Art Chicago and Next 2010, Chicago

For my first Art Chicago, I was more rushed than expected and only had two hours to get through both fairs. I was happily surprised to see the scale of Art Chicago as it spread across an entire massive floor at the Mercantile Mart. I was also happy to see some of the controversial pieces at the Next Art Fair. I wish I had more time and more coffee, but I pushed through as I only had two hours before I had to leave for the airport.

I hit Art Chicago first, which was a smart move as there was a lot to see there and it was by far the better show to see more established artists. There was, as expected, some cross over from the Armory Show and Basel Miami, but there were some new artists I was really happy to learn about.

First up was Daniel Gonzalez who sewed sequence onto large canvases to create beautiful and delicate pieces that shimmered and shined in the light – total eye candy. When I realized that these seemingly “pretty-only” pieces were actually inspired by other artists (see Cy Twombly below), they became more profound and more fun.

Marc Trujillo painted mundane American scenes that looked to be inspired by photographs and definitely harkened back to Andres Gursky work. My favorite were a shot of a Target or Wal-Mart aisle set up for Valentine’s Day as well as 200 East Cypress, below, which captured a typical suburban mall setting. The paintings were expensive - $45,000 – but really fantastic in their realism and the way they capture the everyday America. 

I was happily surprised to see White Cube made the trip to Chicago to exhibit (and to that point, I’ll be looking forward to seeing how the galleries did in this unique time in the market). They had a lot of the superstars, including some great Damien Hirst, who usually bores me. They had a great Nauman study and some Irwin light sculptures, but my new find was large photographs by Gregory Crewdson. The pictures seemed staged, Id be shocked if they weren’t. They were beautiful, mystical landscapes that had a great voyeuristic quality – like a kid on a hill overlooking a fascinating situation. I loved the moose standing in a suburban neighborhood and the couple “caught” in the action under an overpass. 

Speaking of Hirst, David Datuna seemed to have a full show that was either inspired by or knocking off Hirst classics. The booth was filled with medicine cabinets all filled with needles standing straight up, most filled with a blood-red liquid. There were even some butterflies in some of the cabinets. I was surprised to see pieces that I assume were clearly dreamed up in Hirst’s mind, but created by an artist I never heard of – further investigation required. 

Jean Wells had fun, poppy sculptures that I wish I had the $1500 for – my favorite were the Kisses (probably for their affordability) but the ice-cream cone was great too. I would love to have taken one back to New York with me. 

Again, the photograph love continued with Naoki Honjo’s photograph of the Millennium Bridge in London – shot in a new style where the focus and lens allow the landscape to feel like scale models. It’s a great interpretation and play on a scale and the way we are able to read a photograph. 

David Drebin also took amazing large photographs both of cityscapes and also portraits. My favorite was a shot of Hong Kong that showed the trees of the hills bleeding into the towers of the city – the glow and the juxtaposition between city and nature was really beautiful – the price was astronomical. The print, “Girl in Orange Dress” was another favorite  (not shocking since I have some cardinal draw to photographs of women in undescribable situations”). The setting is the new Standard Hotel in New York and the “girl“ is dressed to hit the town, but she sitting on the floor looking at the window – I assume she was stood up or maybe she’s just drunk from a night out and just got in. The pop of color against the hard rainy landscape of the city was the best part.

Finally, the affordable mountain pictures from Thomas Kneubuhler were the final highlight. It was great to see someone capture the extreme light that glows from mountains for night skiing against the extreme darkness since most of the resorts are part of national parks. 

Overall it was a really great show and since I have family in the area and hope to have stronger funds next year hopefully to add some pieces to my “collection”. There were a lot of $7500 pieces, but also some really great $1500 pieces that I would have loved to have been able to afford and look at all day. Maybe next year.

Henri Cartier-Bresson: A Modern Century at MoMA

Sharing the sixth floor with Marina is the newly opened exhibit of French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. I was running super later to the curator-lead tour, but apparently didn’t miss anything. It was great to get the background on the artists from the curator, who has been at MoMA forever, but after a crazy workday I couldn’t handle too long a lecture. The photographer has a very interesting past, born in France just after the turn of the century; he began photographing in the 1930s before he was drafted into the French army in the 1940s. He was then a German prisoner of war for almost three years. After the end of the war, he continued to photograph as he traveled the world. The way he captured people in everyday life was the most profound. This is especially true as his photographs were taken before globalization and you can still see individual culture in a single snapshot. The curating was amazing at times but a letdown at others. Smaller photographs are always hard to appreciate at an institution as popular as MoMA, as I always feel pressure not to lag too long in front of a particular photograph. And even those moments when I loose myself in a photo, some child or entitled Upper East Sider starts hovering right beside me and the moment transitions to frustrating.

One wall feature these fabulous elderly women in Lincoln Nebraska, looking their finest for the State Legislature beside a picture of a similar set of women in Salamanca, Spain – both from the 1960s. It was great to see the similarities between two worlds that presumably couldn’t be more different. The show more than anything feels like a fantastic view of the past and therefore was appropriately named A Modern Century.  From Wall Street bankers to the growth of Asia, the show feels like a great look back. Furthermore, the way Besson captured people in the everyday pushes the pictures beyond historical to romantic. I especially loved “Jean-Marie Le Ciezio with His Wife” as Jean-Marie looks like the modern day son from a Patek Philippe ad but his wife is giving you ‘60s – hardcore. It was great pairing of trendy and timeless.  Another love was “Home Economics Show, La Defense” – the idea that a home ec show was held 50 years ago in a neighborhood of Paris that is the new symbol of modern commerce and finance. 

It’s a great show, definitely worth seeing and a clear departure from recent highlights at the MoMA that were much more contemporary.  I would go back to see the pictures again, but it has to be an off day when the crowds aren’t swarming – hopefully it wont be such a madhouse now with Time Burton gone (great show but good riddance)!