First floor view of the new Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art at the MFA, Boston I’m of several minds when it comes to the oft-argued place that museums should/could/would claim in the cultural milieu of contemporary life. Beyond the obvious tensions—high brow vs low brow (in a world that is increasingly no brow), elitism […]
Current viewings
The Artist Curator Advantage
Two of the most compelling shows I have seen over the last year were curated by artists. The first was Robert Gober‘s inspirational show of the work of Charles Burchfield (which was first exhibited at the Hammer Museum before coming to the Whitney). It was a revelation, completely transforming my view of this easily overlooked […]
Physical Graffiti in Philadelphia
Tintinya, mixed media on Stonehenge, 22 x 52″—one of three paintings by Deborah Barlow included in “Physical Graffiti” Heading down to Philadelphia for the opening of Physical Graffiti: 13 artists transform time and materials. Curated by artist and friend Pam Farrell, the show brings together a number of artists I admire. Show mates include: Jose […]
Vogel 50×50
Richard Tuttle’s matrix of drawings on display at the Portland Museum; closer view The inimitable Vogels (of Herb and Dorothy fame and featured in earlier posts here and here) have initiated Vogel 50×50, a program that has placed 2500 pieces from their collection in individual museums in each of the 50 states. Fifty Works for […]
Ripple Effect
The Peabody Essex Museum’s exhibit Ripple Effect, the Art of H2O is targeted for the children and families crowd and is installed in the Art & Nature Center. But this is a show I would recommend to anyone with an interest in Earth Art, Land Art, Eco-Art, Art in Nature, Environmental Art. Both visual and […]
With an Eye Always in Reserve
Man Ray, Observatory Time, The Lovers Peabody Essex Museum’s current show, Man Ray and Lee Miller, Partners in Surrealism, is part art exhibit and part psychological portrait of a relationship between two artists. While they were only together as a couple (in a very loosely defined sense) for a few years—from 1929 to 1932—the ramifications […]
Show Highlights: In and Around Boston
A few personal highlights from shows in and near Boston: Ursula von Rydingsvard, Ocean Floor, 1996, cedar, graphite, and intestines (Photo courtesy of the Artist and Galerie Lelong. Photograph by Andy Ryan) Ursula von Rydingsvard Andy Goldsworthy Kysa Johnson deCordova Museum Lincoln MA From the museum’s intro to Ursula von Rydingsvard: Ursula von Rydingsvard works […]
Unvarnished
The pleasures of the minimal. Just the bare thing. Raw, open, essential. Unvarnished. Here are two minimal recent moments. One was indoors, at Carroll and Sons Gallery in Boston, and the other was the outdoors, in Utah. Damien Hoar De Galvan’s show, I Wish I had Something to Say, is like a cool drink in […]
Eye R&R
My show opened last Friday, and the next morning I left for several days of giving my eyes a little R&R. Which really means letting them look without a job or a deadline. It was luscious, and they loved this little road trip. So what follows is (mostly) a visual diary of the last four […]
Resonance is Real
Our minds and eyes are editing and practicing selective neglect on a daily basis, so what each of us sees creates our customized version of reality. One of the most stimulating aspects of traveling to a new venue is watching that process happen with fresh material. My visit to California was full of that selective […]