Alvin Langdon Coburn (British, 1882-1966). Henri Matisse painting Bathers by a River, May 13, 1913. Photograph. Courtesy of George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film, Rochester, 1979:3924:0012.

This highly focused exhibition takes a look at one of the “most innovative, momentous and little studied periods in the long career of Matisse.” It begins when he left Morocco and returned to Paris in 1913 and ends when he left Paris for Nice in 1917. The works from these years are extremely reworked –abstraction reigns and darker colors begin to invade Matisse’s palette. Visible scrapes and incisions can be seem on some canvases.

Bathers with a Turtle, 1908, courtesy The St. Louis Art Museum

The first gallery looks at figurative works leading up to 1913. In 1907-1909 one can see the influence of Cezanne in Matisse’s figures. On view is the work Three Bathers by Cezanne which Matisse actually owned for himself. In the 1907-8 work, Bathers with a Turtle, you can see the evidence that Matisse was reworking his canvases.

Due to the negative reaction his works received in the 1910 Salon d; Automne, Matisse began to withdraw from the Paris art world where Cubism was taking hold. He traveled to Spain and texture, pattern, and architecture found their way into his works. He also traveled to Morocco and flat color is often juxtaposed with patterns in works from this period.

Jeanette I-V, bronze

Matisse often revisited the same subject matter and motifs in his work, especially in his sculptures. One example of this is Jeannette I-V. He reduced his carving and made more angular forms with fewer details as the series progressed.

Interior with Goldfish, 1914. Oil on canvas, 147 x 97 cm, Musée National d’Art Moderne/Centre de Création Industrielle, Centre Pompidou, Paris, bequest of Baroness Eva Gourgaud, 1965, AM 4311 P. © 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Matisse’s interest in color waned upon his return from Morocco and his interest in formal structure of the composition grew. I love the beautiful work Interior with Goldfish from 1914. It shows the interior of his studio and it is clear in looking closely at this work that he revised the placement of objects a number of times. There are pink undertones that peek through, even the orange goldfish have blue-green sneaking out from behind them.

Portrait of Sarah Stein, 1916, Oil on canvas, Courtesy of SFMoMA

Due to his renewed inclusion in the art world, Matisse began making portraits of his friends, colleagues, and family members. There is a section devoted to these works in the show. Portrait of Sarah Stein from 1916 is on loan from SF MoMA’s permanent collection. The drawing next to the work allows the viewer to glean his process. The work shows just the sitter’s head. It is so simplified. One black line makes up her nose and two crescents of brown stand in as hair. The work is very abstracted and minimal.

Bowl of Oranges, 1916, oil on canvas

In 1914 during the outbreak of WWI Matisse returned to the familiar subject matter of still lifes and portraits. But by 1916 Matisse had loosened his approach and showed repeated workings, scraping, and impasto. A perfect example of this is Bowl of Oranges from 1916 which looks almost van Gogh like in texture in some parts of the canvas. He also used “pure black as a color of light and not as a color of darkness.”

Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954). The Moroccans, 1915-16. Oil on canvas, 181.3 x 279.4 cm, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel A. Marx, 1955. © 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

The Moroccans dominates the second to last gallery. The three zones of the canvas are given to figures, architecture, and melons. Black is the predominant color. This work is the perfect example of his experimentation and ambitious work from this period–a departure from previous subject matter and palette.

Bather by a River, 1909-1916, oil on canvas, 259.7 x 389.9 cm, courtesy Art Institute of Chicago

In the final gallery one finds The Piano Lesson and Bathers by a River. Both are large canvases that confine forms to abstracted, geometric structures. Matisse worked on Bathers for seven years, tweaking and altering the composition until it met his satisfaction.

Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954). The Piano Lesson, 1916. Oil on canvas, 245.1 x 212.7 cm, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, Mrs. Simon Guggenheim Fund, 1946. © 2010 Succession H. Matisse / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

In this time of cutbacks and lack of blockbuster exhibitions, MoMA does it right. They focus in on one aspect of a master’s career and enlighten their audience. A very good exhibition worth visiting.

Robert Grosvenor, Untitled, 1970

This was my second visit to Storm King and it certainly lived up to the memory I had of my first experience. Though it was extremely hot out, I managed to cover all of the grounds and see some of their newest additions. If you have not been, you must make the trip. Only an hour away from NYC in the Hudson Valley, it feels like another world. Its 500 acres provides a respite from the concrete jungle of Manhattan. And the harmony of the art and surrounding landscape transports viewers into a place where time stands still.

One of my favorite pieces at the Art Center is Grosvenor’s metal work that cuts across the meadow. It seems to seamlessly blend in with the hills behind it. Commanding and serene at the same time, I am always amazed at the thinness of the work when looking at it from the side.

Grosvenor, side view

A new addition to the center as of last year is Maya Lin’s Storm King Wavefield, 2007-8. My photos do not do the work justice. The rolling hills are in perfect alignment and echo the topography of the area. Lin did not just dig out these hills but leveled the ground and then added to the space to achieve her desired effect.

Maya Lin, Storm King Wavefield, 2007-8

Unbeknownst to me the weekend I visited, a Zhang Huan sculpture had just been installed and I was lucky enough to get to see it.

Nicole and Buddha foot

Inspired by a trip to Tibet, the steel and copper work weighs 12 tons yet the legs precariously balance on the buddha’s head. A similar work is on view as a public sculpture in San Francisco. Huan hopes that this work which has already been on view in two other sites will remain at Storm King indefinitely. The work is a gift to Storm King from the artist and Pace Gallery who represents him.

Zhang Huan, Three Legged Buddha, 2007

After seeing Ursula von Rydingvard speak earlier this year, I was thrilled to see a piece she had mentioned that is another new addition to the center. As the artist told her audience, Luba, 2009-10, is the first work that has had such a thin element reaching towards the ground. In fact, it is so fragile that that portion of the sculpture had to be made of bronze (the rest is cedar which gives off a fabulous aroma). It was treated to look like the gray that the rest of the sculpture will turn after it is has weathered a bit.

Ursula von Rydingsvard, Luba 2009-2010

Part of the exhibition: 5+5: New Perspectives in which twelve works are dispersed throughout the grounds, is Alyson Shotz’s Mirror Fence. So subtle, I almost walked right by it until I read about it in the brochure and forced my friend to backtrack to go see it with me. From the front it looks green as it reflects the grassy patch that lay before it. Front behind it melts away, barely noticeable. I love that it will change depending on the time of day, the amount of sunlight, and the season. What a terrific work that will be new upon each viewing.

Alyson Shotz, Mirror Fence, 2003

Jerome Kirk’s 1972 work Orbit could be seen from the bottom of a path that meandered through the gorgeous, lush ferns.

Jerome Kirk, Orbit, 1972

I took a much needed break in Siah Armajani’s Gazebo on the way back to the parking lot. I was so lucky to visit on a day when Storm King wasn’t very crowded. It was if I had the Calder’s and di Suvero’s all to myself. What a wonderful way to spend a day.

Ooh, I need to rest. Could it be any hotter out?

Installation shot, Mary Ann Unger Estate

An artist of whom you have probably never heard but definitely should know about is Mary Ann Unger. Born in New York City in 1945, she died prematurely of breast cancer in 1998. A contemporary of female sculptors such as Kiki Smith, Petah Coyne, and Ursula von Rydingsvard, whom she knew and exhibited with, she received her MFA from the School of the Arts at Columbia University in 1975.

Pieta/Monument to War, 1990, Hydrocal over steel with pigment, wax, graphite, 85" x 61" x 54"

Unger’s earlier work has a playful quality about it. It is geometric, focusing on pattern, repetition, structure and mathematics and is less emotional and personal than works in her oeuvre from later in her career. After she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1985, however, her work became more expressionistic and organic addressing issues of the body and mortality. Unger leaves parts of works “unfinished” or exposed so the surface looks worn. Her work implies a deterioration of the body in the way she shows hidden layers under the surface. By using hydrocal, a type of plaster that can be layered and sanded over wire/steel armatures, she was able to intimate wounds and bandages without specifically representing them. She would dip cheesecloth into the hydrocal which helped to create a great deal of texture. Her works from the years right before her passing seem to indicate a more peaceful relathey are so colorful and are similar to those she created at the beginning of her career. She appeared to have come full circle.

Mytosis I and II, 1998 and Benchmarks (detail,) 1977

You can easily see the hand of the artist in most of her work. Works such as Mitosis Series no. 2 are very cellular and along with the recurring themes of the female body, layering, and bandaging, Unger has often been compared to Eva Hesse and Louise Bourgeois. However, she definitely has her own style and the emotion that the works convey to the viewer is intimate though many of her works are large-scale–not a terribly easy task to achieve.

Fishbone (Skeleton) from 1998 includes spine shapes, bulbous forms, bones, and insides; I am reminded of Giacometti’s Surrealist work from 1932, Woman with her Throat Cut.

Though a sculptor first and foremost, the estate has flatfiles holding a cache of Unger’s drawings and water colors. Her drawings remind me of the work of the sculptor Martin Puryear.

Shanks, 1995-7, Hydrocal over steel with patina, 66 1/2" x 50" x 6"

Mary Ann Unger had multiple solo exhibitions including shows at the Trans Hudson and Klarfeld Perry Galleries in NYC. She was very active at Sculpture Center and her work has been included in numerous group exhibitions Fellowship and in both 1989 and 1995 she received grants from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation. Her work can be found in the permanent collections of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C. as well as many private collections.throughout the United States at locations such as Socrates Sculpture Park, P.S. 1, and the Grey Art Gallery at New York University,. A number of permanent, outdoor, site-specific sculptures were commissioned during her career, including works on view at Queens College, Lehigh University, and Ursinus College. In 1992 she was awarded a Guggenheim

You can learn more about her work by visiting the estate’s website at www.maryannunger.com

Unger maquettes, Fragment series, 1986-1993

Rozz and Neil

On Saturday late night I had the pleasure of going to see and support a very talented woman whom I went to high school with. Her name is Rozz Nash and she is the lead vocalist and songwriter of a group called Coulon. I have been wanting to see a show of theirs for awhile but never could make it. When I received the email about them performing at the famous jazz club “The Blue Note” I could not pass the opportunity up and I was not disappointed. Rozz’s voice is used as its own instrument—soft and sweet at times and sultry and powerful at others. In fact, I enjoyed the show so much I bought their cd. For more information please visit their facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Coulon/88640115594

Rozz

Basel, Switzerland, 2010

Convention Center

Art Basel 2010. Overall, some excellent works on view. There were fewer Americans visiting than in previous years but buying still seemed to be happening for smaller ticket items. I preferred Volta and Liste which had some really great works by artists I had not heard of before and some by better-known artists for “accessible” prices.

Ai WeiWei, Grapes, 2008

Works that I was drawn to are included here. Ai WeiWei’s “Grapes” is made up of 17 stools from the Qing Dynasty.

Doug Aitken, Buffalo

For $150,000 this still of a buffalo in a motel room from an Doug Aitken video can be yours.

Marilyn Minter

Or for $300,000 this stunning Marilyn Minter painting that looks like a photo it is so hyper-realistic can hang in your home.

Ernesto Neto

A wooden Ernesto Neto wall work.

Liam Gillick

How cool is the projected shadow on the wall from this Liam Gillick work?

Anne Neukamp

A VERY affordable painting by a German artist that I wanted for myself. Or (below) mechanical flipbooks of hummingbirds that make them look like they are in flight.

Juan Fontanive, Hummingbirds

Art Unlimited 2010

Michelangelo Pistoletto, Labirinto e Grande Pozzo, 1969/2008

I very much enjoyed Art Unlimited, more so than the large fair itself. In this section of Art Basel, larger works are on view and for sale.

Michelangelo Pistoletto created a maze of corrugated cardboard leading to a mirror in the center (the medium he is best known for).

Doug Aitken, Frontier, 2009

I am never certain what is happening or what message to take from Aitken’s films, but nevertheless, “Frontier” mesmerizes its viewers. Due to the “in the round” nature of the theater (a rectangular structure with openings that reveal snippets of the work to outsiders walking by), people standing and viewing this work from the inside become part of the art itself. Ed Ruscha is the central character in this video work whose imagery begins slowly and gradually becomes “more surreal and hallicinatory.”

Elodie Pong, After the Empire, 2008

Elodie Pong uses figures from history and Pop Culture who interact in most peculiar ways to explore questions of identity in her video, “After the Empire.” Karl Marx and Marilyn Monroe are paired; Minnie Mouse is paired with Elvis; and Martin Luther King, Jr is played by a woman. Simple in form the actors convey the message more than images or a detailed set. While powerful messages are conveyed, there is a lightness and humor to the work that makes it difficult to tear yourself away from.

See original blog entry for more info

Art Parcours– See original blog entry for info and images

Jean-Michel Basquiat

In a span of only eight short years, Jean-Michel Basquiat created about 1000 paintings and more than 2000 drawings– all before his death at the age of 27. In honor of what would have been his 50th birthday, Fondation Beyeler has a retrospective on view with over 150 paintings and works on paper from private collections and museums. The energy from his canvases pulsates throughout the multiple galleries. He was the youngest artist to be invited to show in Documenta 7 in 1982 and also had work on view at PS1 and Gagosian Gallery. He borrowed imagery from his surroundings making the work relevant and relatable to viewers. Gestural brushwork gives his work an immediacy and layers give it depth and structure.

Basquiat, Pegasus, 1987

This work was created during the final stage of Basquiat’s life when his “range of sources expanded.” In the top right corner he painted over some of the work in black, almost as if he was not sure if he wanted the rest of the world to know what was going on inside his head.

Pegasus, detail

As a fan of artists who use text, it is clear the tremendous impact and influence Basquiat has had on artists like Simon Evans whose work also consists of symbols, words, and phrases from his personal experiences and daily life. It is almost a stream of consciousness–but an organized chaos for sure.

Felix Gonzalez-Torres, installation

An American who was born in 1957 in Cuba and died in 1996, Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ created stunningly beautiful works of art. Like Basquiat, Torres created a great deal of work in a short amount of time. Cleverly, the work is spread throughout the galleries of the Fondation Beyeler therefore engaging and dialoguing with the works from the permanent collection. according to the press release “halfway through its duration, it will be re-installed by a different invited artist whose practice has been informed by Gonzalez-Torres’s work. At the Fondation Beyeler, the artist Carol Bove will undo the show and re-install it from July onward–adding and removing artworks, changing such things as lighting, labels, and the order of presentation, in other words–effectively making an entirely new version of the exhibition.”

Gonzalez- Torres

His works are often found in unexpected locations which makes for an altogether richer viewing experience.

Gonzalez-Torres curtain, Untitled (Golden), 1995

Michelangelo Pistoletto, Labirinto e Grande Pozzo, 1969/2008

I very much enjoyed Art Unlimited, more so than the large fair itself. In this section of Art Basel, larger works are on view and for sale.

Michelangelo Pistoletto created a maze of corrugated cardboard leading to a mirror in the center (the medium he is best known for).

Doug Aitken, Frontier, 2009

I am never certain what is happening or what message to take from Aitken’s films, but nevertheless, “Frontier” mesmerizes its viewers. Due to the “in the round” nature of the theater (a rectangular structure with openings that reveal snippets of the work to outsiders walking by), people standing and viewing this work from the inside become part of the art itself. Ed Ruscha is the central character in this video work whose imagery begins slowly and gradually becomes “more surreal and hallicinatory.”

Elodie Pong, After the Empire, 2008

Elodie Pong uses figures from history and Pop Culture who interact in most peculiar ways to explore questions of identity in her video, “After the Empire.” Karl Marx and Marilyn Monroe are paired; Minnie Mouse is paired with Elvis; and Martin Luther King, Jr is played by a woman. Simple in form the actors convey the message more than images or a detailed set. While powerful messages are conveyed, there is a lightness and humor to the work that makes it difficult to tear yourself away from.

Also worth mentioning were Kader Attia’s “Couscous Kaaba” in which a black cube is surrounded by couscous–a visually cool piece; Dan Flavin’s “three sets of tangented arcs in daylight and cool white” from 1969 (one of the few times he used curves in his lightworks); Rivane Neuenschwander and Cao Guimaraes’s “The Tenant” in which a soap bubble is videotaped floating through a house; Alicia Framis’s “Lost Astronaut,” a video that originally was part of Performa ‘09 in which the alter ego of the artist dresses in a vintage spacesuit wandering around New York City, and lastly, Christian Marclay’s video from 2008, “Solo” in which a woman basically gets herself off with an electric guitar. While not terribly original, I have to admit I (as well as most other viewers) found it hard to leave until she had satisfied herself as it seemed she was improvising when instructed to “elicit sounds from an electric guitar.”

21c lobby

I headed down to Louisville, Kentucky for the first time to check out the hotel/museum 21c owned by Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson. The red penguin, seen above in pajamas for their annual pajama party fundraiser, is the logo and mascot of the establishment. The 90-room property, which occupies five 19th-century brick buildings on West Main Street, was opened in 2006 and last year was voted as one of the best hotels in the US.

Exhibition Space in lobby

“Nearly three-quarters of the paintings, sculptures, photos, and video installations at 21C are part of Wilson and Brown’s personal collection, valued at more than $10 million. In addition, the couple’s 21C Foundation, which now administers their holdings, has purchased dozens of new works to fill the guest rooms, hallways, bathrooms, restaurant, bar, and 9,000 square feet of galleries. All of the works on view were produced by living artists—hence the hotel’s name, a reference to the 21st century.”-travel + leisure 2006

21c Restaurant: Proof on Main

Art fills every available space, including the restaurant. This work with papers floating and being blown all over is based on Hokusai’s woodblock print called “A Sudden Gust of Wind.”

Bar at Proof on Main

Wheel of Fortune

Another reason for my trip to Louisville was to see the massive installation that an artist who is in the show I curated has been working on. The work is “a physical record inspired from the artist’s memory of the tornado that leveled much of Louisville on April 3rd, 1974. The work consists of broken eggs, flashlights, dolls’ heads, turkey basters, and batteries made of wood as well as found objects made of glass swirl together that form a massive funnel cloud in 21c’s Atrium Gallery.”-21c website.

Wheel of Fortune detail

“I wanted to look at the clash between devastation and beauty, and the unexpected consequences of disaster. I started from my own childhood memories of the 1974 tornado, which left my house untouched but my neighborhood devastated and my yard filled with other people’s possessions. While Wheel of Fortune grew out of events in own my life, I want to speak to the experience of anyone touched by the bizarre dislocations of calamity.”-Anne Peabody

Peabody

These pictures do not do the work justice. It is a massive piece that fills the large atrium gallery space commanding attention, reverence and keen observation.

Ivan Navarro in elevators

Every nook and cranny of the hotel includes art. These Navarro works can be found in the hotel elevators.

Hot Brown at the Brown Hotel

On my first trip to Louisville I had to try a “hot brown.” Toast smothered with bechamel and melted cheddar, stewed tomatoes, fresh roasted turkey, and bacon–what’s not to like?

Brown and Wilson's barn

Steve and Laura Lee’s barn is just as gorgeous as their home.

Anne and Nicole

Nicole and Anne at Steve and Laura Lee’s with a view of the Ohio River.

Hall in Laura Lee and Steve's home

The hallway includes a Stephan Balkenhol wood work “Man on Cathedral” and Carlos Garaicoa’s wall work made of push pins and paper. There is also a terrific video work by Peter Sarkisian (not shown in the above photo) of a puddle shaped video screen with a video projection of blue dripping on it –so clever.

Living room

Everywhere you look there is art incorporated into their home and apparently it changes on a regular basis. Embroidered silk works by Angelo Filomeno, an amazing wooden chair by Jay Bolotin, a Bill Viola video, and a steel Rebecca Horn work can be found in the living room.

Upstairs Office

In the upstairs office there is an amazing Michael Eastman photo of a horse, two powerful paintings by Santa Fe artist Grant Hayunga, and 5 oil on glass round works by Conrad Botes.

Upstairs hallway

A wonderful work in latex rubber by Robert Overby hangs over the table and a photo by Slater Bradley (whom I went to high school with) is on the west wall.

Master Bathroom

A Nick Cave Soundsuit can be found by the tub. Photos by Loretta Lux and Laura Sanders grace the walls. And a precious Amy Cutler gouache on paper is on the wall leading to the master bedroom.

Downstairs Office

This amazing work by Ye Hongxing is a mandala made of stickers. A beautiful work!

Al Shands living room

Another great Louisville collector whom I had the privilege of meeting is Al Shands.I want to thank him for generously allowing me to tour his collection in his home.  The art here has a very different feel than that of Steve and Laura Lee, but is just as impressive. Shands likes to get to know all of the artists whose work he purchases, often inviting them to his home to pick the spot for the commissioned work. Al is very proud of his most recent commission by Maya Lin. Above is a Sol Lewitt wall work and a Judy Pfaff sculpture.

Hallway at Shands residence

A Bob Arneson head on the column, an Anish Kapoor yellow dish on the left, an Agnes Bourne red bench, and a Richard Deacon gray sculpture can been seen. An Ursula von Rydingsvard and Tony Cragg sculptures are other works not on view in this photo but are wonderful pieces in his collection.

Nic in Shand's office with Sol Lewitt drawing

Daniel Buren, Colors on the Rhine, 2010

My absolute favorite part of Art Basel was a new special exhibition project called Art Parcours. Throughout the city for three successive nights, site-specific artworks and performances by 10 artists were on view. Located in the historic center in both public spaces and historic buildings, the works were created to “engage both with today’s Basel and with its long history, weaving artistic interventions into the fabric of the city.”

Buren detail

Buren’s work cast multi-colored projected light across the Rhine river.

Angela Bulloch, Night Sky: Mercury and Venus, 2010

Angela Bulloch’s LED work which mimics a night sky was specially commissioned for Art Parcours and can be found hanging above the altar in the Münster Cathedral. Based on footage of NASA satellites, her work forces the viewer to rethink the divine.

Bulloch detail

John Bock’s performance piece involved taking a ferry across the Rhine with him adopting a persona from a Jack London book. Unfortunately, you had to get a separate ticket for the ferry ride and I was unable to experience it firsthand.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ryan Gander’s “Loose Associations.” A storyteller, Gander pontificated on one topic and then appeared to free associate using a slideshow that included elements from Pop Culture as well as from Gander’s own personal experiences. He utilized humor and kept a quick pace which made these extremely entertaining performances.

Damian Ortega, New Balance, 2010

In the interior courtyard of Basel’s City Hall, Damian Ortega installed a monumental work of the Goddess of Justice flanked by a three-armed scale, “New Balance,” which the audience was encouraged to engage with. Compromises and adjustments must be made in order to achieve equilibrium in this work just as in courts where law and justice prevail.

Nathalie Djurberg, Of Course I'm Working with Magic, 2010

Nestled in the cellar of the Natural History Museum were four screens depicting Nathalie Djurberg’s claymation videos. Due to the fact that Djurberg’s videos often depict animals and humans in their most “primal state,” the museum seemed like the logical choice to show her work.

Hans Berg

Hans Berg created a live soundtrack to one of the videos being screened adding energy and life to this ancient “cabinet of curiosities” setting.

Martha Rosler put on a “Fair Trade Garage Sale” in the Museum of Cultural History which she had originally done in 1973 in San Diego. By collecting objects from supporters of Ar Basel in the city, one man’s junk became the next visitor’s treasure. The garage sale “mimics the atmosphere of the nearby art show.” All proceeds went to a local charity.