Be sure to visit the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the site specific sculpture, Cloud City, by Argentine artist, Tomas Sarceno. Well-executed, interactive and space-age. 16 "bubbles" are made of steel, plexi, mirrors, and you may enter and walk through the sculpture through a serious of staircases that lift you off the roof into different vantage points over, in my opinion, the best view of the city. Ropes are pulled taut in between the bubbles in geometric 3-D patterns in order to accentuate the feeling of a great physics defying feat of the sculpture. If you visit and want a timed ticket to get in, go directly to the 4th floor, to get the free ticket. But be sure to wear flat soled shoes or they will not let you in. And ladies - wear pants or shorts, because the transparent staircases and platforms will give everyone on the roof a free show if you are wearing a skirt. Ahem.....
There is a once in a lifetime chance to see Frank Stella's early Minimalist paintings at L & M Gallery (45 East 78th). The photos above are the gallery's as I wasn't allowed to take pictures. To see these works all together is very intense and overwhelming. Although Minimalism has a reputation for being cold, sedate and slick, these works definitely don't fall into that category. First of all, you have to think that during this time - the late 50s - when Stella painted these, the country was celebrating the home-grown Abstract Expressionists (the Life magazine article on Jackson Pollock was just two years earlier than when these were painted). These were groundbreaking and really rebelling against popular art at the time. It wasn't just subversive in his use of a monochromatic palette with what appeared to be a systematic or even industrialized treatment of the canvas with the repetition of lines. Stella also turned the whole idea of the frame on its head. The frame used to be a decorative border on a canvas or like a period at the end of a statement or at least accentuate what was going on in its interior. Now Stella's interior was dictated by shape and frame of the canvas. This was quite a different way of looking at painting in that the canvas was shaped and the work painted on this basis, sort of straddling the categories of painting and sculpture. It was mind-blowing then and to see these in one statement is mind-blowing now. But as I said before, although these seems methodically produced, what you cannot experience from the images and must go see in person is that these paintings almost vibrate on the walls. Although these are some of the first Minimalist paintings that were produced, you can still see the hand of the artist. The lines on the canvas are created by the absence of paint and they are all painted freehand (unlike the straight edged technique that was quickly picked up by Minimalists and many Contemporary artists use today). You can see in this void, the preparatory pencil marks, and since the lines are not perfectly straight, the lines almost give the impression of moving or as I said before, vibrating. Despite the repetition and single color, these canvases are very much alive and have influenced generations of artists. We are so lucky to have the chance to see these works.
At Luxembourg & Dayan (64 East 77th Street) is having an exhibition of Domenico Gnoli's paintings from the late 1960s. This is really the first I have every heard of this artist and they are really something special. They are figurative paintings regarding the minute details of everyday objects in life. Painted with stylized, hyper-precision with oil and sand, there is a textured, otherworldliness to them. There is something very surreal about them and once you see his fantastical animal drawings on the top floor, you'll understand even better.
Another museum quality exhibition by Gagosian (980 Madison Ave at 76th street) of Picasso paintings of his muse and alongside the paintings of Francoise Gilot. Sorry, no images for fear of being tackled by the nervous security, but look at the website. The colors are vibrant and earthly, all the mediterranean blues and greens especially, and his love and desire for her is clear. His style is certainly mature here and goes beyond far beyond his earlier cubist works. If you have time for only one floor, I think the top floor is what you should focus on.
I am not a fan of his Hello Kittys, but artist, Tom Sachs, has impressed me here. He has taken over the Park Avenue Armory in his interactive, all-encompassing Space Program. Tom Sachs has recreated the Lunar and Mars surface in the enormous interior of the building as well as utilizing his signature bricolage. A to-scale lunar module that you can enter after passing the exams at the indoctrination station is plopped in the center surrounded by a repurposed Winnie and other small plywood structures or vignettes of cast-off technology, tools, recreated NASA gear as well as some that is the real deal. The skateboarding staff are happy to direct you to the cinema to be "indoctrinated" as well as explaining the structures. Lots of fun. Go with a sense of humor and come out awed.
Stop by Mary Boone (745 5th Ave at 58th Street) to see Will Cotton's most recent paintings. After seeing his prints recently at Pace, which I love, its also wonderful to get back to seeing his oils on linen. These paintings aren't going to change the world, but these large, photo realistic paintings of candy environments are lush and atmospheric. They are decadent and so much fun. Cupcake Katy Perry, his recent muse, is surrounded by toppling cakes (remember that Cotton was involved in her California Girls video - she was inspired by his paintings). There is a Ab-Ex inspired painting that was made with pastry nozzles as well larger cake 3-D sculptures he made with plaster and cake and pastry making tools. The figurative paintings are the most beautiful and the colors are exquisite, but my favorite is the more monochromatic, sepia-toned canvas of a lollipop and candy-cane forest.
McKee Gallery across the hall from Mary Boone has a great Martin Puryear exhibition of his new sculpture. Its simplicity and austerity are a breath of fresh air. Just the notion of how much he time he has put into the craftsmanship and woodworking of each object is amazing. Taking cues from the migration west inspired by fields of waving grain, and covered wagons, the sculptures are honed-down to their essence. My favorites include the modernist take on the wagon - a smaller polished metal sculpture with wheels - and a beautiful table sculpture topped with individually carved dowels. But the caged wagon really is fantastic. This image just doesn't do it justice. Inside the precisely constructed wooden cage is a magnificent large orb filling the space. Half lacquered and half left unpainted, so you can see that this is almost impossibly made of wood. The sphere looks like a large eye and when you peer into the plexi oculus that is facing you on one side, you can experience the interior with all its gothic wooden ribs - like a cathedral in miniature.
Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend!
