Uncategorized

Quick Study: Reading from around the blogosphere

Art Critic Jerry Saltz wants you to paint him a Gerhard Richter.
On his Facebook page, Saltz offered either $1,000 or a blow job (plus
the cost of materials) to any artist who makes him a painting that looks
exactly like one of Richter’s abstract canvases. “You can sign your own
name on the back of the damn thing,” he writes.”I just love
these and want one…I’d like a
biggish one.” You might want to revisit the post of Richter making one of those biggish abstracts in his studio.

Gerhard Richter, Abstract Painting Abstraktes Bild, 2005, oil on canvas, 113.5 cm x 72 cm

———

Is
anyone EVER ready for the fairs in Miami? This year I had to skip it due
the the packing, moving and upheaval caused by the temporary relocation
to Washington, even though I was looking forward to giving a sponsored tour of Art Miami this morning with Joanne Mattera. Critic-artist Franklin Einspruch agreed to step in and take my place. Check out Hyperallergic’s a roundup of  art fair highlights from the likes of Art Fag City, Artnet, Paper Magazine and more.

And while you’re in Miami, visit Aqua Miami, visit Robert Yoder’s Season Gallery, which has some interesting, affordable stuff, including two of my silver object paintings: http://bit.ly/vo3DN3. Go ahead, buy something–the 99% are allowed to buy art, too.

———

Art bigs Mera and Donald Rubell think DC is hot. “The Rubells hit Washington nine years ago. They bought a 1962 motor
hotel by the highway, a seedy Best Western where hookers and druggies
claimed the sidewalks and the crowd inside wasn�t much more savory. Today, the Capitol Skyline Hotel
boasts a lobby full of contemporary art and furniture, even a chair
you�re not allowed to sit on (it�s a Frank Gehry!). The pool has become a
gathering spot
[not sure about this–I’ll get back to you.–Ed.] for the District�s young arts, music and social crowds. And if the
Rubells� next dream comes true � and their dreams usually do � the
abandoned public school across the street will soon be transformed by an
arts and commercial development that will do for Southwest Washington
what the family�s arrival did for Miami�s Wynwood….”

———

Scrum: A collaborative project between AFC and their readers to write a Wikipedia page for Anton Vidokle.  Great idea (even if it’s one of Will Brand’s hilariously snarky exercises) because the entries for artists are often poorly written and/or incomplete. I ran across Louise Fishman’s Wikipedia entry this week and it reads like an assignment (C+ at best) in an undergrad gen ed class. “Some of the mark-making in the current paintings inclines toward writing, as has been true for around a decade.” Argh.

———

Old but interesting: Does paid criticism matter?

———

Holiday gift ideas: Art from the Nudashank Gift Shop. The piece above, acrylic on paper by Russell Hite, framed, is 200 bucks. The gallery is in Baltimore, but I bet they’d ship it to you.

———

 
Francis Picabia, Portrait de Suzanne , 1941, oil on paper mounted on canvas, 21 3/4 x 17 3/4″ 

In a review of Francis Picabia’s show at Michael Werner, Andrew Russeth asks if we should expect consistency from artists. Andrew, I’d have to say emphatically, no. “His rapid evolution through styles, and his willingness to work in many
at once in his late years, has historically opened Picabia to
charges of dilettantism, or a willingness to chase notoriety by any
means necessary�which are also, of course, key aspects of today�s
contemporary art world. One is tempted, in short, to question his
sincerity….”


———
Student writers might like to enter the Guardian’s blogging competition.  “Debate has raged over whether the student will become a consumer:
more aware and more demanding about the value for money they will get
from their courses. Who better to ask than students themselves, so Education Guardian has teamed up with Ones to Watch,
the website which showcases the best UK student journalism, to launch a
writing competition, asking the question: With fees tripling to �9,000
a year at most universities, is it inevitable that the student will
become a consumer?”

———

At Art Info, I learned what Alex Katz, who models for the J. Crewe catalog (images above), wants for Christmas 

———

INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:

The Art21 Production and Digital Media Departments are looking for interns. They are urging you to “join the Art21 team!”

The L Magazine is “looking for interns who can hold their liquor and want to learn to do other stuff too.” Send a note to Deirdre@thelmagazine.com


———
Robert Smithson, Hotel Palenque, 1969, 35mm slide projection (detail).

At Rhizome Orit Gat writes about Projected Projects: Slides, PowerPoints, Nostalgia, and a Sense of Belonging:  “What was appealing for artists in the 35mm
slides was slowly disappearing in the projection technologies that
followed it�first, the overhead projector, and more so, PowerPoint. The
overhead projector using transparencies is still quite frequently used
in contemporary art. PowerPoint, however, is different. Since its introduction in the early 1980s, PowerPoint has become the
tool of corporate culture. It drove the overhead projector out of the
boardroom quite quickly, but it also became a trope of contemporary
communications….”

———

Mel Bochner, Amazing!, 2011, oil and acrylic on canvas, two panels. Courtesy Peter Freeman

Must see, blah, blah blah: In the Tower: Mel Bochner at the National Gallery of Art. 

And this: The First Ladies at Smithsonian�s National Museum of American History. The exhibition features 26 dresses, but more importantly, 160 other objects,
ranging from those of Martha Washington to Michelle Obama, and includes
personal possessions and other objects from the
Smithsonian�s unique collection of first ladies� materials, established
in 1912. Now that I’m temporarily a Washington lady, I’ve been following Michelle Obama’s activities (doing the Christmas tree, overseeing the decorating of the White House, etc.), and it seems like being First Lady is a tedious, thankless job. She has so many official duties that she has a paid staff to help, but she herself doesn’t collect a salary. Aren’t there labor laws to protect people from this kind of exploitation? Maybe the exhibition will shed light on the First Lady experience.

———

 Robin Rose, From Her to Eternity, 2011, encaustic on linen on aluminum hexcel panel, 30″ x 24″

Looking forward to checking out the Robin Rose show at Hemphill Fne Arts even though Kriston Capps’s review in Washington City Paper is sort of dismissive. “If he were a musician, he�d be the kind of artist who takes traditional
rock instruments and makes them sound like they�re being played by
scientists. In terms of musical production, Rose may love the live
performance, but his work is all studio album.” They look good to me.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*