In a moment of upheaval and too much art…. Happily skipping the Fairs, I detoured to the Folk Art Museum to see “Locating Girlhood”, celebrating American 18th- and 19th-century “schoolgirl art.” And then hit galleries and museums. The following is a random review of autumnal NYC art exhibitions.
“LIKE NEW Roy Lichtenstein at the Whitney”
Hometown hero Roy Lichtenstein is the subject of a major retrospective show, the first in three decades. One hundred thirty works- paintings, sculptures, drawings, collages, prints and film- along with tributes by co-curator Alex Da Corte take over the fifth and third floors, as well as beautifully engaging with the outdoor terrace space.
Famous for his replications of mass-culture imagery and American comic-book iconography, Lichtenstein feels especially prescient, as the work was created in pre-digital times. Hand-painted recreations include the big, bold and graphic 96-foot-long 1983 Green Street mural, executed by Da Corte and his studio. The terrace boasts a recreated 1963 New York World’s Fair Mural, “Girl in Window”, originally commissioned by Phillip Johnson (again recreated by Da Corte), along with a hand-printed aluminium monolith sculpture, “Coups de Pinceau” from 1988.
Another delight is the recreation of the original and historic Leo Castelli show of 1962, right down to the townhouse parquet floor. Much of the work is very familiar, but there are surprises, such as the inclusion of the 1961 circular canvas “Laughing Cat”, previously owned by Andy Warhol and rarely viewed. I also loved “Composition 1” from 1964, which depicts the black-and-white marble notebook from my elementary school days.
“Like New”, meticulously curated by Meg Onli and artist Alex Da Corte, presents a new take on why Pop captured the art world and how Roy Lichtenstein became one of the most accessible and influential ambassadors.
WATERFALL Ugo Rondinone at Gladstone until October 31
Hypnotic hues of blue, pink, purple, yellow, and crystal illuminate Ugo Rondinone’s latest twelve monumental, translucent freestanding sculptures. Known for his shamanic explorations of the natural world, the Swiss-born, Harlem-based artist has created colossal stone humanoids, metallic rain clouds, rainbows, intricate pastoral paintings, minimalist landscapes, and dramatic gilded suns. These freestanding monoliths range in height from 11 to 20 feet, and are displayed in an irregular grid.
What began as small handmade clay sculptures was then translated to metal, and ultimately into sweeping resin pours. The luminous pigments result from crushed gemstones. Mixing the amethyst, tourmaline, and mineral materials with his own pulverised hair and nails, Rondinone honours the Buddhist tradition of placing body parts in sacred spaces.
These subtly undulating “waterfalls,” all made this year, feature the artist’s now-scanned and enlarged fingerprints, suggesting the mutability of moving water marks or tactile traces of humanity.
BLUE by Na Kim at Nicola Vassell
Korean-born, Brooklyn-based Na Kim has been seriously painting for three years. With an illustrious career as a book designer and art director, Kim continues her creative trajectory in her current show, “Blue”, which is as intimate as it is enigmatic.
The current presentation of small oil-on-linen cloud paintings is named after people. The same poetic and concentrated vision that fueled her first exhibition at the gallery focused on mimetic faces, some resembling her own, set against polychromatic backgrounds. Using confident brushstrokes and an abbreviated palette, Na captures the shifting and ethereal beauty of clouds. A subject that has long fascinated artists from John Constable to Frederic Church to Georgia O’Keeffe, clouds move brightly across the sky and disappear at night. Na Kim’s clouds offer psychological profiles and sublime sweeps of colour, perhaps a distant seascape or hillside.
This is figuration that feels both modern and contemplative. In a world of big dick art, the minimalist and distilled essence of “Blue” is a welcome respite.
Through the Looking Glass Hunt Slonem One Art Space
Amplified nature and gestural immediacy are hallmarks of Hunt Slonem’s magical world of birds, bunnies, butterflies, saints, portraits and haunting landscapes. For over five decades, Slonem’s Neo-expressionist vision has explored flora and fauna. His expressive use of colour, texture and composition animates contemporary representation with a dynamic spirituality.
The internationally acclaimed artist, whose work is held in museum collections worldwide, uses repetition to seduce the viewer with reductive immediacy.
This show focuses on birds and rabbits, including rainbow-hued glass sculptures. “The Bunny Salon” highlights his iconic rabbits, rendered with sure, spontaneous brushstrokes and beautifully framed in antique wooden-and-gilt frames. Butterflies hover on textural backgrounds with the grace of a summer breeze.
Slonem’s practice has long celebrated the natural world, from blooming flowers to haunting real and imaginary portraits. “Through the Looking Glass” brings the viewer into a truly pastoral paradise, one that enchants with diamond dust and signature style.