. In 1951 he was drafted for military service and undertook various photographic duties while serving in a unit of the Army Signal Corps in Germany and France.

While in New York, Erwitt met Edward Steichen, Robert Capa and Roy Stryker, the former head of the Farm Security Administration. Stryker initially hired Erwitt to work for the Standard Oil Company, where he was building up a photographic library for the company, and subsequently commissioned him to undertake a project documenting the city of Pittsburgh.

In 1953 Erwitt joined Magnum Photos and worked as a freelance photographer for Collier's, Look, Life, Holiday and other luminaries in that golden period for illustrated magazines. To this day he is for hire and continues to work for a variety of journalistic and commercial outfits.

In the late 1960s Erwitt served as Magnum's president for three years. He then turned to film: in the 1970s he produced several noted documentaries and in the 1980s eighteen comedy films for Home Box Office. Erwitt became known for benevolent irony, and for a humanistic sensibility traditional to the spirit of Magnum.


Book Signing with Elliott Erwitt
Thursday, October 1, 6-8 pm



255 Centre Street
(corner Broome Street)
New York, NY 10013

info@clicgallery.com
ph. 212-966-2766


Clic Bookstore & Gallery
New York - East Hampton - St. Barth
www.clicgallery.com

Source

PORTFOLIO | RYAN McGINLEY | Nudes

The youngest artist ever to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art — back in 2003, at the age of 26 — Ryan McGinley is one of the shining stars of his generation. An intuitive photographer, McGinley has been capturing the spirit of his age on film for more than a decade. For his first solo show in London, Moonmilk at Alison Jacques Gallery, the artist has assembled an amazing body of work with a singular, sensational theme: nude, young people shot in striking, cavernous realms across America.

More....

Inside the Gagosian’s New Upper East Side Shop

When it comes to the business of selling art, no one rivals Gagosian Gallery. The gallery boasts five beautifully designed New York locations; two well-appointed London spaces; a stylish Beverly Hills gallery, which will soon be expanded; galleries in Athens and Rome; and offices in Hong Kong and La Jolla, California. And, lately, rumors have been flying about possible future spaces in Paris and Geneva. While most museums, and many galleries, are cutting staffs and expenses, Gagosian’s empire is growing.

Now comes Gagosian, the first retail outpost of the Gagosian Gallery, which opens today on the ground floor of 988 Madison Avenue, where the gallery has fifth and sixth floor spaces. The 2,500-square-foot corner space, which Gagosian is renting from mega-art collector Aby Rosen, was designed by Daniel Rowen Architects with MN Design, in collaboration with the gallery. The store features publications, posters, prints, and limited editions by gallery artists including Damien Hirst, Richard Prince, Cecily Brown, Marc Newson, and Jeff Koons; the store also features a video-projection wall, a reading room, and standout pieces of modern furniture design, used to display the goods.

For more, click HERE.

FRIDAY FOLIO: The Creative Art Growth Center

ART. (ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT IT)

PAPER contributed to the madness that was Art Basel Miami by teaming up with Zune Arts for "ART. (ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT IT)," an exhibit held in the PAPER Tent at the Raleigh. The show featured works by trendy, of-the-moment artists as interpreted by artists from the Creative Growth Art Center. According to exhibit curator (and PAPER editor and publisher) Kim Hastreiter:

"I thought it would be fun to stick a proverbial needle in the huge balloon that has become the ever-inflating hyped art frenzy that's so perfectly personified here this week at Miami's Art Basel Fair. And so, I invited the extraordinary artists at Creative Growth Art Center to level the field and reinterpret iconic works by some of the hottest artists of this moment. By injecting the natural honesty, purity, inspiration, and levity of these artists work into the insanity that goes on here this week, I wanted to invite art world "insiders" here in Miami this week to step outside and throw preconceived notions aside for a moment and look at art in a different way."

Pictured below are selections from the exhibit.

The Creative Growth Art Center located in Oakland, California, serves physically, mentally and developmentally disabled adult artists, providing a stimulating environment for artistic instruction, gallery promotion and personal expression.


















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Coming Soon...WESTON'S WESTONS

Iconic and Rare
Edward Weston Prints
from the Cole Weston Trust

September 19 - October 24


Danziger Projects
534 West 24th Street
New York, NY 10011
Telephone 212.629.6778
info@danzigerprojects.com
www.danzigerprojects.com

Daily Portrait: 'Si le Grain ne Meurt'-Christian Schoeler

Robert Mapplethorpe: PERFECTION IN FORM

Robert Mapplethorpe: Perfection in Form
10:30 am Thursday Sep 17, 2009
by Paul Laster

There have been copious shows of Robert Mapplethorpe’s photography in the years since his AIDS-related death in 1989, but none of those exhibitions has reached the grandeur of Perfection in Form at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy. Home to Michelangelo’s magnificent statue of David and other great Renaissance works of art, the Accademia opens its sacred galleries to contemporary art and photography for the very first time.

Inspired by a conversation between musician and artist Patti Smith — Mapplethorpe’s first companion and muse — and art historian Jonathan K. Nelson, co-curator of the show, Perfection in Form mixes the sculptures and drawings of Michelangelo with Mapplethorpe’s formalist nudes, portraits, and still lifes. Nelson and Franca Falletti, director of the Galleria dell’Accademia, have assembled more than 100 works by the two artists to construct a conversation between the past and present — and what Smith describes as a “realization of Robert’s dream.”

Mapplethorpe’s nude figure studies of female body-builder Lisa Lyons and sculpted black musclemen Ken, Thomas, Ajitto, and Tyler are juxtaposed with Michelangelo’s Sketch for the Risen Christ in the Last Judgment and marble sculpture The Bearded Prisoner. The old master’s drawings of hands are compared to the contemporary photographer’s fragmented body parts. Meanwhile, Mapplethorpe’s use of square and circular framing devices for portraits and figure studies are shown in relation to Michelangelo’s ground plans for churches.

Additionally, an abstract etching by Brice Marden and a group of Electric Chair prints by Andy Warhol — both artists Mapplethorpe photographed — and a photograph and sculpture of nude torsos by Man Ray, an artist who influenced Mapplethorpe, are on view, along with a photograph of a sculpture by Italian modernist Ettore Spalletti, which keeps the dialogue going. Elsewhere, Mapplethorpe’s splendid black-and-white images of calla lilies, irises, bread, and grapes simply delight the eye.

While not the first show to associate the art of Robert Mapplethorpe with classical works — The Guggenheim Museum’s Robert Mapplethorpe and the Classical Tradition, from 2004, intriguingly compared many of the same photographs with Flemish Mannerist engravings — this show, which travels in 2010 to the Museo d’Arte della Città di Lugano in Switzerland, offers a fresh take on a compelling artist.

Robert Mapplethorpe: Perfection in Form, which is accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue, published by teNeues, is on view at the Galleria dell’Accademia through January 10, 2010. View a slideshow of featured works here>>

Source: FW

FINAL WEEKEND: James Ensor at MOMA

James Ensor
Through September 21

"A survey of hilarious, gruesome beauty"
—The New York Times

James Ensor (1860–1949), a key figure of the Belgian avant-garde, helped lay the foundations of early twentieth-century Expressionism with his provocative and often daring body of work. His choice of subject matter ranged from still life, landscape, and religious symbolism to more singular visions, including fantastical scenes with masks, skeletons, and other startling figures. Highlighting the artist's prominent use of satire, his deep interest in carnival and performance, and his unique, allegorical use of light, this major exhibition of approximately 120 paintings, prints, and drawings examines Ensor's contribution to modernity and reveals his influence on a generation of artists.

For more, click HERE.

A Proposition from KARA WALKER

A Proposition by Kara Walker: The object of Painting is the subjugated Body. The Painter is the colonizing entity. How do Paintings understand the concept of liberty? And who will teach them? (Friday, September 25 | 7 PM)

Propositions is a public forum that explores ideas in development. Inspired by the scientific method of hypothesis, research, and synthesis, each two-day seminar explores a topic of current investigation in an invited speaker's own artistic or intellectual practice. Over the course of a seminar session, these developing ideas are presented to the public, responded to, "researched," and discussed to propel the ideas forward in unique ways.

Kara Walker is among the most complex and prolific artists of her generation. Using drawing, painting, colored-light projections, writing, shadow puppetry, film, and video, Walker confounds the historical narrative, depicting scenes haunted by sexuality, violence, and subjugation. She has exhibited at Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the Walker Art Center, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. A 1997 recipient of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Achievement Award, Walker was the United States representative to the 2002 São Paolo Bienal in Brazil. Walker teaches at the School of the Arts at Columbia University.

For more, click HERE.

ANTHONY LISTER and The Curious Case of Consumerism

Australian-born artist Anthony Lister takes you on a journey that entails on the youth and consumerism. Set at New Image Art Gallery in Los Angeles, this exhibit is on display until who knows. To find out more, click HERE.

COLLABORATION: Yoko Ono for THREEASFOUR

Design trio ThreeASFOUR recently collaborated with Yoko Ono on their upcoming Spring 2010 Collection, making its debut on September 17th, 2009. The clothes were inspired by Ono’s rarely seen dot drawings, which the designers turned into limited-edition prints on cotton and silk, for the new collection. 50 Poster sets were made available for purchase exclusively through O.H.W.O.W., with each set consisting of 3 individual designs. The posters will be on display September 17th, 2009 at Milk Studios for the debut of the collection during New York City Fashion Week. For those interested in purchasing a set, they are now available in limited quantities via the O.H.W.O.W. online store.

SOURCE

Leibovitz Granted Extension

In a 13th-hour agreement on Friday, the photographer Annie Leibovitz avoided having to give up her homes and her artistic property to the finance company that had lent her $24 million. But all she may have won is time.

The Art Capital Group, which specializes in loans secured by artwork, had given Ms. Leibovitz a $24 million one-year loan that was due on Tuesday. As collateral, she pledged the rights to all of her intellectual property, including her photographs, as well as three adjoining town houses in Greenwich Village and a home in Rhinebeck, N.Y.

On Friday, three days after the deadline, Ms. Leibovitz and Art Capital announced that they had reached an agreement on a loan extension.

For more, click HERE.

Private Warhol collection stolen from L.A. home

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Authorities are looking for art thieves who made off with a collection of Andy Warhol paintings from a private residence last week, police in Los Angeles, California, said Friday.
Three of the Andy Warhol works stolen from a private collection: Chris Evert, Muhammad Ali and Pele.

The stolen pieces included large pop-art portraits of several famous athletes, including tennis pro Chris Evert, basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, soccer legend Pelé and Major League Baseball pitcher Tom Seaver, police said.

The multimillion-dollar collection had been displayed in the dining room of Richard Weisman, a Los Angeles businessman whose portait is among the missing items, police said.

The theft was discovered by one of Weisman's employees and occurred between September 2 and 3, police said.

A $1 million reward has been offered for information leading to the recovery of the art.

Source: CNN

Spaced Out/On Time

Spaced Out / On Time

Joan Brown
Sadie Laska
Chris Martin
Katherine Bernhardt
Otis Houston Jr.
Dona Nelson
Agathe Snow

September 11 - October 11, 2009
Opening reception: Friday, September 11, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM


CANADA is located at 55 Chrystie Street between Hester and Canal Streets in New York City. Gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday, 12 to 6 PM. For more information, please contact the gallery at 212-925-4631 or at gallery@canadanewyork.com