Joy Garnett: 'Poof' (2010) oil on canvas, 48 x 60 inches.
via Saatchi Online Magazine:
Doug McClemont’s Top 10 Shows in New York: November 2010
John Baldessari @ The Met
www.metmuseum.org
through January 9, 2011
This fifty-year survey of the Los Angeles conceptual artist is as comprehensive as it is hilarious. Entitled “Pure Beauty,” the retrospective just arrived in New York from LA, and the rarely seen video works are the stars here. Some consider the artist to be a cranky old fraud, but I’m a sucker for his photographic interventions. C’mon, you gotta love a guy who once cremated some of his early work and actually made cookies with a portion of the ashes.
Chris Vasell @ Team Gallery
www.teamgal.com
through December 18th
Another LA artist, Vasell creates collages from paint and the flotsam of contemporary life, including bottle caps, cardboard, and cigarette butts. Heavily reminiscent of Daniel Spoerri’s glued tabletop dinner pieces, Vasell’s assemblages are clearly the handiwork of a sophisticated, naughty young man.
Tony Oursler @ Lehmann Maupin Gallery
www.lehmannmaupin.com
through December 5th.
In its Lower East Side space, the gallery is presenting “Peak” by video prestidigitator Oursler. It is difficult not to be charmed by his creepy, performative sculptures. They channel sculptor Jean Tinguely and might evoke personal associations such as MTV or Sigmund Freud.
Joy Garnett at Winkleman Gallery
www.winkleman.com
through November 13th
Garnett’s rendering of apocalyptic fireworks and cryptic explosions celebrate what paint can do. Her brushstrokes reveal a master colorist’s touch while leaving the meaning of the paintings—whether celebratory or ominous—to the interpretation of viewer. [sic]
Gail Gregg @ Luise Ross Gallery
www.luiserossgallery.com
through November 13th
The artist finds vintage family photo albums, strips them of the actual photographs and displayed the altered and faded pages. She manages to evoke universal emotions by denying us the faces of these long dead people. The works are striking for their formal qualities as well as their poignancy.
Mylinh Nguyen: General Public Library @ Art In General
www.artingeneral.org
through November 13th
Imagine a reading room with a constantly expanding supply of books selected by artists and designers. Art In General’s Storefront Project Space is currently a little library of donated publications facilitated by designer Mylinh Nguygen. It’s a little bit hippie, a little bit Yoko Ono but nonetheless thought-provoking taken on its own terms. And the catalogue of books contains things you won’t see in many other places.
Erwin Wurm @ Jack Hanley Gallery
www.jackhanley.com
through December 4th
On Halloween night, you can drop by the opening of this knee-slapper of a show entitled Selbstportrait als essiggurkerl. Translation: Self-portrait as Pickle. Wurm will be displaying 26 hand-painted resin pickle sculptures vertically on plinths of varying heights. Speaking as a lover of art and pickles, I can’t wait.
Photography Benefit and Auction @ Aperture Foundation
November 1st is the date this year’s photography benefit for this venerable institution. In addition to supporting a solid arts organization, attendees can pick up photogaphic works by well-known artists as well as new talent, often at bargain prices. The live and silent auctions feature some spectacular work. Included are memorable images by Diane Arbus, James Welling, Hank Willis Thomas, Joel Meyerwitz and Mickalene Thomas. Tickets for the cocktail party and auction begin at $150, but anyone can bid online by going to www.auction.aperture.org.
Lost Horizon @ Artjail
www.articleprojects.blogspot.com
through November 13th
A group show curated by David Gibson that includes works in various media by Erik Benson, John Berens, Monika Bravo, Eduardo Cervantes, Sally Curcio, Jonathan Feldschuh, Laura Harrison, Madeleine Hatz, Jeff Konigsberg, Michelle Mackey, Dana Melamed, Dean Monogenis, Ross Racine, Asya Reznikov, Kristen Schiele, Kimberly Sexton, Philip Simmons, Mary Ann Strandell, Miryana Todorova, Michael Zansky, J.G. Zimmerman. The exhibition presents various interpretations of architecture in cityscapes, and includes some real clunkers. But it is well worth checking out for the contributions from Kimberly Sexton and Miryana Todorova, among others.
Lombard Fried Gallery Re-opening
www.lombard-freid.com
The November event that I am most looking forward to is the opening of the new posh, ground floor home of Lombard Freid Gallery. It’s on West 19th directly across from David Zwirner Gallery and adjacent to the Frank Gehry birthday cake building. The upcoming season holds much promise from within the gallery’s whip smart program. November 6th is the inaugural exhibition and will feature the wacky work of gallery artist William Earl Kofmehl III.
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