Paul McCarthy sculptures, Hauser & Wirth booth

It was another terrific year at Art Basel. Exhibitors brought outstanding work and buyer enthusiasm was high. Confidence is evident at the upper end of the market. Pressing global challenges were set aside for a few days as collectors decided that art is its own currency. Sales moved quickly and pricing has firmed substantially.

Beyeler Foundation

The visual pleasures at the Fair and around Basel were equal to the commercial activity. The Beyeler Foundation was hosting a major show of Jean Michel Basquiat which was thorough and illuminating. But the thrilling exhibition was the show of Felix Gonzales-Torres (American, b. Cuba, 1957-1996).

Titled “Specific Objects without Specific Form”, the show is meant to defy the idea of the exhibition as fixed and the retrospective as totalizing. The show will have several installation versions, none of which will be the authoritative one. This concept underlines the artists’ practice which put fragility, the passage of time and the questioning of authority at its’ center.

Felix Gonzales-Torres at the Beyeler Foundation

The Gonzalez-Torres works were juxtaposed amidst the modernist masterpieces of the Beyeler collection resulting in viewers seeing both his radical conceptual works and the canonic historic works from an entirely renewed viewpoint. For instance, a Gonzales-Torres work consisting of multiple strands of light bulbs hung down from the high ceiling and pooled onto the floor. It was installed between Barnett Newman on one side and Jackson Pollock on the other side. The strong verticality of the Newman stripes and the skeins of swirling paint in the Pollock echoed in the dangling lights and the swimming bulbs on the floor. It appears obvious, but it was so fresh and created an unexpected bridge between the work of the modern masters and that of the short-lived, influential conceptualist.  Other arresting juxtapositions included Gonzalez-Torres’ stacks of striped, sheets of paper with Mondrian paintings and his beaded curtain hung between a striding Giacometti sculpture and several Bacon paintings.

Felix Gonzales-Torres at the Beyeler Foundation

Downstairs was an elegiac installation of a carpet of take-away candies lying grave-like below a foggy mural of soaring birds. The mixed sense of melancholy against the glittering candy wrappers signaling abundance and gratitude set in the sweeping gallery space was heart-stopping.

The current installation is magnificently curated by Elena Filipovic. It will be redone in mid-July by Carol Bove, an invited artist whose own work has been informed by Gonzalez-Torres. The changing versions of the show will ensue as it travels to the Wiels Contemporary Art Centre, Brussels and the Museum Fur Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt.

Art Unlimited

Art Unlimited is Art Basel’s exhibition platform for projects that transcend the classical art-show stand. Included are video projections, large-scale installations, oversized sculptures and live performances.

Bruce Connor, "Three Screen Ray", at Art Unlimited

One of the standout video presentations this year was from California-based artist, Bruce Connor (American 1933-2008). He was represented by “Three Screen Ray”, 2006, a three-channel video display synchronized to a live version “What’d I Say” by Ray Charles. The piece features Connor’s film, “Cosmic Ray” (1961) as its central image, with newly edited black and white footage for the left and right channels. It is a winning projection that combines found footage with footage shot by the artist, using images such as bomb explosions, a performance of female sexual liberation, television commercials, cartoons, fireworks, and his signature use of a countdown leader. The piece is completely engrossing, capturing the energy, spirit and historical significance of an era.

Zhang Huan, "Hero No. 1", at Art Unlimited

Arguably the most exceptional object work was a massive sculpture by Chinese artist, Zhang Huan, titled “Hero No. 1″, 2009. Measuring 16 x 32 x 20 feet, it is a colossus of stature and some menace composed of animal hides, steel and wood. The artist was inspired by the oxen from his childhood experience on the plains of Henan Province in China. He commented, “Hero No. 1 is born from the primitive passions that inform our future and expresses our wish for rebirth. Everybody is his own hero and part of the biologic evolution.” The Art Newspaper reported that the piece, priced at $1.8 million, was sold to Japanese artist, Takashi Murakami…a fascinating transaction of homage, art world sociology and politics.

Satellite Fairs

Ron Arad chair at Design Miami/Basel

Among the satellite fairs, Design Miami/Basel, the design and furniture fair, increasingly contributes to the excitement of Art Basel. The quality and ingenuity of the stands is always a pleasure. Collectible furniture has been an especially lively collecting area in the past few years. Growing trends include collectible lighting fixtures and digital elements embedded in the furniture.

Gabriel Hartley at Liste

Liste was the standout fair for emerging artists. Gabriel Hartley’s paintings and sculpture sold out quickly, among others. Liste was also a source for some better known artists such as Romanian, Adrian Ghenie and Belgian, Jan De Cock. This fair is an incubator and springboard to Art Basel. Gallerists are frequently invited to the main fair, allowing for a constant stream of quality newcomers to Liste.

Zurich

Rosemarie Trockel ceramic, Kunsthalle Zurich

No trip to Basel can exclude a visit to nearby Zurich. The Sunday before the fair begins, Zurich galleries host special open hours and the museums always plan memorable exhibitions. The Kunsthalle had an outstanding show of German artist, Rosemarie Trockel. Best known for her trademark “knitting pictures”, the show also included her drawings, objects, ceramics, furniture and videos. Although this was an engaging exhibition, the drawing show running concurrently at the Kunstmuseum in Basel was fairly dry.

Berlinde de Bruyckere at Hauser & Wirth, Zurich

Hauser & Wirth had a macabre yet mesmerizing show of the powerful Belgian sculptor, Berlinde de Bruyckere. Her work grapples with life and death, pain and pleasure; I channeled Francis Bacon. Later my thoughts were reconfirmed by an installation at the Kunsthaus, where one of her sculptures was installed adjacent to a Bacon painting. They each conjure an unspeakable horror fed by the viewer’s imagination that exceeds the visual evidence in the work. De Bruyckere’s impeccable craft and seductive materials add an additional wallop to her provocative sculpture.

Lake Zurich, view from the Steigenberger Hotel

At the end of the afternoon it’s time for a boat ride on Lake Zurich.  It was a rainy week, but there’s nothing like getting out on the water to refresh and prepare for another day of art!

Shanghai World Expo

The Pearl, Shanghai at Night

Having made five trips to Shanghai in the past 15 years, the development of the city continues to astound. The word or concept of globalization is everywhere. Yet the experiential reality and visual witness of it become increasingly more profound as it evolves.

The World Expo in Shanghai, May-Oct 2010, features pavilions from 191 countries, various corporations and several cities, all distinguishing themselves through architecture, product brands, and ideas for the future. It is a feast primarily organized for the benefit of the Chinese and the region. International attendees from elsewhere are projected to represent roughly a mere 10% of the total visitors. I was among them on my recent visit en route to the Hong Kong International Art Fair, HK 10.

View of Expo, Israeli Pavilion in rear

Despite the vastness of the Expo site itself, with pavilions on both sides of the Huangpo River, the major venues were packed. An average day hosts up to 300,000 visitors. With overwhelming attendance, waits up to five hours for pavilion entry, long queues for restaurant seats and use of bathrooms, my visit was both exciting and daunting.

Exit from China Pavilion

China Pavilion, interior

I did attain entry to my top destinations, the Chinese, US and UK Pavilions, among others. These three pavilions represent the essence of Expo. China and the US manifest the great powers of East and West. Their pavilions are selling their different world views, meant to seduce, entertain and invariably compete. The China Pavilion, star of the show, immediately declares the formidable power of the State through its authoritarian architecture. The pavilion interior celebrates collective accomplishment and pride in its progress to-date. Underlining the Expo theme, “Better City, Better Life” the displays encourage consumption and trumpet a siren call to join the world of highrise living, sleek furniture and flat screen TVs. This message, both overt and subliminal, is wrapped up in sophisticated visual presentations, massive murals, Universal Studio-type conveyances that take visitors through remarkable, glittering landscapes, and other sensory devices. No expense was spared; the impact is a huge success.

US Pavilion, exterior

In contrast to the collective emphasis in the Chinese pavilion, the US Pavilion emphasizes the power of the individual, focusing on imagination, creativity, education and cooperation. The experience begins in a staging area where magnificent images are flashing of US icons like the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty and Las Vegas. A handsome, young Causcasian fellow leads a sort of pep rally, exhorting the audience in Chinese to repeat in English, “I Am Awesome”, “You Are Awesome”, “We Are Awesome”. I admit to wincing on this one.

Then the audience enters a huge visual, multi-screen show featuring all aspects of American society. Eloquent speeches and sincere outreach meant to communicate our values, culture and dreams are made from a host of speakers, from President Obama to Kobe Bryant to Joe the plumber to the kids next door.

The central presentation is a short film about a young girl who imagines building a garden in a decrepit, forgotten space between residential towers in the city. Against all odds, she leads the charge. Fighting naysayers, vandals and obstinate neighbors, the garden eventually blooms with the cooperation and participation of all concerned. (Better City, Better Life) The wow factor occurs when a rainstorm that wipes out the first planting attempt, also mists the entire auditorium, creating a surprising and engaging moment that brings everyone personally into the film.

Then the auditorium empties out into a final room replete with brand identities and products by the various corporate sponsors who funded the effort. The pavilion was done on a limited budget and overall felt too predictable. But of course, I wouldn’t have missed it and hopefully other visitors found it more persuasive than I did.

United Kingdom Pavilion entry

Seeds at end of acrylic rods, United Kingdom Pavilion

In difference to the sociopolitical stance of China and the US, the British pavilion is essentially conceptual. It embraces the other spectrum present at Expo which orients to green technology and save the planet themes. In celebrating the world’s botany, by housing individual seeds inside of an explosion of acrylic rods, the entire building represents the interface of science and the miracle of nature. The presentation addresses some similar themes as the US, such as imagination, the value of working together and the possibility of the future, but without any whiff of British Empire.

Shanghai Art Scene

Isaac Julien installation, Shanghart

Outside Expo, the Shanghai art scene continues to expand. Highlights included the world-class presentation at the esteemed gallery, Shanghart, of Isaac Julien’s latest work, “Ten Thousand Waves”. A nine-screen installation with surround sound, the work premiered at the 2010 Sydney Biennale. The piece examines the motivations of need and desire that drive people to embark on perilous journeys to achieve a better life. Julien’s filmic approach gives a nod to the techniques of the great Chinese filmmaker, Yang Fudong, who is also an actor in the piece.

Fang Lijun, Minsheng Museum, Shanghai

Zeng Fanzhi, Minsheng Museum, Shanghai

Two new museums now enhance the local Shanghai offerings. The Minsheng Museum in Redtown opened with a significant exhibition of the history of contemporary Chinese painting. From the soviet-inspired social realism of the late eighties up to the present time, it is perhaps the first museum exhibition to catalog the activity of the past thirty years. Featuring well-known names such as Yue Minjun, Zeng Fanzhi and Fang Lijun, it gives their work a context and highlights the huge departure represented in their respective imagery and ideas.

The Rock Bund Museum, located on the Bund, opened with a show curated by Cai Guo Qiang. He presents what he calls “Chinese peasant da Vincis”. These exhibitors invented machines, robots and other devices that currently exist or once existed. They were designed to assist in overcoming man’s limitations in daily life. They are simple, innovative and inspiring pieces, making the show a perfect compliment to the themes at Expo.

HK 10

Sevva, restaurant terrace, Hong Kong

Hong Kong has long been a sophisticated and cosmopolitan city. It teems with energy and money. Swank hotels, opulent restaurants and bars, international fashion boutiques and new Mercedes abound. The press is full of stories of the new power of Asian art buying, especially at auction. The recent record sale of $106 million for a Picasso painting is rumored to be a Chinese buyer. Larry Gagosian is opening another gallery branch in Hong Kong and Pace Gallery is set to follow.

Jin Nv sculpture, HK 10

HK 10 was greeted with anticipation. Opening attendance at the Fair was probably 40% non-Asian. The quality of exhibitors was high from booths featuring international favorites like Warhol, Hirst and Nara to emerging talent from Japan and Australia. The opportunity in Hong Kong is to see a different slice of the art market, find an overlooked gem, source young talent and engage with new vendors and participants. As an emerging market, there is a freshness and a clear desire to expose the artists and to educate the audience. Business was very good for some and a groundwork-laying exercise for others. While it is difficult to quantify the sales figure for the Fair, Christie’s concurrent auction of Contemporary Asian Art and 20th Century Chinese Art is public record.

Christie's, Hong Kong

Christie’s sale was previewed and held live in the vast Hong Kong Convention Center in halls just adjacent to the Fair. Like many new buyers, the Chinese are more comfortable buying at auction than through galleries that are unfamiliar to them. Sales proceeds including buyer’s premium from the evening sale on May 29 comprised of 36 lots yielded over $38 million (303,360,000 HKD). I can attest to the ardent bidding and enthusiastic applauding for achieved prices from the standing-room only crowd. The acquisition of fine art, wine and jewels have made Hong Kong the third most important auction market after the US and Europe for Christies and Sothebys. However, Chinese law prevents foreign auction houses from operating on the Mainland or from selling cultural relics in Hong Kong, so revenue growth currently has some limitations.

Folker De Jong, James Cohan Gallery, HK 10

Back at the art fair, the crowds built daily as the weekend approached. Unlike fairs in the West where buying usually happens immediately on the first day, or even in the first hour, sales mounted over several days as buyers contemplated and considered. By Saturday, the audience was dominated by camera-toting Asian youth. Crowds of young people surrounded the artworks everywhere, successively shooting pictures and having their picture taken with an engaging painting or sculpture. No contemplation of the work seemed evident. Capturing the image was apparently it’s own reward.

The Wrap

The international art fairs have grown far beyond being just a marketplace. They are cultural platforms and meeting places. They welcome buyers and sellers, as well as museum directors, curators, critics and even the artists. Through educational programming like lectures and panels, local museum and gallery exhibitions of strength, special performances and installations in the fair and around town, each fair becomes its own nexus. HK 10 inhabits this role most distinctly now for China.

The Armory Show, The Art Show and the multitude of satellite fairs brought everyone to town. The fairs masquerade as an essential art experience.  In reality they are affairs of commerce, with the added seduction of parties, lectures, panels and so on.  Some provide an edifying experience, others disappoint.  Either way, they have changed the way art is viewed and consumed.

The fairs themselves are evolving and are increasingly hierarchical.  By necessity, they need to distinguish themselves and their exhibitors.  Maastricht is the pinnacle because not only are the exhibitors carefully selected, but every single work of art on view is vetted for quality and authenticity.  The Basel Fair in Switzerland is so impressive because the entire fair is comprised of  the most respected practitioners internationally in the field.

The Art Show advertisement

By contrast, the New York fairs ran the gamut from respectable to chaotic.  The Art Show (ADAA fair) was modestly sized, elegant and offered a number of one-person shows.  It was digestible if not overly exciting.  The Armory Show at the Piers was mixed.  The contemporary section was overwhelmingly large with a blizzard of individual works of varying quality that quickly became anesthetizing.  The modern section benefitted  from a more spacious installation with bigger booths and stronger material.  The satellite fairs such as Volta and Scope were like a bad bazaar.   Pulse was the best of the three.

Browsing the Armory Show

Many of the dealers boasted strong sales.  Albeit the activity occurred amidst lowered expectations, a rebound from the previous dismal year and at price points still below the peak.  Dealers report that they can do more business in one week at the fairs than in several months in the gallery.  No wonder the fairs proliferate and everyone wants to be present.

Buying at the Fairs can be daunting, unless you’ve done your homework beforehand or are attended by someone else who has done it.  Otherwise, one must sort on the fly and learn in situ. This requires engagement with the dealer or sales person who can educate, create context and provide the details that contribute to a confident purchase.  What used to take place in the galleries leisurely on a Saturday is now anxiously attempted amidst the crowds at the fairs. Alternatively buyers forgo an investment in knowledge for the appeal of a quick purchase in the moment.

Lesley Vance

On the Museum front, I was looking forward to seeing the Whitney Biennial and the collection of Dakis Joannou at the New Museum.  At the Whitney, I did appreciate the discovery of the quirky sculptor Jessica Hutchins.  And I am a big fan of Los Angeles based painter, Lesley Vance.  At the New Museum, I admired Robert Gober’s installation and Kara Walker’s drawings, among others.  But in many ways, the Whitney and Dakis shows felt like the institutional equivalent of the art fairs.  One piece of this and that in a cacophony of different voices and viewpoints that struggle to out-scream each other.

William Kentridge at MOMA

The museum highlight for me was the William Kentridge and Tim Burton exhibitions at MOMA.   Two giant talents are showcased.  They may be opposites in sensibility but they are brothers in their extraordinary imagination and the ability to transcend.

Speaking of transcendence, Jean Clair, the former director of the Musee Picasso wrote a provocative article in the March issue of the Art Newspaper titled “Has Culture Gone to Hell”.  He argues that “once culture lost its connection to the transcendent, its identification with financial value artificially constructed by the market has led to a slide into banality and squalor”.  That sentiment had a ring of truth amidst the blur of the fairs.

Mark Grotjahn at Blum & Poe

However, three days later here in LA, I received some true art nourishment.  Blum & Poe has an outstanding show of new paintings by Mark Grotjahn on view until April 3. I had attended the opening with pleasure, but revisiting the exhibition without the crowds was even more rewarding.  Additionally, upstairs is a striking installation of the unsung Northern California  sculptor, J.B. Blunk (1926-2002).  What a delight to see two great gallery shows.  Faith restored.

J.B. Blunk at Blum & Poe

LONDON – The Frieze Art Fair has morphed into a city-wide phenomenon of massive proportions. Six full days in London still required choosing among the  fairs, museums, galleries, auctions, lectures, receptions, shopping and nightlife.

Mike Nelson, "Amnesiac Shrine", Zoo Art Fair

Frieze is jammed from the moment it opens. This year featured 150 international galleries plus outdoor sculpture in Regent’s Park and a panoply of events, talks, film, music, etc. A new section of the Fair, titled Frame, was dedicated to solo artist presentations from young galleries. The fair was very lively with plenty to see, although not equal to Basel (Switzerland) in terms of the breathtaking quality and range of the more senior fair. The accompanying Zoo Fair was alternative and edgy,  featuring video, installations and casually installed object works. The Fairs are just the  beginning of the visual feast in London.

Frieze Art Fair
Zoo Art Fair

Damien Hirst at the Wallace Collection

London’s bad boy, Damien Hirst, managed another coup during the Fair with his installation of paintings at the Wallace Collection, a national museum of  unsurpassed holdings including French 18th century painting, furniture and porcelain with superb Old Master paintings and world class armor. The juxtaposition of the Hirst paintings with the historical material in the stately mansion created a huge buzz.  Hirst’s paintings are by his hand, purportedly sans assistants, and herald a new chapter in his work. Although the paintings were widely panned in the press, they were reportedly all sold, generated enormous crowds and conversation, and once again, seemed to give him the last word.

Wallace Collection

Anish Kapoor at the Royal Academy of the Arts

The Anish Kapoor exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts was spectacular.   Internationally acclaimed, a 1991 Turner Prize winner, and one of the most significant sculptors of his generation, this was a show to savor and to remember. It occupied five galleries, a first for a contemporary artist at the RAA. It surveyed Kapoor’s career to-date, showcasing new and previously unseen works. It was my favorite show of the week, along with “Maharaja”, a blockbuster at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Royal Academy of Art

Portrait from "Maharaja" at the Victoria and Albert Museum

“Maharaja” presents the splendor of India’s royal courts, from the beginning of the 18th Century through the influence of the British empire and on to the establishment of India’s independence. Over 250 objects symbolic of royal status, power and identity including, paintings, jewels, furniture, photographs and even a car, dazzle in their beauty and refinement. Historic film footage adds to the immediacy of the exhibition. It’s the kind of show in which the V&A truly excels.

Victoria and Albert Museum

Eva Rothschild at Tate Britain

Tate Britain has become a wonderful amalgam of historic British works combined with the best of the up and coming Brit artists. The lobby featured the Duveens’ Commission, a hypnotic installation by Eva Rothschild. Other galleries showcased the 2009 Turner Prize nominees. They include Enrico David, Roger Hiorns, Lucy Skaer and Richard Wright.  The winner will be announced on December 7. Also on view was “Turner & the Masters”, an exhibition which juxtaposed the great Turner paintings with related works by Rubens, Canaletto, Rembrandt, Poussin and Titian.

Tate Britain

Ed Ruscha at the Hayward Gallery

Southern California had a huge presence in London with two major retrospective exhibitions, Ed Ruscha at the Hayward Gallery and John Baldessari at Tate Modern. Both shows were terrific and both artists were present to be feted and make themselves available through lecture presentations and conversations at the institutions and at Frieze.   The SoCal presence extended through the Saatchi Gallery exhibition, “Abstract America: New Painting and Sculpture.   Dominant artists from LA included Patrick Hill, Sterling Ruby, Mark Bradford, Jonas Wood, Matt Johnson, Bart Esposito, and Jedediah Caesar.

Hayward Gallery
Tate Modern
Saatchi Gallery

Video still, Takashi Murakami, "Pop Life",Tate Modern

In addition to Baldessari’s show, “Pure Beauty”, which features more than 130 works including paintings, books and prints, Tate Modern is presenting ”Pop Life”. This major overview show unites artists from the 1980’s such as Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and others who have embraced commerce and the mass media to build their own “brands”.  Reviews have been mixed.  However, using music, memorabilia and lively installations, the exhibition captures the energy, innovation and boldness of the period. In addition to the above, Sophie Calle was at Whitechapel with the fabulous show, “Take Care of Yourself”, a highlight at the Venice Biennale in 2007. The Courtauld Gallery featured  Frank Auerbach’s paintings of London building sites, considered to be among the most important contributions to post-war painting in Britain.

Whitechapel Gallery
Courtauld Gallery

Not to be outdone by the museums, the shows at the London galleries were stellar. Among the most memorable were Anselm Kiefer at White Cube; Glenn Brown at Gagosian; Grayson Perry at Victoria Miro,  Yinka Shonebare at Stephen Friedman, and Walead Beshty at Thomas Dane. And then there were the auctions at both Christie’s and Sotheby’s…I covered so much ground in London, I actually got shin splints!

Robert Frank, from "The Americans", Metropolitan Museum of Art

NEW YORK – I always like stopping in New York for a few days on the way back from Europe to mitigate jet lag. I caught two pivotal shows at the Metropolitan, among other significant ones around town. Robert Frank’s “The Americans” celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of his seminal suite of black and white photographs made on a cross-country road trip in 1955-56. The book of prints depicting American Life was initially criticized.  Eventually it became recognized as a masterpiece of street photography.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Johannes Vermeer, "The Milkmaid", Metropolitan Museum of Art

Another masterpiece, “The Milkmaid” by Johannes Vermeer  (1632-1675) is on view from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in a cameo exhibition of wonder. The exhibition brings together all five paintings by Vermeer from the Met’s collection along with a select group of works by other Dutch artists to lend historical context. This occasion marks the first time “The Milkmaid” has been seen in the US since the 1939 World’s Fair.

Vermeer/Metropolitan