“PETER SCHUYFF,” Nicole Klagsbrun, New York, NY. Through Oct. 13. Roberta Smith: “Mr. Schuyff�s efforts extend the appropriation-art strategies of the 1980s, and are nasty but memorable pieces of work. Even nastier are a large group of often quite respectable 18th- and 19th-century drawings by forgotten artists to which Mr. Schuyff has added black and white motifs reminiscent of those of Dutch De Stijl. The question of whether these drawings have been resurrected or vandalized is pertinent, and adds a final twist to this rich, confounding show.” Read more.
“KENT HENRICKSEN: Divine Deviltries,” John Connelly Presents, New York, NY. Through Oct. 6. Roberta Smith: “His no-fault explorations of colonialism and racism are also by now familiar…..And while his paintings come to the brink of the generic, they also dazzle on every front � skill, color, narrative suggestion, pictorial complexity. So it is hard not to come away impressed by the ambition of his work and to look forward to its development.” Read more.
“UGO RONDINONE: Big Mind Sky,” Matthew Marks, New York, NY. Through Oct. 27. Martha Schwendener: “Mr. Rondinone�s strategy involves varying the tone and scale of his work to balance pathos, vulnerability and humor. So he hedges his position as a maker of clownish sculpture (a past show included actual clown figures) by being an author of quietly profound gestures. But the obtrusive heads, nearly nine feet tall, feel like a cheap bid for attention. As for the poesy: it might not stand up in the poetry world, and it doesn�t stand up so well in the art world, either.” Read more.
