FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Marc Swanson, Untitled (Sitting Buck), 2009,polyurethane foam, crystals, adhesive, 34 x 40 x 50 inches,© the artist, courtesy Richard Gray Gallery, photo by Joe Mama-Nitzberg

REFLECTION: May 6- July 1, 2010

Opening reception: Thursday, May 6, 6 - 8 pm

Nathan Bernstein Gallery is pleased to present Reflection, a group show featuring the work of Lynda Benglis, Sanford Biggers, James Lee Byars, Tony Feher, Douglas Gordon, Jacob Kassay, Roy Lichtenstein, Nancy Lorenz, Donald Moffett, Anne Peabody, Louise Nevelson, Shinique Smith, Marc Swanson, Andy Warhol, and Rob Wynne.

While the term reflection speaks to the decorative and opulent quality of works created in precious metal materials, it also signifies contemplation and introspection. Reflection is rooted in memories of past experiences.

Artworks created in metallic mediums have tremendous presence. The choice of the artist to use metallic imagery is quite deliberate; initially seducing viewers with their sexy or in some cases flashy kitsch appeal, all of the works also invite a narrative or subsequent readings that are much more demanding than their initial dazzling aesthetic effects. Executed in a variety of mediums including freestanding sculpture, paintings, and wall reliefs, the selected works in this exhibition enter into a dialogue that explores the notion of reflection as simple glittering beauty versus reflection as remembrance.

Manipulation of silver paint leads to pleats reminiscent of ancient Greek drapery in the case of Lynda Benglis’ knot works and to the illusion of a woven tapestry made of silver in Donald Moffett’s piece. These elegant and sensual wall works play with texture and three-dimensionality. Nancy Lorenz’ssumptuous and bulbous golden abstract forms contrasted with plain wood evoke the Japanese sensibilities of her time spent in Japan as a child. Jacob Kassay manipulates paint by electroplating the canvas. What emerges are desirable mirror-like forms with smoky burned edges that hover between monochromatic painting and funhouse mirrors that distort and intrigue the viewer. The visual style ofJames Lee Byars is minimal bordering on ephemeral. Using simple yet symbolic geometric forms, his gold circle drawings with black markings act as meditative focal points for the viewer.

At first glance Sanford Biggers’s sculptures seem to simply be the lawn jockeys so familiar to American suburbanites. However, the artist actually references the changing history of the figure over time; by using chrome, the melting imagery becomes high art that challenges the viewer to ponder is this representative of the evolution or dissolution of man. Anne Peabody’s imagery in lustrous silver leaf is based upon a true narrative of her personal experience and memory, however, she hopes that viewers will bring their own stories to the works forming an intimate connection with the art. “Untitled (Sitting Buck)” by Marc Swanson deals with issues of sexual identity. Swanson beddazles male-identified objects familiar to him from his childhood, in this case a symbol of hunting, with crystals often associated with the gay culture he learned to embrace.

Tony Feher’s work is all about recognizing the beauty in everyday things. By using cardboard boxes and glitter he makes the mundane extraordinary. The hanging sculpture by Louise Nevelson also gives grandeur to the discarded and banal through the use of monochromatic color. She eliminates the individuality of each object to create a unified whole in gold. Mirrored wall text by Rob Wynne gives a monumental feel to phrases he hears or comes across in everyday life. He plays visually with the familiar and what becomes important to him is the composition and shape of the work, not the literal meaning of the words. Shinique Smith’s work is rooted in the street culture she grew up in yet is very much a part of the world of high art. She blends clothing, found objects, and paint into assemblages that force the viewer to deal with issues of excess and the easiness of disposal in our society.

Highly desirable not only for their glamorous diamond dust sparkle but also for their use of iconic imagery, Andy Warhol’s portraits from the 1970s aid in the careful crafting of larger than life personas such as the artist Georgia O’Keeffe. Douglas Gordon’s homage to his predecessor Warhol is obvious in his 2008 work, “1 piece multi Marilyn.” Clearly the power of an icon such as Marilyn Monroe still exists, however, Gordon has burned the floating image and adds a mirror inviting the viewer to become part of the art work thus getting his/her own fifteen minutes of fame.

A color catalogue accompanies the exhibition.

For additional information contact: Nicole Berry at 212.288.8970 or nicole@nathanbernsteinart.com

GALLERY HOURS: Monday-Friday 10 to 6 or by appointment

EVENT HORIZON: ANTONY GORMLEY IN MADISON SQ. PARK

Event Horizon figure

For those of you who are regular readers, you already know that I am a huge fan of the artist Antony Gormley. Well, for his public art installation currently on view in Madison Square Park in Manhattan, he hits it out of the park–pun intended. Though the work was originally created in 2007 for London’s South Bank, there is something special about placing this work in New York City. Not only is there a wider variety of building heights in the New York project but also, in a city where people are constantly on the go and rarely take the time to stop and take in their surroundings, this wonderful piece gives you a reason to pause and simply look up. As the artist states, “Event Horizon hopes to activate the skyline in order to encourage people to look around. In this process of looking and finding, or looking and seeking, one perhaps re-assesses one’s own position in the world and becomes aware of one’s status of embedment.”

The installation is made up of 31 life-sized sculptures based on Gormley’s own body. The forms have no details thus representing all humans, not just a particular man or woman. Cast in iron and fiberglass, 27 of the figures can be found perched atop buildings and 4 are set at ground level amongst visitors to the park. The show is about: the palpable, the perceivable and the imaginable. As you encounter the strategically placed figures on the street, you notice others in the distance. If you are standing in the right spot, you can get the impression that they go on forever. On view through August 15th, everyone in NY should head to see this work. And if you get hungry, Shake Shack is right there–this gives you something to do while you wait on line for your burger. Enjoy!

RYAN McGINLEY at TEAM GALLERY

India, 2010, gelatin silver print, 18 x 12 inches, edition of three

“Everybody Knows this is Nowhere” is the name of the show that just ended at Team Gallery. I was lucky enough to hear the artist speak about his work. Both large color and smaller black and white photographs were on view. I was immediately drawn to the small portraits of young people in their teens and twenties. Each work captures the essence of the sitter and the Bohemian nature of youth. There is clearly a connection that developed between the sitter and artist as all of his models are nude and spent a good amount of time in his studio getting comfortable with the notion of being photographed. Hung in a large grouping the viewer’s eye darts back and forth from image to image until it stops upon a particular detail or facial expression that draws one in. Ryan, the artist, was very humble but poised and articulate. It is clear that he loves what he does. Coming from a large family, he feels close to all of his models and considers them “family.” Ryan’s work became even more intriguing with the anecdotes he shared with us about many of the sitters and the “perfect moment” when he captured their essence. It made me want to have my picture taken by him–unfortunately, my youth does not spring eternal and I fear I have passed the age limit for his portraits.

Michael, 2010, gelatin silver print, 18 x 12 inches, edition of three

SFMoMA: Luc Tuymans, Ewan Gibbs, and their 75th anniversary show

Luc Tuymans

The Tuyman’s show on the top floor of San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art is a good one if you have never seen a Tuyman’s show before. Fortunately, I had seen one previously at the Tate Modern which was excellent and so I was a bit underwhelmed by this one. The exhibition is broken into sections: works based on polaroids that have no real connecting theme; a group of works he made based on medical photographs; works based on Holocaust events; works related to his home country’s colonization of the Belgian Congo; and works he created in 2005 related to the Bush administration. I really like that there was not a lot of wall text. With some of his work the background information is helpful, but so much of what I like about Tuyman’s paintings are the spaces he creates for the viewer to enter and contemplate without the “noise” of too much extraneous information. His muted palette and minimalistic compositions are a wonder to behold.

Ewan Gibbs, San Francisco, 2009; graphite on paper; commissioned by SFMOMA; © Ewan Gibbs; photo: courtesy the artist and Timothy Taylor Gallery, London

It is necessary to get up close to a suite of drawings of San Francisco by Bristish artist Ewan Gibbs. Made up of thousands of pencil marks in lines, dots, and dashes, he creates drawings of the most famous landmarks of the city including the Golden Gate Bridge and Coit Tower. Up close they simply appear as abstracted marks (similar to the way Chuck Close creates works but on a miniscule scale); however, from afar they are subtle works of beauty reminiscent  of the landscape one sees in the foggy atmosphere of the City by the Bay.

Ewan Gibbs, San Francisco, 2009; graphite on paper; commissioned by SFMOMA; © Ewan Gibbs; photo: courtesy the artist and Timothy Taylor Gallery, London

Andy Warhol, A Set of Six Self-Portraits, 1967; oil and silkscreen ink on canvas; Collection SFMOMA, gift of Michael D. Abrams; © Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

“The Anniversary Show” celebrates 75 years as a formidable institution and displays more than 400 works from the permanent collection. It is a lot to take in. I preferred the exhibition called “Focus on Artists.” This show highlights the work of 18 modern and contemporary artists whose work the museum has amassed over the years. Each room includes multiple works by these artists and is a joy to meander through without becoming overwhelmed. “The first half of the exhibition includes eight American artists whose practice fundamentally impacted the development of abstract art in the United States: Richard Diebenkorn, Philip Guston, Ellsworth Kelly, Brice Marden, Robert Ryman, Richard Serra, Frank Stella, and Clyfford Still. The second section showcases an international selection of artists — Diane Arbus, Matthew Barney, Robert Gober, Dan Graham, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, Doris Salcedo, Kara Walker, Jeff Wall, and Andy Warhol — whose work has signaled a shift toward more psychological, social, and historical content in art.” (www.sfmoma.org) In an afternoon you can see the Tuymans, the “Focus on Artists,” and the Ewan Gibbs show and still have energy to hit the rest of the SF sights.

Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century at MoMA

Salamanca, Spain 1963

Born in 1908 to a wealthy family who made their money manufacturing sewing thread, Henri Cartier-Bresson wanted to avoid going into the family business and desired to become a painter–he ended up becoming a photographer who would change modern photography instead.

In the 1920s, photography was a century old but was not thought of as an art form. There were, however, a group of young Turkish artists who experimented with the medium of photography as art. In 1888 Eastman invented the first Kodak film camera. It was not considered a tool for serious photography which required a tripod and a large format camera. But by the 1920s small cameras became of interest to young artists because it freed one from the tripod and art became more spontaneous. By the early 1930s Cartier-Bresson made lots of pictures that became the cornerstone of modern photography.

Houston, TX 1957

The maps at the entrance to the exhibition trace the routes that Cartier-Bresson traveled throughout his lifetime. These travels allowed him to photograph and expose people to cultures around the globe including: Europe, China, India, Indonesia, America, etc. His oeuvre includes candid shots of people from the Old World who used practices from before the Industrial Revolution that were slowly disappearing to shots of the Modern World–portraits, landscapes, poor, wealthy–he captured moments of the everyday from all walks of life.

He was a prisoner of war in World War II in a forced work camp and his work changed as a result of that experience. Photojournalism became the vehicle through which he captured the climate of the world. In his early career in the 1930s he turned ordinary moments into the magical. This shifted to capturing the interaction among people demonstrating trends of the particular culture he was photographing.

The exhibition does a nice job of chronologically laying out Cartier-Bresson’s works throughout his career. It is amazing to me that he could have covered so much ground and photographed such varied subject matter with almost every single work being beautiful and remarkable in its own way. Truly a master of photography, you should definitely make this a show to see in NYC before it closes on June 28th.