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London: the V&A’s Aesthetic Movement , Saatchi Gallery; and Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff
The Cult of Beauty: The Aesthetic Movement 1860-1900, through July 17 at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is perhaps most interesting for emphasizing that the Pre-Raphaelites set out to make their living space a Gesamptkunstwerk, complete with paintings, furniture, wallpaper, decorative objects and artistically-clad women, who clearly were part of the decoration; hence the exhibition includes all facets of fine and decorative arts, including photography, printed books and rarely-seen items of jewelry and clothing. Women’s clothing, that is. While the men established, developed and prosthelytized on behalf the style, it didn’t extend to their own dress. Even the dandy, ... More » »
Artists’ Projects in France
During a week spent visiting buildings of Le Corbusier in France, one of the happiest surprises was the number of artists who have been invited to produce work in French monuments and sites. We began at the Villa Savoye in Poissy, just outside Paris. As we circumnavigated the building to reach the entrance (designed for visitors who arrive by car, the ‘front’ door is 180 degrees from the façade that’s visible on entering the grounds), we saw a large, open structure on the grounds, made of rough logs and thatch, that looked to me like an extravagant version of chickees, ... More » »
Above the Arctic Circle in Norway, industrial parks and art in Berlin, John Baldessari in Amsterdam
Our plane from JFK touched down on Norwegian soil around 9:15 AM, Oslo time. My last aerial glances revealed Norwegian fields spread over long ripples of irregular landscape like crinkled foil, the plots creating a puzzle (not of squares like in America’s Midwest) but of triangles and polygons, which suggested people in a more relaxed oneness with the land.
June in Amsterdam: Beldan Sezan’s ‘Zakkum’ etc.
I love Amsterdam and have been visiting a close friend there regularly since 1998, but if you’ve never been to the city, this is not a good time to go. Much of the city is torn up because of large construction projects: at the train station (whose entrance is entirely obscured behind hoardings, below, and interior is also undergoing work); on major streets, where they are building a subway; and at both the Rijksmuseum and Stedelijk Museum. Both museums have a small selection of their collections on view, which is probably sufficient for tourists, but not for readers of artblog. ... More » »
A Present Absence: Ai Weiwei in London
It was rather ominous to see, a few weeks ago, a group of twelve wrapped sculptures populate the courtyard of Somerset House (a neoclassical building in Central London that once housed The Royal Academy and now is home to The Courtauld Institute and various art events). Ominous because their creator, Ai Weiwei, had himself been under wraps, imprisoned by the Chinese police and not heard from since the beginning of April (recently, he has been allowed a a visit from his wife). Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads is both the first contemporary art installation in the historic courtyard and the first ... More » »
Kurt Schwitters and Diane Burko in Princeton; International Banking at Portikus
Kurt Schwitters: Color and Collage at the Princeton Art Museum through June 26, 2011 realizes the alchemists’ dream of turning dross into gold - in that Schwitters created his marvelous collages and assemblages from recycled garbage. This first U.S. survey of the artist’s work in twenty-five years does not attempt to cover his entire production; the roughly 80 works include several of the Merz assemblage paintings, a large number of exquisite Merz drawings (collages on paper), several small sculptural works and a reconstruction from photographs of the Hannover Merzbau, which was destroyed in WWII. While much of the work is ... More » »
Yohji Yamamoto All Over London
The current feature exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum on Japanese fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto spreads itself out. Not only does this first UK solo retrospective spill out of the V&A’s main exhibition display room – popping up in spaces all over the museum – the celebration of Yamamoto’s work also appears at The Wapping Project Bankside as well as The Wapping Project in Wapping. The V&A features an extensive collection of garments covering the Japanese designer’s career since his Paris debut in 1981. While the fashion photographs shown at the Bankside location are unusual and captivating, the installation at ... More » »
Angela de la Cruz and Rashid Rana at Lisson Gallery
In the works of Angela de la Cruz and Rashid Rana currently on display at Lisson Gallery in London, there is more than meets the eye. Both artists beckon the viewer to reconsider their works’ seemingly simple form and look across their oeuvre to the rich ideas that lie beneath.
New Gallery EB&Flow Opens in London
Last night, the tide of well-wishers and curious aesthetes was roaring at the new Shoreditch gallery EB&Flow. Their inaugural exhibit showcases the work of eleven young, up and coming contemporary artists. Entitled Since Tomorrow (which in itself encourages imaginative exploration and definition), the group show is a variable mélange presenting a dialogue of artworks, some brilliant and some bland, but creating an overall visual/intellectual hum, the energy of a fresh space filled with art and ideas.
Meekyoung Shin at Haunch of Venison, London
The London gallery Haunch of Venison, currently housed in the back of the Royal Academy, would seem to be out of place. While its main location undergoes renovation, the contemporary art gallery is running its shows in the cavernous spaces of the eighteenth-century museum. Upon first impression, however, the sculpture (a polychrome fragment of Roman Antiquity?) in the niche at the top of the landing of the grand main staircase appears to fit right in. The sculpture, though, reveals itself to be Korean artist Meekyoung Shin’s Translation- Greek (1998), a figure made entirely of soap. Within this artist’s first major ... More » »
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