Venice in Venice was the first show I saw this year at the Biennale. I actually went to a panel discussion with some of the artists: Peter Alexander, Billy Al Bengston, Ron Cooper and Laddie John Dill. The show was curated by Tim Nye and Jacqueline Miro and was put on by Foundation 20 21 [...]

Fondazione Prada at Ca’ Corner della Regina
While there were some lovely works on view, I was not wowed by this show. The exhibition highlights works Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli have selected from the Prada Foundation’s collection. Curated by Germano Celant the show includes contemporary art as well as a section with Italian Art from [...]

Fondazione Emilio e Annabianca Vedova
Emilio Vedova who died in 2006 began artistic research in the 1930s when surrounded by the 17th century atmosphere of Venice. He was a major figure in the postwar art scene in the 1950s along with contemporaries Burri and Fontana and a leader in art informel movement. In 1997 he won [...]

Not only was Ileana Sonnabend a wonderful gallerist, but she was also an amazing collector in her own right. This exhibition includes works from her collection created by Italian artists and works by international artists that make reference to Italian culture. First married to Leo Castelli and later Michael Sonnabend, Ileana showed artists like Jasper [...]

The show at the Guggenheim is arranged chronologically. The focus is a short eight year period when artists were in a race to see who could be the “most modern.” The artists in this show were looking to Cezanne, van Gogh, Gauguin and Rousseau as inspiration in their quest to move art forward and shatter [...]

I have to start this entry with a side bar. I was rudely turned away from the press preview for this show even though I clearly write about art for a living. I feel it is my duty to write about such an important show but I wish I could snub Gagosian the way they [...]

Hearing an artist speak about his/her work always makes it so much more meaningful for me. So naturally I was thrilled to take part in an artist led tour of the exhibition of Gupta’s new work up through June 18th at Hauser and Wirth on the UES. The title of the show comes from a [...]

Though they were unveiled the day before my visit on a cold and dreary rainy day, I managed to see the animal heads on a beautiful spring day here in NYC. Somehow managing to be majestic and whimsical the work has a special poignancy due to the continued unknown whereabouts of the creator, Chinese artist [...]

With the weather improving it is time to head to Chelsea for some gallery hopping. Here are some of my suggestions:
West 24th Street
David Altmejd currently has his third solo show at Andrea Rosen Gallery. Two Plexiglas sculptures fill the main gallery. One could spend hours trying to see every detail and attempt to figure out [...]

There is a terrific little show at the Rubin Museum highlighting five artists working from the 1960s onward whose work has been influenced by Buddhism. Grain of Emptiness: Buddhism Inspired Contemporary Art showcases works by Charmion von Wiegand, Wolfgang Laib, Atta Kim, Theaster Gates and Sanford Biggers.
Von Wiegand, a friend of the painter Piet Mondrian, [...]