Richard Mosse, Flower of the Mountain, 2011 at Jack Shainman Gallery

This year’s art fair was jam packed with art, celebrities, performances and MEGA parties.  After navigating through the likes of Diddy (and his bodyguards), Naomi Campbell, Farrell, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones, I think we all deserve tee-shirts that read “I survived Art Basel Miami 2011.”

Here are some of my favorites:

BEST BOOTHS:

Andy Warhol installation at L&M's booth

L&M :  We cannot forget some of this super gallery’s past installations, specifically Frank Stella’s impossibly large wall sculptures.  This year, they wallpapered their entire booth and hung hundreds of beautiful Warhol drawings salon style.  It was blissful and reminded me that Warhol was a wonderful draftsman and not just a mechanical bull.  Bravo.

Nick Cave Soundsuits at Jack Shainman's booth

Jack Shainman:  This gallery really pulled out the stops  with large works by all of its gallery stars.  Up and coming artist, Richard Mosse, is having a standout year and his photograph in Jack’s booth showed why.  Shainman also brought works by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye whose small portraits already have a waiting list a mile long and Jack is selectively selling to museums first.

Invisible Exports at NADA

Invisible Exports at NADA:  Perfectly installed, this gallery really stepped it up this year.  Bravo.

Best Satellite Art Fair:

Snow Globes by LigoranoReese

Pulse:  This art fair pulled together a strong group of galleries that brought their best works.  Yancey Richardson and Yossi Milo both had strong showings as did Artware Editions, which brought their wonderful editioned snow globes by LigoranoReese, perfect for the holidays.

Best Party:

LA MOCA Beach Party:  Soulwax and 2ManyDJ’s rocked the bottle service event and Jeffrey Deitch wore a bright purple suit.

Most New and Exciting Experience:

Dzine's Imperial Nail Salon

Dzine’s Imperial Nail Salon at the Standard Hotel.  Dzine takes the idea of customization a step further to the physical body.  It’s events like this that make Miami special.

Best Museum Show:

Erwin Wurm at the Bass Museum (photo courtesy of Lehman Maupin)

The Bass Museum:  Leave it to Erwin Wurm to give you a good laugh.  This show, which travels to Dallas next, exemplifies Wurm’s conceptual brilliance.  His work is ultimately about the body and, although I will always love the potato body sculptures the most, I was taken aback by Wurm’s somber large scale installation.

Greatest Disappointments:

White Cube’s booth:  Usually a show stopper at the fair, this year’s booth felt predictable and tired.

Kavi Gupta:  We all love Theaster Gates, but this booth was a serious disappointment, especially because there was never anyone actually working the booth.  Face time goes a long way.

]]> http://trentfineartadvisory.com/tfaa_blog/art-basel-miami-2011/feed/ 0 http://trentfineartadvisory.com/tfaa_blog/christies-november-2011-contemporary-sale-highlights/ http://trentfineartadvisory.com/tfaa_blog/christies-november-2011-contemporary-sale-highlights/#comments Sun, 06 Nov 2011 23:08:31 +0000 Saara Pritchard http://trentfineartadvisory.com/?p=1130

Lot 34: Roy Lichtenstein, I Can See the Whole Room!...and There's Nobody in it!, 1961 (est: $35,000,000-45,000,000)

This Fall at Christie’s, we have a veritable art history lesson in the new: from masters of hand-painted pop, to the word wizards of the conceptual and the delight in discovery that characterizes installation art.

Roy Lichtenstein, Look Mickey, 1961, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Hand-selected by pioneering gallerist Leo Castelli in the early 1960s, Pop artists emerged from the great shadows of the abstract expressionist school championed by Clement Greenberg and beyond. I Can See the Whole Room!…And There’s Nobody in it!.. is one of the earliest comic book paintings by Roy Lichtenstein. Obscured within a private collection for over twenty years, this is the first time that this iconic work has been on view to the public since exchanging hands in the 1988 auction at Christie’s of the collection of Emily and Burton Tremaine. Truly hand painted, Lichtenstein has left the graphite lines of his preparatory sketch exposed on the white areas of the commercially primed canvas. Unlike Look Mickey! (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.), painted just prior, this painting is the first example of the artist using a make-shift stencil to create his Ben-day dots. Using a hand-punctured aluminum sheet, Lichtenstein imparted the red pigment from the dry-bristled hairs of a paint brush through the narrow perforations. The end effect is areas of slight variation, with overlap and slightly wider spaced dots apparent across the area. The dots in the blue eye wholly hand applied, belie his desire to create a commercially printed look rendered by the artist’s hand. It goes without saying that he quickly mastered this effect; however, the status of this work as a primary example of the havoc on painting that his artistic license would soon produce is indeed incredible!

Similarly, Andy Warhol’s Four Campbell’s Soup Cans, is a strong example of how Pop artists created the appearance of the commercially produced paintings that would reinvent the art world. Using photographic negatives of a professional commercial photographer, Edward Wallowitch, Warhol projected the images of the ravaged and re-arranged soup cans onto his store-bought canvases and traced the outlines with a graphite pencil. He subsequently filled in the corresponding areas with a brightly hued paint layer- trace evidence of brushwork and exposed graphite outlines contorting the artist’s attempts to mask his hand in the end result.

Lot 518: Joseph Kosuth, One and Three Coats, 1965 (est. $140,000-180,000)

Like its counterpart in the MoMA (chairs), One and Three Coats, 1965 by Joseph Kosuth is one of the first installations by Conceptual artist Joseph Kosuth to capitalize on the use of language in art. A breakthrough exploration in its time, the work perfectly embodies the spirit and goals of the Conceptual art practice. Immediately accessible and yet cleverly revealing,

Kosuth places a photo of a hanging coat and the print out of the definition of the word coat on either side of a…hanging coat. The visual nuances not to be disregarded (the typeface, selection of black coat and the seamless presentation of the printed paper cards all contribute to the pithy expression of this message) confer an egalitarian spirit of an often overlooked and misunderstood movement. A part of the Anton and Annick Herbert collection, the work (and the museum worthy installation of these pivotal pieces from Arte Povera, minimalism and conceptual art) is not to be missed on our new 20^th floor exhibition spaces here at Rockefeller center!

Lot 307: Andres Serrano, Piss Christ, 1987 (est. $200,000-300,000)

Sometimes new can be controversial and inspire new levels of public response. Andreas Serrano’s infamous Piss Christ, 1987, created a media outcry when it was first displayed and has continued to incite protest and horror from multiple factions of society, locally and internationally. Facing physical assault on exhibition and inspiring a dramatic display of a movement for federal censorship in 1989, the photograph of a figurine of Christ and the crucifix submerged in a vitrine of the artist’s urine is certainly one of the artist’s most seminal works and best-known images. From an edition of four, the photograph in this season’s November Post-War and Contemporary Art Day Sale: Session I is an exclusive opportunity to see the sensational work in the flesh.

Christie’s November sales of Post-War and Contemporary Art including Works from the Collection of Peter Norton, New Day, and the Herbert Collection are on view November 4-8 at Christie’s 20 Rockefeller Plaza. The sales will take place November 8-9. www.christies.com

Christie's Kevie Yang, Sara Friedlander and Saara Pritchard with Lot 9: Yoshitomo Nara, Dogs from your Childhood, 1999 (est: $500,000-700,000)

The Pace Gallery's booth featuring, Ryman, Calder and Martin

The Freize Art Fair has always been one of my favorite art fairs.  The city of London fully embraces the event offering more than just an art fair, but a citywide art extravaganza.  The fair itself was optimistic with many galleries reporting numerous holds on works, if not already sold.  Here are some the highlights of the week:

Mary Corse, White Light Painting, 1990

1. White Cube’s new Bermondsey Space

MoMA SHOULD be jealous.  It’s 58,000 square feet and completely filled with contemporary art.  Bravo to Jay Jopling for dedicating an entire room to Mary Corse.

Gerhard Richter's Forest (3), 1990 and Forest (4), 1990. Private collection and The Fisher Collection, San Francisco © Gerhard Richter Photography: Lucy Dawkins, Tate Photography

2. Gerhard Richter at the Tate Modern

The wonderfully hung show really demonstrated the influence Duchamp had on Richter’s work and has reminded us all there is far more to talk about than just the artist’s market.

Ahmed Alsoudani, Baghdad I, 2008

3. The Christie’s Evening Sale

Art star Gerhard Richter’s iconic Kerze, 1982 (est. £6,000,000-9,000,000) stole the show selling for £10,457,250 or $16,480,626.

Ahmad Alsoudani’s Baghdad I, being sold by Charles Saatchi, (est. £250,000-350,000) sold for £713,250 or $1,124,082.  Already, this young artist’s body of work has convinced the savviest of collectors that he is here to stay.

4. Ryan Gander for ArtAngel

Grayson Perry (b. 1960), The Rosetta Vase, 2011. © Grayson Perry. Courtesy Victoria Miro Gallery, London

This performance/installation piece at an abandoned warehouse continued to haunt us for days after we left.  So much so, I will dedicate an entire blog on the experience next week.  Stay tuned!

5. Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman at the British Museum

Perry’s exhibition consisted of his wonderful ceramic and tapestry works which can look kitchy on their own.  Displayed next to artifacts from the British Museum, they seemed terrifically brilliant and relevant.

Pierre Huyghe's Recollection

6. Pierre Huyghe at the Frieze Art Fair

Huyghe created an aquatic installation with a hermitt crab as it’s star.  The crab migrated in Huyghe’s bronze shell made to look like Brancusi’s Sleeping Muse.

Raqib Shaw, Blossom Gatherer I, 2009-2011

7. Raqib Shaw at White Cube Mason’s Yard

This show proved to be far more controversial than expected.  People either loved it or hated it, but more importantly, this show created a magical discussion about contemporary art.  And no one can deny that Shaw’s new works have progressed without losing his obsessively eccentric style.

Loris Greaud, We Are On Our Own, Darwin Serie, Part 3, 2011

8. The Pace Gallery booth at Freize

So well curated, this booth should set the standard for all galleries.  Newcomer Loris Greaud’s Genius wall sculpture hung across from Sol Lewitt and the Agnes Martin, Calder, Ryman trifecta in the right corner was curatorial genius.

ArtBinder

With the art world being inundated with new online websites such as the VIP Art Fair and the newly launched Paddle 8, designed to help galleries sell their artwork, there is finally a web service that makes sense, ArtBinder.  ArtBinder is a new App designed to ease any gallery’s ability to track, synch, email and displaying inventory while at an art fair or simply on the road.  This may seem simple, but its simplicity is what makes it a great tool for a gallery.  From the touch of an ipad, a dealer can access any part of his or her inventory and easily display an image for a collector.  The gallery can also update inventory without the help of an office assistant.  Here are some images of ArtBinder’s sleek interface.

A dealer can email clients specific images from the gallery database

Dealers may select the specific information they would like to share

The database is easy to search

A dealer may browse all available inventory

A dealer may browse all available inventory

NEW YORK CITY, NY – ArtBinder, the elegant iPad solution for art galleries, enters Public Beta today. After making

a splash at Art Basel 42 last June, the company has refined the product and is now prepared

to scale its membership base.

The ArtBinder project was born when Alexandra Chemla, formerly of Gavin Brown’s enterprise,

recognized that galleries had a difficult time working with their recently acquired iPads.

“The iPad is the perfect tool for displaying artwork on the go,” said Chemla,

“but the problem was there was no software adapted to the needs of art galleries.”

In June 2010, Chemla,then only 23 years old, courageously hired a team, founded ArtBinder,

and began building a software solution to accommodate the specific requirements of art galleries.

In April 2011 she hired Jeremy Galen, a New York City based technology consultant,

as COO and together they brought the product into private beta just in time for Art Basel.

“What makes ArtBinder unique in the ‘Art Tech’ space,” said Galen, “is that we’re

serving galleries we’re literally selling them software that solves an acute pain point.

We’re not entering into art transactions, nor are we creating a social experience around

the public display of works online.”

ArtBinder worked with such prestigious galleries as The Pace Gallery, Michael Werner Gallery,

David Zwirner, and L&M Arts during Private Beta and the product has evolved to suit the

demands of the clients. The platform features an easy-­‐to-use web interface for configuring

and modifying content, as well as a handsome iPad application that dramatically improves

how gallerists and dealers interact with their inventory on the go.

Highlights include customizable folders for sales meetings, wireless syncing,

and in-­‐app client emailing.

“Now we’re ready to launch this application publicly,”

said Chemla, “and I’m genuinely looking forward to serving our new clients.”

For more information, please visit ArtBinder.com

About ArtBinder

ArtBinder strives to offer art galleries a brilliant platform for displaying a curated selection

of their works. ArtBinder’s iPad solution provides galleries with an intuitive set of tools

to streamline the sales and presentation experience. Founded in 2010 by Alexandra Chemla,

the company launched its first application in Private Beta in late Spring 2011 and has already

welcomed over a dozen of the world’s most prestigious galleries onto the platform.

Media Contact: Alexandra Chemla ArtBinder.com 917-­‐774-­‐2539 alexandra@artbinder.com

Jeff Koons, Walrus Seal Trashcan (2003-2009) at L&M

Just to give an example, let’s talk ceramics. Crossing into more mainstream contemporary art from what might have previously been seen as craft, artists working in porcelain and ceramics have become highly desirable. Perhaps we can give a little credit to Jeff Koons who has been working with porcelain since the 1980’s, significantly his Banality series. Thank you to the Prada Foundation in Venice, “Ca’ Corner della Regina”, for their display of Jeff Koons work, Fait d’Hiver (1988), next to a collection of Meissen porcelains from the Hermitage Museum of Saint Petersburg. This may leave the viewer to wonder which work made the other look more kitsch?  Some contemporary artists working in this medium we saw in Basel are: Rachel Kneebone, White Cube; Mai Thu Perret, Timothy Taylor; Ai Weiwei, Mary Boone.

As a visual person (and since it is all about the art after all…) I’ve created a photo essay of Art Basel 42 and noted a few connections that jumped out at me. Please enjoy the photo show! * Editor’s apology: images are not as great as hoped as the fair was chockfull of people the entire week; congrats to the galleries and collectors for a super successful (almost to the degree of worrisome) turnout.

Michael Joo, Untitled, (Rope/Stanchions), 2011 at Anton Kern Gallery, New York

*Anton Kern Gallery, New York: Michael Joo, Untitled (Rope/Stanchions), 2011. Unique series of 7. Also exhibited at Glasstress in Venice.

Thomas Demand at Matthew Marks Gallery, New York

*Matthew Marks Gallery, New York: Thomas Demand, Tribute, 2011. C-print mounted on plexiglass. Also seen at The Prada Foundation in Venice.

Katharina Fritsch

Katharina Fritsch, 6^th Still Life (2011), Polyester, pain, Five hand-finished casts: Snake, Skull, Egg, St. Nicolas, St Katharins. Dimentions variable. Also seen at the Arsenale in Venice.

Paul McCarthy at Hauser and Wirth

* Hauser & Wirth, Zürich, London, New York: Paul McCarthy, White Snow Dwarf (2010-2011). Also exhibited at Punta della Dogana, Venice.

Richard Serra

* Galerie m Bochum, Bochum: Richard Serra, Siamese, 1988. Also seen at the Fondation Beyeler, Basel.

Jorinde Voigt at Klosterfelde, Berlin

* Klosterfelde, Berlin: Jorinde Voigt, Territorium, ÖI, Wasser, Elektrizität/Kontinentalgrenze, 2010. Ink, pencil on paper. Also exhibited at the Arsenale in Venice.

Sol Lewitt and Rashid Johnson

* Massimo De Carlo, Milano, London: Sol Lewitt and Rashid Johnson. As seen at the Arsenale, Venice.

Giuseppe Penone

* Marian Goodman Gallery, New York, Paris: Giuseppe Penone, Respirare I’Ombra / To Breathe the Shadow, (1998) Laurel leaves, bronze as seen at Palazzo Grassi, Venice.

Jean-Luc Mylayne

* Sprüth Magers, Berlin, London: Jean-Luc Mylayne, No 520, February-March-April 2007. C print. As seen at the Arsenale, Venice.

Thomas Houseago

* L&M Arts, New York, Lost Angeles: Thomas Houseago, Yet to be titled (Decorative panel II), 2011.

Paul McCarthy at L&M

Also in the L&M booth were Jeff Koons’ Walrus Seal Trashcan, (2003-2009) and Paul McCarthy’s Tripod, 2006. All on view at Punta della Dogana. I wonder where Francois Pinault shops?!

Erwin Wurm

* Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, Salzburg: Erwin Wurm, Daunenjacke, 2011. Acrylic, clay, painted. Ed. 1/7 + 2 APs. Also exhibited at Glasstress, Venice.

Latifa Echakhch, San Titre XVI, 2010 at Kamel Mennour, Paris

*Kamel Mennour, Paris: Latifa Echakhch, Sana titre XV1, 2010; White carbon paper mounted on canvas, wood frame. As seen at Art Unlimited at Art Basel last year, 2010.

Friedrich Kunath at BQ Berlin

*BQ, Berlin: Friedrich Kunath. As seen at a recent White Cube Gallery, London show, Hoxton Square.

***Other Art Basel Highlights:

Ai WeiWei

Neuger-riemschneider, Berlin: Ai Weiwei.

Sarah Lucas

Jim Lambie

Sadie Coles HQ, London: Sarah Lucas, Cnut, 2004. Concrete figure, cigarette, paint, stainless steel toilet, plastic seat. Unique.

And Jim Lambie, Morning Glory, 2001. Metal, chrome, paint. Unique.

Joe Bradley at Gavin Brown's Enterprise, New York

Gavin Brown’s Enterprise, New York: Joe Bradley, Jason, 2001, oil on canvas.

James Casabere at Sean Kelly Gallery, New York

Sean Kelly Gallery, New York: James Casebere, Nevisian Underground #3, 2001. Framed digital chromogenic mounted to Dibond paper.

Pier Paolo Calzadari at Marianne Boesky

Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York: Pier Paolo Calzolari, Untitled (black on red, black on black, black on green / burnt salt triptych), 2010. Burnt salt, dye, lead, refrigerator motor. Also available at The Pace Gallery.

Hernan Bas at Lehman Maupin, New York

Lehmann Maupin, New York: Hernan Bas, The Impending Flame (or, the great barn fire of ’83), 2011. Acrylic, airbrush and block print on linen.

Lygia Clark at Allison Jacques, London

Alison Jacques Gallery, London: Lygia Clark Art Feature.

Adam Fuss at Cheim and Read, New York

Cheim & Read, New York: Adam Fuss, Untitled, 2007. Gelatin silver print photogram.

***Art Unlimited highlights:

Jason Rhoades

Jason Rhoades’ installation at Art Unlimited, ‘Untitled. From the body of work: My Madinah, in pursuit of my ermitage…’ Sold to Dasha Zhukova for close to $1million.

Matthew Buckingham

Matthew Buckingham, Caterina van Hemessen Is Twenty Years Old, 2009.

Kendall Greers

Kendell Geers, Hanging Piece, 1993.

TFAA Favorite, Nari Ward

Nari Ward, CarouSoul, 2011.

Jorinde Voigt (panel 1)

Jorinde Voigt (panel 2)

Jorinde Voigt (panel3)

Jorinde Voigt, 308 Views (Rhododendron Garden/ 32 Views, Black Locust/ 44 Views, Birch/ 50 Views, Olive Tree/ 41 Views, Ginkgo/ 50 Views, Cherry Plumb/ 50 Views, Laburnum/ 41 Views: x batches; countup; countdown; wind direction; wind force; declination direction of rotation; declination rotation speed), 2011.

Highlight of Liste:

Ivan Seal

Ivan Seal at Carl Freedman Gallery, London.

At the end of the day, it is all about making connections and seeing as much work from artists that peak your interest as possible.

Robert Rauschenberg, Currents, 1970

Unlike last year’s quick stop in Basel, I was there for the whole fair trek this year: installation through the final gong (literally).

Before arriving in Basel, I was in Paris, attending a symposium at the École des Beaux Arts on Franz Erhard Walther—one of our gallery’s artists.  Spending days focused on the breadth, history, and relevancy of one artist’s work was a luxury.  Scholars spoke at length, a highlight being Jennifer Licht (now Winkworth), who organized the Spaces exhibition at MoMA in 1970.  Along with Walther, Spaces included Michael Asher, Dan Flavin, Larry Bell, and Robert Morris.  Each artist was allotted a room to fill.  Walther’s room had a false wall covering an unused museum entrance.  Winkworth and Walther tore down the wall, allowing passers-by to stop and watch Walther and crew “activate” his canvas sculptures (Roberta Smith was a museum assistant at the time.  Winkworth shared pictures of a young Smith activating the objects along with Walther, Winkworth, etc…even a member of MoMA’s janitorial staff joined in–his momentarily abandoned vacuum was still in shot!)

It was on the wings of this satisfying immersion into one artist’s oeuvre that I arrived in Basel for the very opposite: Art Basel 42.

The pre-fair calm allowed for time to enjoy Basel’s regularly rich cultural events, including their independent films screenings (there were pictures of Brent Green and Donna Kozloskie in one theater’s foyer—they had won a film festival there the week before!).   Having no idea what to expect, I watched Innocence Unprotected, Dusan Makavejev’s 1968 documentary about the Serbian film industry during the Nazi’s occupation of Belgrade, focusing on actor/director/acrobat (seriously), Dragoljub Aleksic.  It’s on Netflix.  Put it in your queue now.

Three days of installation offered a chance to view the fair at a comparatively sane pace.  (Of note: during install, a Swiss man walks around with a food cart and announces his presence with a cow bell—I kid thee not.)  If you go to galleries regularly, the wares didn’t offer many surprises, but seeing work of that caliber is a privilege (“Basel Basel” is a serious beast compared to Art Basel |Miami Beach).   I was told that the second floor, which houses younger, more contemporary galleries, was full of video and lights.  This was news to me—I only saw it before /after hours when everything was turned off!

Robert Rauschenberg, Currents,1970

The monumental works at Art Unlimited offered a respite from the density of the fair.  We exhibited a 60-foot Rauschenberg print, Currents, 1970 (Peter Freeman, Inc., New York).  MoMA hung its edition of Currents recently, wrapping the left third around a corner; we had the chance to hang ours flat.  The installation of this monumental piece changes its reading– all are impressive.

Anish Kapoor, Push-Pull, 2008

Next to our Rauschenberg was Anish Kapoor’s Push—Pull, 2008 (Galleria Massimo Minini, Brescia, Italy), which looked downright delicious as installers added to and molded the red wax.

Fred Sandback, Untitled (Sculptural Study, Seven-part, Right-angled Triangular Construction), 1982/2010

David Zwirner’s Fred Sandback Installation, Untitled (Sculptural Study, Seven-part Right-angled Triangular Construction), 1982/2010, was truly grand.  During the run of the fair, Art Unlimited opened an hour early for exhibitors (it opened to the public at 11 am), which allowed for me and friend to make the 10am screening of Hans Op De Beeck’s Sea of Tranquility, 2010 (Marianne Boesky, New York / Continua, San Gimignano / Xavier Hufkens, Brussels / Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna), an almost 30 minute film about a cruise ship (a cross between the Titanic and the Death Star) and its morose staff and guests.  I almost passed out during the plastic surgery scene.  Beautifully (if overly) designed, the film’s pace was unnecessarily dramatic and forced—especially compared to the examination of space, design, and moments of human silence in Sarah Morris’ Points on a Line, 2010 (Friedrich Petzel Gallery, New York).

Also at Art Unlimited was Hans-Peter Feldmann’s Stamps with Paintings, 2005 (303 Gallery, New York), 180 stamps depicting painted nudes, displayed in identical cream paper frames.  The lavish repetition winks but worries about the idea of sending a letter with a currency of bums and breasts.  The exercise is hilarious, bizarre, delightful, uncomfortable….  I would love to spend more time with this installation and examine the popularity of certain paintings (the reclining nude gets around) as well as the wide-range of national postal services represented.  By hanging bricks by red yarn, Kendell Geers’ Hanging Piece, 1993 (Goodman, Johannesburg/ Stephen Friedman Gallery, London/ Rodolph Janseen, Bruxelles/ Galleria Continua, Sam Gimignano) created a delicate if forbearing forest to navigate.  Jason Rhoades’ Untitled. From the body of work: My Madinah, in pursuit of my ermitage…, 2003 (David Zwirner, New York / Hauser & Wirth, Zürich) was a ceiling-height nest of cords, from which dangled ninety-six often sex-related words in neon.  Apparently it sold to a private collection…?  If so, I hope they hang it in their dining room.

Sadly, there were far fewer events this year.  The Kunstmuseum held a brunch (I couldn’t wake up.  Did anyone?  I have no idea; I heard no reports) instead of one of their great, festive openings.  The Kusthalle Basel (the museum, not bar/restaurant/discothèque) did have an opening for their show, How to work (more for) less (12 June-21 August 2011).  The exhibition was elegantly, creatively installed: the first room was halved by Tobias Kaspar’s door-sized C-prints, hanging from the ceiling.  The passage between galleries 4 and 5 was made by two video installations.  You had to pass through one video room/hallway on your way in and another on the way out.  Surprisingly, the setup didn’t cause problems for concentration or crowd flow.  Instead, it gave you a respite between rooms while allowing the energy of moving forward to redirect briefly towards, for example, Pilvi Takala’s hilarious Players (2010) about a fictional group of professional poker-playing expats living in Bangkok who expend as little energy as possible, except in creating games to get around non-game quotidian life.  For an excerpt: http://www.pilvitakala.com/playersvideo.html.

Takala’s second installation, Trainee, 2008, involved video, slides, a framed employment contract at Deloitt, and a conference table.  She documented her time as a “trainee” at Deloitt in which she did not use a computer, but rather—and to her coworker’s befuddlement—just sat and did “brain work”.  Less Bartleby the scrivener’s “I would prefer not to” than an insertion of the value of thinking and reflecting—a worrisome thought according to her coworkers and the corporate chain of emails her “brain work” inspired.   The work was installed like a corporate presentation and  I was happy sit at the conference table and do some “brain work” myself.

The Beyeler Foundation did hold its annual evening fête, but the usual scrumptiousness (in setting and food) was rained out, so we huddled under umbrellas and trees to eat the weather-limited meal of meat and cheese.  The Beyeler’s Brancusi/Serra show (Constantin Brancusi & Richard Serra, 22 May-21 August 2011) got generally poor to mixed reviews, largely because of the forced comparison.  The Beyeler somewhat admitted to the forced nature of the juxtaposition in the introductory wall text, calling the show “an open-ended dialogue“.  I heard nothing but praise–“totally great” even “it made me happy about life”—about the Brancusi’s.   One astute (and witty) friend was frustrated that the Beyeler replaced its usually generous proximity to works with “swimming pool-sized” platforms, but even he agreed that the Brancusi works were a treat.  Others enjoyed the Serra works, but after seeing the Metropolitan Museum’s recent Serra Drawing show and two recent trips to Dia:Beacon (another Franz Erhard Walther thing—go a see his 1.Werksatz set of 58 canvas objects installed through 12 February 2012—you can ACTIVATE the sculptures!), I found the selection of Serra’s disappointing.  Maybe it’s a symptom of Serra-overdose, but friends who haven’t see the Met’s show or been to Beacon lately also found the Serra selection less than….

I never made it to Art Parcours (Art Basel’s installations around the city), but heard that Ai WeiWei’s Fairytale People, 2007 (Galerie Urs Meile Beijing, Lucerne/ neugerriemschneider, Berlin/ Courtesy: Leister Stiftung, Erlenmeyer Stiftung, Meile Kunst AG), completed before his imprisonment by the Chinese government over two months ago, was excellent.   Also getting raves was Kris Martin’s Festum II, 2010, an aisle full of small confetti-like coins at St. Alban Church (Sies + Höke, Düsseldorf / White Cube, London).  Martin’s installation travelled a bit…I found his small metal circles smattering random paths along the Rhein.

I did make it to Liste 16 the self-proclaimed “Young Art Fair in Basel.”  Don’t go if you are remotely claustrophobic!  The space has the repurposed school feeling of PS1, but compacted like a Parisian elevator.  The “booths” are hallways or partial rooms.  If you don’t clutch your map which identifies each space, you may miss galleries completely.

With all this to report, I almost forgot to mention sales.  Strange for an art dealer, but true!  All around, sales seemed strong and steady–not record breaking, but after such a bubble and bleakness, that is good.  Many collectors did not make it, but those who did were serious and added to their collections.

I didn’t ruin any shoes this year, but practically lost my feet to the fair’s merciless concrete floor.  The moral: pack a different pair of shoes for each day; it may sound ridiculous, but it’s worth it.

Lot 32: Urs Fischer, Untitled (Lamp/Bear), 2005-2006 Estimate on Request

As a Junior Specialist for the Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale, my job at Christie’s is to document and research every work that comes in for the auction. With the help of expert conservators, artists, their studios, estates, galleries, consignors and of course, libraries, I trace the comings and goings of these WORKS OF ART, exhausting every thinkable resource in order to copiously prepare the work for the catalogue and ultimately,  auction.

This journey usually begins with the objects themselves- labels on backing boards can tell the story of their exhibition history and provenance, while the materials and methods give me insight to what these objects actually are. The process of writing the condition report (where we inspect the art for anomalies and flaws and make detailed notations of their composition and structure) can be particularly insightful in regards to the often untold stories of a work of art.

Chris Ofili, Untitled Diptych, 1999 Est. $2,000,000-3,000,000

We black light every painted work that comes through our sales, and will sometimes discover the remains of old conservation- for better or worse. This time around, my black light yielded alarming results…though not in the traditional sense! Instead, what I found demonstrated the thrilling abandon with which many contemporary artists are approaching their work. The phosphorescent paint applied to the “Prince” panel in Chris Ofili’s Untitled Diptych, 1999 reveals a “hidden” painting under black light and remains glowing even when the lights are switched back on. The clarity of composition, which works in both versions of this painting, attest to the artist’s masterful grasp of detail and surface, encrusting his canvases in tiny printed paper cut outs, glitter and intricately applied dots of paint that contribute to the effervescence of their jewel-toned surfaces.

Chris Ofili under black light

Lot 42: Barnaby Furnas, Hamburger Hill, 2002 Est. $400,000-600,000

Barnaby Furnas’s Hamburger Hill also beams under black light.  The bright yellow painted areas comprised of visible fluorescent paint that is applied in thin veils to the surface and perfectly convey the explosions of gunpowder bursting forth from whizzing bullets in this masterpiece from his most famed series. The vivacity of his colors and clarity of his composition result in a work that is the perfect balance between dynamism and two-dimension. He explains to Carroll Dunham that he split his time in graduate school “studying French Romantic painting…and going to action movies like Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, so I decided to combine the two, take what I loved about action movies, which is all the shit flying around, and subjecting it to what I love about painting, which is the stillness and silence.”

Lot 18: Anselm Kiefer, Dem Unbekannten Maler (To the Unknown Painter), 1983 Est. $2,000,000-3,000,000

Anselm Kiefer’s Dem Unbekannten Maler (To the Unknown Painter) is a large scale canvas depicting the courtyard of Hitler’s since destroyed Berlin chancellery intended as a tomb to the Unknown Soldier and where his body was also purportedly burned. Kiefer’s work is most often examined as a sociological reckoning through painting that seeks an elucidation of German history- the torrid legacy of National Socialist party and the rebuilding of national identity that has occurred over the course of the 20^th century. His works are resultant elegies to memory and loss- as are his surfaces which reveal the physicality of his struggle, carefully built up and embellished with straw and heavy impastos of paint, but also violently scraped away in areas and torn in others. The shellacked areas radiate a warm orange glow under black light, revealing carefully preserved and encased regions, while the stripped areas in the sky fluoresce, showing the highly variant surface, part and parcel to the artist’s dramatic working method.

Lot 16: Andy Warhol, Self-Portrait, 1986 Est: $30,000,000-40,000,000

Other revelations become apparent from close inspection, sometimes without the aid of UV light. When conditioning the work, I made note of two tiny paw prints in the lower left corner of Andy Warhol’s last masterpiece- the large scale red Fright-Wig self-portrait completed just months before his tragic and untimely death in February of 1987. They are pug paw prints, and are not uncommon vestiges of the artist’s studio where he notoriously allowed his pugs to roam (some of these belonged to his longtime friend and factory fixture Brigid Berlin). When works were damaged by art handlers or studio assistants, the typically nonchalant artist could become incensed. However, when his pugs urinated or imprinted his surfaces, he is known to have proclaimed “its art!” Indeed, the tiny little prints that are barely visible even in extreme raking light, remind us of the life of this work, created on the floor of the factory and in the midst of the action of its hand-selected inhabitants. Often viewed like a death mask, a prophetic foretelling of his demise, we are reminded that this work once lived at the Factory- its eeriness enhanced by this tiny trace of its place within the great legacy of Andy Warhol.

Pug paw prints found on Warhol's Self-Portrait

When REAL condition issues rear their ugly heads, the best of the best are called in to consult- and usually alongside the careful guidance and experienced wisdom of artist studios and sometimes the artists themselves. Artists have become, aware of the tenuous materials often used, increasingly helpful when it comes to restoration and repair. The Calder Foundation has newly released the approved paints (original paints are out of stock!) which can be used to repaint or touch up the pieces whose painted surfaces can easily become dislodged from their steel structures especially in the case of outdoor works which brave the elements and face repeated installation and breakdown.

Lot 43: Urs Fischer, Airports Are Like Nightclubs, 2005 Est. $500,000-700,000 (reverse)

Urs Fischer’s mechanical robot self-portrait, Airports are like Nightclubs, 2005, has a computer lodged in the pedestal which activates the motorized arm which runs its silicone and highly lifelike fingers through its Duchampian blonde wig every two minutes. Written on the computer is an inscription from the technician which provides an email address to contact should the computer malfunction.

Robert Ryman, Match, 1989 Est. $1,500,000-2,000,000

Robert Ryman similarly has pasted explicit installation and hanging instructions for his pristine 1989 meditation on painting titled Match. Raised peaks of heavily impastoed white paint rise up from the smooth, painted white gatorboard support. This support, mounted to aluminum, is mounted to a 1 inch thick recessed metal backing which, when installed, gives the appearance that the work is floating just in front of the wall. The shadows from the paint crests are further dramatized by the clean shadow cast by the support on the wall.

reverse of Robert Ryman's Match

detail of Robert Ryman's Match

All in all, this season’s sale is rich with the best material from classic 60s Warhols and an early Bacon to contemporary masterworks from Richard Prince and Mark Bradford. Please be sure to swing by and visit Urs Fischer’s Untitled (Lamp/Bear) (installed on the plaza of the Seagram Building) whose massive gas lamp illuminates Park Avenue by night! It is not to be missed, so please be sure to visit us during the view and ask for me, it will be my pleasure to share the rest of the sale in person with anyone!

May 7-11

Saturday, Monday and Tuesday 10am-5pm

Sunday 1pm-5pm

Wednesday 10am-12pm

Christie’s

20 Rockefeller Plaza

Saara Pritchard, Vivian Brodie and Katharine Arnold in front of Urs Fischer's Untitled (Lamp/Bear)during installation

The effects of Deitch Projects closing has finally hit New York. Last year, Jeffrey Deitch, the legendary art dealer, set sail for Los Angeles to serve as Director of MOCA. The museum was highly criticised for selecting a market maker as its head, and many curators handed in their resignations as California art dealers humphed that Deitch would bring down the credibility they had worked so hard to acheive on the West Coast. Little did they know that a year later, MOCA is considered the “hip” museum to the LACMA’s conservative image.

It has taken a full year to understand the impact of Deitch’s move and NYC can now feel the void in the emerging artist market.  There is no other gallery program in NYC that supports and nurtures young artists careers as Deitch did and collectors are noticing the lack of new talent being shown. For the few galleries who have shown new artists, the paintings are sold before the paint dries and no young artist can keep up with this demand.  Alex Prager and Angel Otero, represented by Yancey Richardson and Lehman Maupin respectively, have sold out their NYC shows and have desperate collectors attempting bribery to get one piece. I suppose this carnal desire for work by young artists represents the gaping hole left by Deitch Projects, whose program brought to light the work of art market superstars, Kehinde Wiley, Kristin Baker, and Nari Ward as well as promising newcomers, Elizabeth Neel, Dzine, and Tauba Auerbach.

The genius of Deitch’s strategy can be shown through juxtaposition of how Eleven Rivington has managed Jacob Kassay. Less than a year after selling out Kassay’s first NYC show, one of his sought after silver paintings showed up for sale at Phillips de Pury. The painting originally retailed at $10,000 and soared to over $80,000. His gallery, instead of realizing this as completely unhealthy to the young artist’s career, skyrocketed their prices to match that of the auction house. It will be difficult for Jacob Kassay to maintain the quality of work that creates desire to purchase at that level. We must not forget the trouble Dana Shutz had recreating the brilliance of her first show at Zach Feuer after her market more than doubled at auction. Deitch controlled his artists markets, consistently pricing low even after museum shows and high auction prices, which is healthy for a young artist’s career.

The void left behind by Deitch Projects is unlikey to be filled by just one gallery again, it will be the collaborative effort of all galleries to find and include emerging artists into their programs. In the meantime there is an opening in the NYC gallery program: Visionaries need only apply.

Some of TFAA’s favorite moments by Deitch artists:

Nari Ward at the 2006 Whitney Biennial.

Nari Ward, Glory, 2004

Jonathan Borofsky in Rockefeller Center, 2004.

Jonathan Borofsky, Walking to the Sky, 2004 (installation in Rockefeller Center, NYC)

Jim Isermann at LACMA.

Jim Isermann, Untitled (Plock) (1000), 2000 (Installation at LACMA)

Barry McGee at the 2008 Carnegie International.

Barry McGee in front of his installation at the 2008 Carnegie International (image courtesy of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

John Kessler’s powerful installation at Deitch Projects in 2008.

Jon Kessler, The Time was Now (detail), 2008 Photo credit: Andrew Ohanesian

Kehinde Wiley – it’s hard to narrow down a moment.  For sure the dinner after his opening at the Studio Museum in 2008.

Kehinde Wiley, Prince Tommaso Francesco of Savoy - Carignano, 2006

Kristin Baker’s talk at the Guggenheim in 2006.

Kristin Baker, Flying Curve, Differential Manifold, 2007

Tauba Auerbach’s performance at her 2009 Deitch show.

Tauba Auerbach, Auerglass, 2009

Elizabeth Neel’s Deitch show, 2009.

Elizabeth Neel, Condolences, 2008

Dzine at the opening of the Long Island City space.

Dzine, The Tipping Point, 2009 (Photo credit: Andreas Larson)

In case you need your Deitch fix:

MOCA’s Art in the Streets opens to the public on Sunday, April 17. The members’ opening is Saturday, April 16 and  anyone interested in attending to join MOCA today.

Art in the Streets is the first major U.S. museum survey of graffiti and street art. Curated by MOCA Director Jeffrey Deitch and Associate Curators Roger Gastman and Aaron Rose, the exhibition will trace the development of graffiti and street art from the 1970s to the global movement it has become today, concentrating on key cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, and Sao Paulo, where a unique visual language or attitude has evolved. The exhibition will feature paintings, mixed media sculptures, and interactive installations by 50 of the most dynamic artists and will emphasize Los Angeles’s role in the evolution of graffiti and street art, with special sections dedicated to seminal local movements such as cholo graffiti and Dogtown skateboard culture. A comprehensive timeline illustrated with artwork, photos, video, and ephemera will provide a historical context for the work.

Art in the Streets is made possible by The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.

This exhibition is generously supported by the Sydney Irmas Exhibition Endowment.

Major support is provided by Levi’s. Additional support is provided by Mandy and Cliff Einstein, Nike SB, MOCA Contemporaries, Janet and Tony Goldman, MOCA Partners, Montana Colors, and Greg Escalante.

In-kind media support is provided by Ovation, Los Angeles magazine, and KCRW 89.9 FM.

Saturday in the Streets is presented by Ovation.

Amy Morken at TFAA's annual Art Party (Photo courtesy David Patrick Columbia)

Armory Arts week started off with a bang.  As usual, TFAA in collaboration with Fernanda Gilligan’s ArtSet, hosted its annual Art Party in honor of artist Amy Morken.  Our party is unique in that we only invite art professionals as a way to decompress before the oncoming chaos.  It was a great event with even more guests than last year.

Onto the Art Fairs!

The ADAA Art Show at the Park Avenue Armory is always my favorite venue as it is less packed and most booths focus on single artists.  Here are some highlights:

Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Aviary with Parrot and Drawers), 1949

1. L&M – Joseph Cornell

It’s always a treat to see museum quality work at an art fair and L&M pulled out the stop with their Joseph Cornell solo booth which featured three stellar boxes that are NFS (not for sale) mixed with some less stellar, yet highly affordable smaller boxes and gorgeous works on paper.

Jaume Plensa sculpture at Galerie Lelong

Jaume Plensa, work on paper at Galerie Lelong

2. Galerie Lelong –Jaume Plensa

Galeries Lelong’s booths are consistently brilliant.  The work of Jaume Plensa is luminous both in sculpture and on paper.  I recommend spending time with these works.

Zhang Huan at Pace – Zhang Huan

3. The Pace Gallery – Zhang Huan

Perhaps the most important of the living Chinese artists, Zhang Huan’s booth exhibits small scale works that are created from the ashes of ceremonial incense.  They are reasonably priced in the $50,000-$100,000.

Fred Tomaselli, Blue Circles Before Blow Down, 1997

4. James Cohan

This energetic booth featured exciting work by Fred Tomaselli, Beatrice Milhazes, Bill Viola and Tom Freidman.

Catherine Opie's Seascapes at Regen Projects

5. Regen Projects

Regan Projects had a beautifully hung booth featuring works by Catherine Opie, Anish Kapoor, Elliot Hundley and Raymond Pettibon.

JB Blunk, Redwood Desk at Blum & Poe

6. Blum and Poe – JB Blunk

The beautifully carved tables, stools and benches by JB Blunk are the stars of the Blum and Poe booth this season.  It’s brave for a gallery like Blum & Poe to bring so little fine art and focus on a furniture designer like Blunk.  His redwood desk is the standout.

Onward to the Armory Show at Pier 94.  I could barely walk through during the “VIP” opening, and finding a good booth was slim pickings.  Here are the few good booths:

Matt Collishaw, Billy Con Gardener, 2010

1. Blain Southern – Welcome!  It’s about time Harry Blain and Graham Southern have a booth at an art fair.  Their booth showcased the work of Matt Collishaw and TFAA favorite, Rachel Howard.  It’s nice to look at something new at the art fair.

Leandro Erlich, Subway, 2010

2. Sean Kelly – Kehinde Wiley chose a wonderful gallery to migrate to after Deitch closed.  His work has been prominently featured in Sean Kelly’s booth at both Miami and now the Armory along with other fantastic artists, Leandro Erlich, Robert Mapplethorpe and Callum Innes.

Gilbert and George

3. Lehman Maupin – Gilbert and George rarely have work that is affordable or small enough size to fit in your home.  Their postcard series may seem benign, but watchout, it does not lack their sexually charged expression.  Do you recognize that symbol?

Jesse Chapman, The Lens at Marianne Boesky

4. Marianne Boesky – Always a lovely booth, the best part of stopping by is to say hello to the wonderful staff as well as browse the works of some of the younger artists they represent, such as Diana Al-Hadid.  It’s always great to see a Nara dish too.

Elmgreen & Dragset, Grown Up Rocking Horse, 2010

5. Victoria Miro – Well, who hasn’t always dreamed of owning a giant rocking horse?

Candida Höfer's Universitätsbibliothek Helsinki 2001 c-print 15 x 15 inches (38 x 38 cm) edition of 40 minimum donation: EUR 1,500

Thursday, 27 February from 6-8pm, Peter Freeman, Inc. opens a two-week benefit exhibition for the Shelter Foundation.

Shelter raises awareness of the trafficking and sexual exploitation of women, and supports organizations delivering aid and education to women forced into prostitution, mainly in the Balkans.  Created in 2001 in Basel, Switzerland, by Alexander and Silke von Berswordt-Wallrabe, the foundation uses art to ignite the donating spirit.

All works in the exhibition are available for minimum donation prices.  Artists, like Richard Serra (a Shelter Foundation Council Member), Lee Ufan, and Candida Höfer have donated works -most are editions of forty.  Before this New York incarnation, the exhibition has been shown in Amsterdam, and at various museums in Germany in Spain.

For this venue, Peter Freeman, Inc. artists have also donated works -some unique, others in small editions.  Some highlights:

Helen Mirra has given Untitled Photographs (G/T) (2008), a work comprised of two photographs, each showing bird houses in the Swiss forest behind the mental institution where the Swiss writer, Robert Walser, spent his final years.  The photographs are installed apart, to ensure they cannot be seen simultaneously.

Franz Erhard Walther’s Untitled (1969) folded canvas work is intended to be touched: You rest your hand on it—the work is about the hand’s relationship to the cloth—is your hand the sculpture and the fabric the plinth, or when you hold the cloth, is your hand the plinth? Is the action itself the work? You open the folded cloth—with this action and contemplation, the work is about a book, or is it empty, and is what you imagine it to be the work?  (Take note if this piece if you love DIA Beacon’s amazing show of Walther’s complete 1.Werksatz series!)

Also available: Mel Bochner’s unique work on paper, Mixed Signals #1 (1996), in which he continues his exploration of spacial systems, on four seemingly intertwined pieces of Mylar, and Fiona Tan’s Narsholmen III (2008), a photograph of the haunting, haggard Swedish landscape.

For more information on the Shelter Foundation, see: www.shelter-foundation.org.
For a complete list of artists and works, see: www.peterfreemanin.com.

Benefit Exhibition for the Shelter Foundation: Art Against Trafficking in Women and Sexual Exploitation, 27 January – 12 February 2011, at Peter Freeman, Inc. Opening reception, 27 January, 6-8 pm.  Peter Freeman, Inc. 560 Broadway, Suite 602/603 New York, NY 10023.

An exhibition catalogue is available for US$ 10.00; all proceeds will go to the foundation.