Feb
22
2010
The Gallery Diva
President Obama has picked six people to join the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) according to the Culture Monster on the LA Times. Amongst the list is Chuck Close who becomes the first visual artist on this committee which is heavy on actors and entertainment business executives.
The role of the PCAH according to their not too well updated and very sparse website is “to initiate and support key programs; to recognize excellence in the fields of arts and humanities; and to encourage private-public partnerships around those disciplines through the three primary cultural agencies – National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)”.
The committee headed up by the First Lady as Honorary Chairman and currently lead by George Stevens Jr, film director and founding director for the American Film Institute in LA and Margo Lion, a New York theater producer, includes 12 federal including Hilary Clinton, Secretary of the US Department of State and Timothy Geithner, Secretary of the US Department of the Treasury. Interestingly it also includes Anna Wintour, Editor in Chief of Vogue magazine.
It will be interesting to see if Close in conjunction with Earl Powell III, Director of the National Gallery of Art will be able to raise the profile of the visual arts amongst the heavy film and theatre crowd.
1 comment | tags: Chuck Close, NEA, US Federal Arts Programs
Sep
24
2009
The Gallery Diva
It was really refreshing wandering around Chelsea this afternoon. There were sadly very few people, but it really made me realize how much we miss when we attend openings. When there are hoards of people, it’s hard to see the work; hard to get close up and hard to get a good view from afar. And that’s if you see the work at all.
We’d been in Sikkema Jenkins & Co on 22nd Street, but due to the crowds, we hadn’t ventured into the back room, where today we found the videos by Kara Walker. She uses silhouette puppets or shadow puppets to create her videos covering subjects of misogyny, racism and violence.
Having read recently that people only stand in front of videos for an average of 6 seconds, we certainly put a dent in the statistic by watching the full 9 minute lengths of each video. The stories were well put together; execution was good and most interesting was the backgrounds that they had created. It made the rest of the show which included sculptures, paintings, wall installations and works on paper much more cohesive. It’s a trend that I’ve seen more and more; the true use of mixed media, i.e. several different media used in one show.
Most people also suggest that they go to openings in order to talk to the artists, which I am sure can occasionally happen, or to meet friends and acquaintances, or to be seen by the right people! Well today we managed to casually bump into Chuck Close who was doing his own gallery hopping. You can’t really get better than Chuck!
I suppose the one thing you do miss if you don’t go to openings is the energy and creative buzz that you do often get when surrounded by masses of art loving people. Oh well, it looks like I won’t be giving up art openings any time soon!
Kara Walker is showing in conjunction with Mark Bradford at the Sikkema Jenkins & Co gallery at 530 West 22nd Street, New York. The show runs until October 17th 2009.
3 comments | tags: Chelsea, Chuck Close
Jun
22
2009
The Gallery Diva
Following on from the excellent article by Dorothy Spears on Friday, the New York Times have published interviews by three interesting personalities of the New York art world.
The first interview is of Roland Augustine, co-owner of Luhrig Augstine a major gallery in Chelsea founded in 1985 who represent an international group of contemporary artists as well as specializing in the resale of significant 20th century artists such as Picasso, Pollock, Warhol, Richter and Polke. Augustine is also currently the president of the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA).
He interestingly suggests that despite the fact he does not wish any hardship on anyone, he is glad that there has been a pause in the growth of the art market. He says that the exponential growth of the last ten years had led some people to be interested only in the asset class, the monetary value of art and not at the language of art.
He does say though that individuals who do care about the art and are inspired by the language of art are still around and are fighting to create the best exhibitions as best as they are able. He also says that although his gallery is looking to be more cost effective, their commitment to the artist hasn’t changed. He says that it is not an easy profession, that it’s not as glamorous as it looks but that they are looking to be resourceful against backdrop of a new landscape.
The second interview is of Tracy Williams, the sole owner of the intimate Tracy Williams Gallery in the West Village. She has been operating for just over 5½ years representing a stable of contemporary artists and working with curators to exhibit new artists. She has renewed her lease for one year and her landlord has worked with her to reduce the rent. She has also created a new exhibit of work selling for less than $5000 and lengthened the duration of the show. She is looking to move into Chelsea in January.
Chuck Close, the contemporary artist is the final interview. He worries about what young, emerging and mid-career artists will do. He’s heard from a very knowledgeable downtown dealer that 50% of galleries will close through this recession, significantly reducing the number of venues available to these artists. He says that previous downturns spawned new venues for exhibiting work, but many of these survived on grants and federal funding. He was one of the founders of Artists Space which opened during similar times as did Franklin Furnace. He admits that much of the philanthropy has dried out and it may not be as easy this time. He suggests that artist will have to be creative and some may have to exhibit in their own homes or exhibiting in empty store fronts as some of his friends are doing already.
They all confirm what we’ve known for a long time, but nobody has any radical ideas yet. It’s a buyers market and they have all the power. Let’s hope they use it wisely.
1 comment | tags: Chuck Close, dealers
Jun
16
2009
The Gallery Diva
We went to see the Chuck Close, Paintings and Tapestries from 2005-2009 at PaceWildenstein on 25th street in Chelsea today.
What can I say? The man does magic.
Most of us take our sight for granted; even if we have to wear contact lenses or glasses. We don’t often think of how the light hits our cornea, goes through the aqueous humor, then through the iris and as it passes through the lens, the image gets inverted while travelling through the vitreous and hits the rods and cones of the retina at the back of the eye. It then proceeds up to the brain, where it all gets put right side up and we see what we see in a blink of an…..eye! How often do we think about all that?
Chuck Close breaks down the process of seeing images and then rebuilds them in his very own way making us aware of what magic there is in sight.
When you see his oil paintings from afar, especially at a slight angle, they look like photographs; perhaps a little blurred, but none the less, photos. As you get closer and closer, the image starts to break down into individual works of abstract organic geometric shapes in a precise pixellized grid with the occasional exception. Each block is a work of art in its own right; concentric circles, squares and other forms, with differing orders of what may seem like random color. How this can reform at a distance into a recognizable face is a mystery that I can see with my own eyes, but cannot fathom, even with the help of the maquettes that he creates and shows us. On the other hand Close has become more and more intimate with the answer as the years have gone by. A true genius.
I would have been happy just looking at the paintings, but Pace Wildenstein in their infinite wisdom married them with his Belgium Jacquard loom woven tapestries. Using a computer, Close specifies thousands of strands of colored thread to recreate near photographic images of the faces for which he has become so famous. A 400 year old technology which has been updated and given a new lease of life. Magic.
The show unfortunately closes this Saturday. If you have the time, it’s really worth the visit.
For more info about Chuck Close read a previous post on this blog.
Also watch a video by James Kalm for Saatchi online TV & magazine.
1 comment | tags: Chuck Close, Pace Wildenstein
