Stopping and Starting Animation

I was recently introduced to the animated street art work Muto, by graffiti artist Blu. I couldn't help but notice the similarity to the works by the South African artist, Robin Rhode. We ran across Rhode's photos in a private collection in Miami last year and were taken by them. Often in a series, they appear to be individual cells of an animation, partially drawn on urban walls and other surfaces. It is as if Muto added the animation to Rhode's images.

DIY

With frugalism becoming fashionable, consider participating in the trend (as painful as it is) by making your own art. For $30 and the cost of a box of crayons, you can have 72 works by Richard Prince with his recently produced coloring book, 3rd Place. If you want a more diversified collection, you could get another coloring book, Between the Lines: A Coloring Book of Drawings by Contemporary Artists (2007). Between the Lines contains drawings by Julian Opie, Sol Lewitt, Vito Acconci, Rita Ackermann, John Baldessari, Jeremy Blake, Will Cotton, R. Crumb, Keith Haring, Robert Longo, John Lurie, Robert Mapplethorpe, Jason Middlebrook, Laura Owens, Alexis Rockman, Kenny Scharf, William Wegman and John Wesley, among others.
If you don't want to invest in crayons and are more interested in three-dimensional works, you should get The Paper Sculpture Book (2003). Originally a show at the Sculpture Center in NYC, this book is essentially the exhibit. 29 artists created sculptures that could be created from sheets of paper and provided detailed instructions on how to recreate them yourself. Sarah Sze, Fred Tomaselli, David Shrigley, and Glen Ligon are some of the artists. I received that book as a Christmas present in 2003 (thanks, S!) and love it.
All of these books are available on Amazon.

Surprise

The latest issue of Visionaire (#55, Surprise), the limited-edition art and fashion luxury publication, is a set of pop-up books by artists including Sophie Calle (one of my favorite artists), Andreas Gursky, Cai Guo-Qiang (who, in 2008, did the fireworks for the Olympics and a Gap t-shirt), Steven Klein, Yayoi Kusama, Alasdair McLellan, Steven Meisel, Guido Mocafico, Nicola Formichetti/Gareth Pugh, Sølve Sundsbø, and Mario Testino. You can watch a movie of all of the pop-ups here. The movie may not be available to watch when the next issue is released (most likely, 4 months from now). The books are contained in a cloth-covered case with a metal plaque engraved with the number of the edition. You can order this issue for $250, or subscribe to Visionaire for a year at $675 (plus shipping).

They're Copying!

Another trend I noticed at the fairs in Miami was Xeroxing. There were a few works by Ari Marcopoulos, including one of a machine gun and one of his son, Cairo (shown here). Marcopoulos' use of the Xerox technique creates soft, velvety images that seem like they would stain your fingers if you touched them. He also recently had a show in NYC where he presented large-scale Xeroxed images.

White Columns, NYC's oldest alternative art space, has been producing a benefit print portfolio for the last couple years. This year, it doesn't look like there is a 2008 portfolio. Instead, there are a number of limited edition prints, all printed by Xeroxing. You can view them here. I am not sure yet what I think about Xeroxing as a printing technique. Initially, I thought it was ridiculous- that you could just take a print to your own copy machine and expand the edition size by 10, 50, or even 100. However, Xeroxed prints would still need to be signed and numbered, increasing the importance of that act in identifying the "original" prints from the "copies." Xeroxing does have some visual similarities to silkscreens, though, and could be considered, in some ways, as a technological advancement. Xeroxed copies each have some subtle variations and I can image Warhol creating a suite of Jackies using a copying machine. The use of the Xerox machine also further blurs the line between art and everyday life, elevating a banal clerical task to art production. It makes you think more about pressing that green button...

Contemporary Art in Boston

Last night, WGBH's "Greater Boston" focused on contemporary art in Boston. Russell Lamontagne of the cutting edge Lamontagne Gallery in South Boston and Andrew Witkin, ICA Foster Prize nominee and director of Barbara Krakow Gallery (but represented as an artist by Lamontagne Gallery) were interviewed.
You can watch it (the 12/17 episode) by clicking here.

Holiday Cards

I have always been envious of the people on the Peter Norton Christmas card list who get the annual limited edition multiple made specifically for that Christmas. Kara Walker and Vik Muniz have done editions. I've thought about sending Mr. Norton a card one year to see if, in the spirit of holiday reciprocality, he'd feel obligated to put me on the list. I've also thought about creating my own tradition of sending out Christmas multiples instead of holiday cards. Because I don't have the funds to commission an established artist to create a special edition, here are some possibilities for limted-edition "holiday cards."

Crown Point Press is selling sets of playing cards by Jockum Nordstrum in an edition of 500 for $14.95 (shown here above left). Nordstrum, represented by David Zwirner in NYC, has works in the collection of MOMA, SFMOMA, the Whitney, and the Guggenheim. How about adding him to yours?

For something edgier (and more expensive), there is David Shrigley's small letterpress playing card, "Fucking Ace," in an edition of 250 at $50 at Printer Matter. Shrigley is known for his witty doodle-like drawings, some of which, by the way, are owned by MOMA. He is also represented by Yvon-Lambert in Paris (the same dealer as Jonathan Monk). I had trouble linking the page from Printed Matter to show the image on the blog, so you have to go to their website to see it (search "shrigley").

A final option is Christian Marclay's "Shuffle," a deck of 75 cards that are music-related images. Marclay's work has focused on images of sound and music. His recent large photograms of unravelled audiotape, which were at IFPDA and at the Miami fairs this year, are amazing. Although I haven't been able to confirm that "Shuffle" was printed as a limited edition (some info says yes, some info doesn't say anything), it would still make a great gift. You can check out the press release from Aperture here. Marclay is represented by Paula Cooper in NYC.

Jehad Nga

Another photographer under 40 to follow is Jehad Nga. The Department of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs at the MFA, Boston purchased one of his photos last year. He has done series of arresting photos of Somalia and Darfur. Originally from Kansas (!), he trained to become an EMT (emergency medical technician) while he interned for Magnum Photos. Although that may seem to be an odd combination, his medical training may have helped him gain access to some of his sites. He was also an embedded photojournalist for the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

He is represented by M+B Gallery in LA and Bonnie Benrubi Gallery in NYC.

More of his work can be seen on his webiste:

http://www.jehadnga.com/

20x200: What have you done for me lately?

This past spring I was OBSESSED with Jen Beckman's 20x200. (For those who haven't heard, new editions of 200 selling for $20 over the internet, http://www.20x200.com/.) I managed to get both of the special editions by the Starn Twins and re-arranged my schedule so that I was available to buy immediately when the e-mails went out announcing new works. It seemed like back in May, all the new editions were selling out quickly, some in a matter of minutes.

However, over the past month, it seems like the new prints haven't been selling that well and very few editions sell out. Even I, the 20x200 addict, stopped buying. What has happened?

I think several things:

1. While the ecomony has collapsed, I am not sure how much of an impact this has had on the market for $20 works of art. Although if people are now bringing their lunches to work, a $20 print might be considered a luxury item.

2. The birds. You all know what I am talking about. For a while, it seemed like EVERY print was somehow bird-related. If you are not a complete bird fanatic, this becomes a stale self-parody pretty quickly.

3. Quality of the work. While there have been a few good works recently, including "Hank Williams' Bed, Georgiana, Alabama" by Scott Eiden (shown here), I haven't found many things that seemed as interesting as earlier editions.

4. Enough is enough. Honestly, how many 8x10 artworks can you have? We have sort of reached our limit.

5. Larger editions. I think this is the beginning of the end. If editions of 200 have not been selling out, why do editions of 500 for $50? Although I didn't take any economics in college, this doesn't make any sense to me.

Anyway, it was fun while it lasted. Next!

The Impossible Collection

Looking for a cool gift - well, one that will set you back $500? Assouline's The Impossible Collection: The 100 Most Coveted Artworks of the Modern Era curates the ideal contemporary collection and puts together the 100 most sought after works (at least authors Philippe Ségalot and Franck Giraud think so).

Here they are:

1. Picasso, Pablo Yo Picasso 1901 Private Collection.
2. Claude Monet, Le parlement, reflets sur la Tamise, 1905. Musée Marmottan, Paris.
3. Derain, André, Charing Cross Bridge, 1906, National Gallery of Art, Washington.
4. Picasso, Pablo Les Demoiselles d’Avignon 1907 MoMA, NY.
5. Klimt, Gustav The Kiss 1906-07 The Belvedere Museum, Vienna.
6. Matisse, Henri Back/Dos I 1913-30. Pompidou, Paris.
7. Braque, Georges Le Pont De La Roche-Guyon 1909. Private Collection.
8. Matisse, Henri Dance 1909-1910. The Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg.
9. Delaunay, Robert, Disque, 1912-13. Private Collection.
10. Kandinsky, Wassily Komposition VI 1913 The Hermitage, Leningrad.
11. Leger, Fernand Contraste de Formes 1913. Private Collection.
12. Matisse, Back/Dos II. 1913. Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.
13. Picasso, Pablo Guitar 1914. MoMA, NY.
14. De Chirico, Giorgio Mystery and Melancholy of a Street 1914.
15. Malevich, Kasimir Black Cross 1915. Pompidou, Paris.
16. Chagall, Marc Birthday 1915. MoMA, NY.
17. Matisse, Back/Dos III. 1916-1917. Centre Georges Pompidou.
18. Schiele, Egon Self-portrait with Checkered Shirt 1912. Private Collection.
19. Duchamp, Marcel Fountain 1917. Tate, London.
20. Picabia, Francis Parade Amoureuse 1917. Private Collection.
21. Ernst, Max Paysage en Ferraille 1921. Private Collection
22. Mondrian, Piet Tableau II 1921. Private Collection
23. Soutine, Chaim Side of Beef and Calf’s Head 1923. Orangerie Museum.
24. Miro, Joan Carnival of Harlequin 1924-25. Albright Knox Museum, Buffalo NY.
25. Brancusi, Constantin Bird in Space 1925. National Gallery, Washington D.C.
26. Giacometti, Alberto Spoon Woman 1926. MoMA, NY.
27. Magritte, Rene The Treachery of Images 1929. LACMA, Los Angeles.
28. Matisse, Back/Dos IV, 1930. Centre Georges Pompidou.
29. Dali, Salvador The Persistence of Memory 1931. MoMA, NY.
30. Klee, Paul Ad Parnassum 1932. Kunstmuseum, Switzerland, Bern.
31. Gonzalez, Julio Petite Danseuse I 1934-35. Pompidou, Paris.
32. Calder, Alexander Standing Mobile 1935. Private Collection
33. Picasso, Pablo Weeping Woman 1937. Tate, London.
34. Bonnard, Pierre NU 1932. Private Collection.
35. Kahlo, Frida The Two Fridas 1939. Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City.
36. Leger, Fernand La Belle Equipe 1944-45. Private Collection
37. Dubuffet, Jean Fautrier Araignée Au Front 1947. Private Collection
38. Pollock, Jackson One: Number 31, 1950 1950. MoMA, NY.
39. De Kooning, Willem Woman, I 1950-52. MoMA, NY.
40. Rothko, Mark No 2, 1951. Private Collection
41. Matisse, Henri Memory of Oceania 1952-53. MoMA, NY.
42. Bacon, Francis Pope Innocent X 1953. Des Moines Art Center.
43. Burri, Alberto Sacco 1953. Private Collection.
44. Johns, Jasper Target with Plaster Casts 1955. Private Collection.
45. Kline, Franz Monitor 1956. MOCA, Los Angeles.
46. Twombly, Cy The Blue Room 1957. Private Collection.
47. Manzoni, Piero Achrome 1958-59. Private Collection
48. Rauschenberg, Robert Canyon 1959. Sonnabend collection.
49. Stella, Frank The Marriage of Reason and Squalor, II, MOMA, NY. 1959.
50. Newman, Barnett White Fire II 1960. Kunstmuseum, Switzerland, Basel.
51. Giacometti, Alberto Walking Man, 1960. Beyeler Foundation, Switzerland.
52. Klein, Yves Anthropologie (ANT 78) 1960. Private Collection
53. Martin, Agnes The Dark River 1961. Private Collection
54. Oldenburg, Claes Pastry Case, I 1961-62. MoMA, NY.
55. Warhol, Andy, Campbell’s Soup Cans, 1962. MOMA, NY.
56. Lichtenstein, Roy Eddie Diptych 1962. Private Collection
57. Raysse, Martial Seventeen (titre journalistique) 1962. Private collection.
58. Flavin, Dan 25th (to Constantin Bracusi) 1963. Dia Art Foundation, NY
59. Warhol, Andy Eight Elvis 1963. Private Collection
60. Fontana, Lucio Concetto Spaziale La Fine di Dio 1963. Private Collection.
61. Smith, David Cubi VII 1963. The Art Institute of Chicago.
62. Andy Warhol, Red Explosion (Atomic Bomb), 1963
63. Rauschenberg, Robert Retroactive I 1964. Wadsworth Atheneum.
64. Kawara, On Title, 1965
65. Ryman, Robert Windsor 6 1965. Private Collection
66. Ruscha, Ed Los Angeles County Museum on Fire, 1965-68. Hirschhorn Museum, Washington D.C.
67. Richter, Gerhard Woman Descending Staircase 1965. The Art Institute of Chicago.
68. Joseph Beuys, Infiltration homogen für Konzertflügel (Homogeneous Infiltration for Piano), 1966, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.
69. Polke, Sigmar Bunnies 1966. Hirshhorn Museum, Washington D.C.
70. Judd, Donald Untitled 1966, Private collection
71. Hesse, Eva Untitled or Not Yet (nine nets) 1966. San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
72. Nauman, Bruce My Name As Though it Were Written On the Surface of the Moon 1960. Private Collection
73. Baldessari, John What is Painting? 1966-68. MoMA, NY.
74. Nauman, Bruce Henry Moore Bound to Fail 1967-70. Private Collection
75. Mario Merz “Objet cache toi”, 1968. Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg (Dr Broeker).
76. Serra, Richard Prop 1968. Whitney Museum, NY.
77. Andre, Carl 37th Piece of Work 1969-81. Private Collection
78. Richter, Gerhard 1024 Farben 1973. Private Collection.
79. Gilbert and George Dusty Corners No.13 1975. Private Collection
80. Sherman, Cindy Untitled Film Still #7 1978. Editioned work
81. Basquiat, Jean-Michel Notary 1983. Private Collection
82. Koons, Jeff Rabbit 1986. Editioned work
83. Kelley, Mike More Love Hours Than Can Ever Be Repaid and the Wages of Sin 1987. The Whitney Museum, NY.
84. Kippenberger, Martin Self-Portrait 1988. Saatchi Collection
85. Wool, Christopher Apocalypse Now (p.50) 1988. Private Collection
86. Noland, Cady Oozewald 1989. Private Collection
87. Prince, Richard Untitled (Cowboy) 1989. Metropolitan Museum, NY.
88. Gonzalez-Torres, Felix Untitled (USA Today) 1990. MoMA, NY.
89. Gober, Robert Untitled 1991. Private Collection
90. Hirst, Damien The Physical Impossibility of Death In the Mind of Someone Living 1991. Private collection
91. Tuymans, Luc Der Diagnostische Blick IV 1992. Private Collection
92. Koons, Jeff Puppy 1992. Germany.
93. Ray, Charles Family Romance, 1993. MoMA, NY.
94. Gursky, Andreas Paris Montparnasse 1993.
95. Cattelan, Maurizio Bidibidobidiboo 1996. Private Collection
96. Viola, Bill The Crossing (still from video projection) 1996. Editioned work.
97. Murakami, Takashi My Lonesome Cowboy 1998/ Hiropon 1997. Editioned works
98. Hammons, David Untitled 2000. Private Collection
99. Fischer, Urs Jet-set Lady 2000. Private Collection
100. Stingel, Rudolph Untitled 2000. Private Collection

"To whom belong the one hundred most remarkable artworks of our century?"

Catherine Opie Photo Opp

We had an opportunity to check out the Catherine Opie's at Regen Projects at Art Basel Miami Beach last week. MFA Boston has a couple from the series above.

Thanks to MAO for pointing out the photo and limited edition book available from the Guggenheim book store (only 100 copies). As we say...Always buy the benefit print.

Jody

Brief thoughts on Art Basel

This was my second year at Art Basel Miami. I felt more comfortable walking the different fairs than I did last year. Gallery owners/representatives seemed less imposing to me and I felt much more comfortable engaging with them. Arguably, some of this may be because there were fewer people buying. However, I think that some of it just has to do with the fact that the more you learn about art (and the art world in general), the more comfortable you get. I have also previously experienced this over the years at IFPDA. And, keep in mind, I did not have much if any exposure to art in college (my own fault of course).

Dylan Vitone

I always like to keep an eye on what the MFA, Boston is collecting and their annual report (which came yesterday in my mail) lists their acquisitions over the last year. This year it looks like they acquired four works by a young photographer, Dylan Vitone, including the image shown here of a Homeland Security drill (you can click on the image to see it larger). Dylan Vitone is a MassArt alumnus and he currently teaches photography at Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh. I first saw (and bought) his work at the annual MassArt auction this past April. He makes long panoramic documentary-style pictures by digitally "knitting" individual photos together. There seems to be a narrative (or narratives) in the photos and the process reminds me of a very high tech version of Hockney's photo-collages, except Vitone's work is seemless. He did a series of scenes of South Boston and more recently has been documenting Pittsburgh.

His work was at Photo Miami this year, but the booth's installation was really lackluster. On the outside wall (prime real estate), they enlarged one of his photos (actually of the image we own) and broke it into three separate pieces- totally destroying its impact.

Dylan Vitone has a great website:

http://www.dylanvitone.com/

He is represented by the Oswald Gallery in Jackson Hole, WY and DNJ Gallery in LA. The prints are done in two sizes, a smaller version in an edition of 30 (currently priced at $1,800) and a larger version in an edition of 5 (currently priced at $4,000). You might also be able to pick up his work at the next MassArt auction on 4/4/09.

Artist as Shaman- A New Trend?

This year at the art fairs in Miami, I noticed a trend emerging among a few different artists. Although these artists are from very different backgrounds, they are either fully trained shamans or perform shamanistic rituals. In a world that has become increasingly technological and further removed from the natural world, these artists attempt to reconnect us with the earth, the animal and spirit world, and ourselves. At Art Supernova, Jose Alvarez was showing psychedelic works on paper and mica that incorporated porcupine quills and feathers. He also had a video piece that was to simulate the experience of taking natural hallucinogens used in shamanistic rituals. At the Rubell Family Collection and at Art Basel Miami, there were several sound suits by Nick Cave (shown here).

However, my favorite, my personal BEST IN SHOW for all of the Miami art activities was Marcus Coates' 14 screen video installation, Dawn Chorus, at Workplace Gallery in the NADA fair. Coates, a trained shaman who lives in Britain, selected a chorus of birdcalls indigenous to Britain and taught singers to sing as individual birds in the chorus, but at a much slower speed given the human voice. He then filmed these singers in their natural habitats, such as their bedroom or office, singing their call. Finally, each video was sped up to have the singing sound like the actual calls and the video monitors and speakers were installed in the round. Miles Thurlow of Workplace was nice enough to send me some links to Coates' work. The two videos require Quicktime.

Dawn Chorus
2007
HD Video Installation
Edition of 3 (& 2 AP's)
Duration: 18 minutes (looped)
MC0015
Installation view: Dawn Chorus, BALTIC Centre For Contemporary Art, UK
http://workplacegallery.s3.amazonaws.com/Coates/Media/MarcusCoatesDawnChorus.mov

Radio Shaman
2006
HD Video Installation
09:31 mins, Edition of 5 plus 1 artist's proof
MC0016
Courtesy of the Artist and Workplace Gallery, UK
https://phsexchweb.partners.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://workplacegallery.s3.amazonaws.com/radioshaman.mov

You can also read more about his work here:

Marcus Coates Selected Portfolio 2008 (6.7MB)http://workplacegallery.s3.amazonaws.com/Coates/Coatesportfolio/MarcusCoatesSelectedPortfolio08(6.7MB).pdf

Here is going to have a solo show at Workplace Gallery in 2/09 and is going to be part of the Tate Triennial, in case you will be going to the UK in 2009.

Have a flat Christmas

We picked up a few editioned Christmas trees at the ARTWARE booth at pulse. For $100 you can get an artist designed sticker that you put on your wall (and peel off). We liked the Minter and the Tomasellis the best.

Jody

Martin Parr at the Wolfsonian

Last night as part of a benefit, several of us had the opportunity to have our portraits taken by Magnum photographer, Martin Parr, at the Wolfsonian in Miami. Martin Parr is a key figure in the world of photography, widely recognized as a brilliant satirist of contemporary life. He is the author of over 30 photography books, including Common Sense, Boring Postcards, and Think of England (the image above right is the cover of that book). His photographs have been collected by museums worldwide, including the Getty, The Museum of Modern Art and the Tate Modern. Parr was featured in Cruel and Tender, the Tate Modern's major survey of photography in 2003, and a retrospective of his work that opened at the Barbican Art Gallery in London in 2002 continues to tour major museums around the world. His most recent work, Luxury, has focused on the photography the "ostensibly wealthy of the world" and can be seen on his website: http://www.martinparr.com/.

We were expecting him to quickly snap our photos in one shot, but he spent time with each of us, directing our posture and pose ("No smiling!") and taking several shots (as many as 10-15) before he was satisfied with the image. We haven't picked up the prints yet, so we can't tell you how they look.

I first heard of Parr's work when he published his book, The Phone Book, in 2002. The book was comprised of photos from around the world of people talking on their cell phones. Although that book wasn't available on Amazon when I last checked, several other of his books are.

Jumping at Scope

Who says art collectors are sophisticated? The Scope fair catered to the kid in us, with a bouncy castle for adults. That said, we didn't find much to jump up and down about at Scope today. For the second year in a row however, we all found a lot to like at Art Miami. (More about that to come)

Jody

Rubell Family Collection

Spent the morning at the Rubell Family Collection. The current exhibition entitled 30 Americans features works by 30 African American artists. A few, including Mickalene Thomas were in attendance. The exhibition included many large scale works including ones by Kara Walker and Kahinde Wiley.

Even breakfast was a work af art (sort-of) incuding piles of bananas. Once again, we bumped into the twins--performance artists from Germany.

Jody

Spotted: Julian Schnabel

Just brushed by Julian Schnabel browsing at Luhring Augustine booth at Art Basel. We are not very good at taking high quality clandestine photos.

Jody

A Visit to RISD

We had the opportunity to meet Cade Tompkins of Cade Tompkins Editions at the Editions/Artists' Book Fair in New York in November. We were quite taken with works by Enrique Chagoya and Serena Perrone. Cade has worked with many of the visiting artists at RISD. We were lucky enough to meet up with Cade for a long overdue visit to the RISD Art Museum. In the newly opened Chace Center addition to the museum, we checked out the Dale Chihuly exhibition which featured not only works by the artist, but in a separate exhibition, 9 of his students. The most spectacular portions of the Chihuly exhibition were the oversized installations featuring blown glass images "growing" out of the floor -- in on case looking like giant kelp in an ocean setting.

Cade made sure that we didn't miss the Beth Lipman installation: After You're Gone. Beth also works in glass. The centerpiece of the installation is a large dining table, jammed with clear glass objects which evoke the scene of a baroque still life painting with a variety of food and serving pieces. The installation is at the same time whimsical (which snails crawling up the side of the table) and morose (with dead animals and broken goblets). The walls of the room included glass "wallpaper" -- inspired by wallpaper in one of the historic rooms elsewhere in the museum. Cade explained that Beth also photographs her work and we are looking forward to seeing some of the limited edition photographs.

Overall, the RISD Museum was quite impressive and we know we'll be back to further explore the strong permanent collections (and hopefully make our way into the print room)!

Collect(ive/ions)

As we are gearing up for Art Basel Miami, I started to think about our collective buying patterns and how much overlap there is in our collections. Although none of us have the same image of an editioned print or photograph (except for benefit prints), we often buy work by the same artists, sometimes even part of the same series. It actually gives some depth to our personal collections, and the collective collection would probably make an interesting show- as much about the art as the social connections. Here is a list of artists that are in the collections of more than one of us (again, benefit prints aren't represented here). (If I left any out, please add them in the comments.)
Christiane Baumgartner
Erik Desmazieres
Lalla Essaydi
Claes Oldenburg
Julian Opie
Judy Pfaff
Stephen Sheffield
Doug and Mike Starn
Kate Sullivan
Kara Walker

InsideOut at the SMFA

Today is the official opening of the annual art sale at the SMFA, now called "InsideOut." The sale includes works by current students, faculty, alumni, and "affiliated artists" (like Kiki Smith, who was given the Medal Award by the SMFA). Some of us were able to preview the sale a couple times over the past week. Highlights in the sale include photographs by Esteban Pastorino Diaz (priced around $3800). The scenes in these large photographs look like they were made out of toy models, but they are of actual places taken by a camera flying on a kite. At least one of these photos sold during previews and there is a rumor that the MFA might have acquired one. Other things that I noticed missing (i.e., sold) at my second preview were a punched paper piece by Rachel Perry Welty and a painting of elephants by Meryl Blinder, both Boston-based artists. Lalla Essaydi photographs, a fixture at the sale, were $18,000 this year- and selling. In terms of prints, there were some interesting works by Mary Heilmann (who we were advised to buy last year, when her prices were cheaper and before her current show at the New Museum in NYC) and Chagoya, who some of us "discovered" at the Editions Fair in NYC this year. The image shown here is from SMFA advertisements for the sale and is done by recent SMFA grad, Nicole Kita (represented by Rotenberg Gallery in Boston).

You Know You Love Me

Several of us are serious Gossip Girl fans. On tonight's episode of Gossip Girl (11/17), I noticed a Marilyn Minter painting (a close up of an eye with glittery make up) hanging on Serena's bedroom wall. At first I thought it might have been the painting that sold at Sotheby's Day Sale on 11/12 for $122,500- but that painting was of a closed eye. After doing some research, I think it is the same image as the Marilyn Minter limited edition beach towel by Works on Whatever from 2006- which sold out. It also turns out that the Art Production Fund, which is responsible for the towels, has been curating the art on the Gossip Girl set this season! Some of the towels from 2007 are still available, but the new 2008 towels have been released. This year, there are limited editions by Ruscha, Kilimnik, Pettibon, and Schnabel for $50 each at Target (http://www.target.com/gp/search/187-3817741-8900650?field-keywords=artist+beach+towels&url=index%3Dtarget&ref=sr_bx_1_1). Compared to works on paper by these artists, the towels are not only much, much cheaper- they are also much, much bigger and are machine washable. XOXO.

Suara Welitoff

One of the great advantages to collecting the works of living artists is that sometimes, if you're lucky, you can spend some one-on-one personal time with them. It's a terrific opporunity and way to watch the growth of the artists, firsthand. This past weekend, the Boston Print Collectors and friends, were able to enjoy a Friday night cocktail reception with Suara Welitoff in attendance. Suara creates stills from video for prints as well as digital videos, this last form of art was unveiled at the home of private collectors. Suara was gracious is talking about her work and seemed to enjoy spending time with young collectors. She is currently represented by the Barbara Krakow Gallery on Newbury Street.

Platemark Design in the Boston Sunday Globe Magazine

Our own Platemark Design was featured in the Sunday Globe Magazine here. Good tips for designing around your art collection.

Printmaking techniques

For anyone interested in collecting prints, as I am, taking an introductory class to printmaking materials and methods, as offered by Liz Shepherd, artist and teacher at the SMFA and Mass College of Art, is a fun and interesting way to enhance your passion for them.

For a ½ day, a small group of people were able to participate in making prints from woodcuts, linoleum blocks, copper plates, silkscreen and lithography. We learned that most prints fall into one of five categories: relief, intaglio, planographic, stencil and digital. Attempting on one’s own to be the next Rembrandt gives a lot of meaning to how hard it really is to do his work….it’s a lengthy process to prepare the metal plate and a challenge to sufficiently and artistically engrave the plate. I have much greater appreciation for his work now as a result.

The class is offered in the Cambridge studio of Liz Shepherd, and small, private classes may be scheduled among friends. Definately recommend it!

www.lizshepherd.com

Judith Larsen

On election night, courtesy of a friend of artist Judith Larsen, several Boston Print Collectors had the good fortune to be able to visit with Judith (along with her artist husband, Peik) in her Cambridge studio. It's an impressive space with lots of wonderful pieces hanging on the walls. Some of us had seen her works at the Colin Rhys Gallery before he left for LA and we wanted to know more about her and her style. In her wonderful, gracious and articulate manner, she provided us with insights about her work and explained her technique; how she projects historical math and science formulas onto photographs of nudes. It is a process she said can be very time consuming, as she is working with live models who she needs to direct into specific poses. She explained that sometimes she needs to take 500 pictures to get one good one. Asked how she decided upon this type of photography, she indicated she was always good in math and science. Well great for us, as we see her as an artist producing gorgeous small, medium and large-scale engaging and captivating prints. She also showed us an incredible video piece. She is currently working on a project for the Sao Paulo biennale.



As Judith explains it: "my work incorporates the figure as an empty vessel or blank slate, which is then infused with a series of images from the history of Art and Science. The projected images examine various organizing systems, including language, mapping and microscopy, as shadowed testimony to an unknown light source. The viewer or audience is invited to look beyond the ‘apparent’ and imagine the implications of these symbolically clad vessels. As the figure and imagery merge, the body begins to shed its epidermal shield and inhabit its own metaphors.This figurative work is as much about stillness as it is about the constant metamorphosis of possibility. It dwells in suspended opposition between the enduring vitality of the flesh and its fragile impermanence."



Her website is: http://www.judithlarsen.com/

Julian Opie, Everyday Art?

I just recieved a notice from Alan Cristea Gallery about the newly launched Julian Opie Online Shop and I'm torn. Many of the Boston Print Collectors are fans and I've certainly envied the nifty postcards and invitations, designed by Opie and sent to those who collect his work. But putting that same invitation (for a long past event that you weren't invited to anyway) on sale to the public, seems a bit odd. That said, there are many fun items on the site like refrigerator magnets and a flip book, that for only about $15, lets you experience the movement inherent in his installation pieces.


It will be interesting to see the reaction, as merchandising by artists is a slippery slope and sometimes negatively influences critics perception of the "real" art (though Murakami, seems to have made it work financially, if not always critically).

Sara Sze, An Artful Lodger

Before you throw out today's NY Times, make sure you check out the Design and Living special section. The Artful Lodger piece has photos of several artists in their homes. We're big fans of Sara Sze who had a multi-level sculpture at the MFA Boston in 2002-2004, and who was nice enough to have lunch with the MFA Council Fellows when we were in New York last November. We saw a really interesting sculpture last week at the Editions/Artists' Book fair -- complex cutouts from a pad of writing paper that include several ladders stretching down from the piece. So look closely in the NY Times photo -- that piece is on the wall, just over her shoulder.

Print Market Update

Yesterday, artnet.com online magazine (which everyone should read at least weekly) had an interesting article on the current print market (11/5/08). The link to the full article is below. Briefly, prices for prints are down at auctions and many lots are going unsold. Reserves and estimates have been really lowered. Collectors are holding out for the best examples of artists' works and are keeping a look out for works that rarely come to auction. Contemporary artists are not selling as well. However, in contrast to auctions, print dealers haven't seemed to have adjusted their prices yet.
http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/news/ripley/ripley11-5-08.asp
What does this all mean for collectors of contemporary prints buying newly released editions?

Reflections on Culture

On Sunday, as a part of the Museum Council Fellows trip to New York, we visited several galleries on the Lower East Side. Stephan Stoyanov, the founder and director of LUXE Gallery hosted us for the current exhibition, Black Mirror/Espejo Negro. We were lucky to meet the artist, Pedro Lasch. The exhibition features a series of photograhs, which examine several aspects of another of Lasch's exhibitions by the same name, currently at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke.

The exhibition is a commentary on the relative neglect of pre-Columbian art at museums in the US -- even top museums which have deep holdings. The photographs depict the sculptures at the Nasher which turn their backs to the audience, facing instead, the wall on which hangs black mirror-like rectangles. Upon closer examination, these are not merely black mirrors, but include within images of classic hispanic paintings in pale, ghostly images. The pre-Columbian status exchange glances with the classic paintings, while we look at them both. Finally, we see that in fact we are a part of the art, as we see ourselves in the reflection as well. Lasch's photographs at LUXE are lit such to encourage these reflections, so that the total effect is constantly changing. As a final piece of the installation, Lasch includes a black reflective section in the Gallery's street-level window. Like the others in the exhibition, the work includes a faintly visible image of a historic work. This exterior-facing piece is able to include reflections of the historically hispanic, but now diverse neighborhood.

Editions/Artists' Book Fair

Attended the opening of the Editions/Artists' Book Fair last night.  The name is somewhat misleading.  Although they do have books (or more often portfolios) of artist's works, the fair is more a showcase for contemporary prints.  In many cases, the print presses themselves are there representing their artists.  Many of these print centers like Tamarind Institute, Dieu Donne, and Cad Tompkins invite artists to come in and do special projects.  

Last night we had the opportunity to meet the artist, Christiane Baumgartner who produces large scale woodcut prints.  Christiane explained to us that she is working with video and transferring the image ultimately to a woodcut -- which she finds interesting because video is one of the most contemporary forms of media, whereas the woodcut is the orginal message of printing.  The sort of blurryness of the image and the reference to video remind us of the Suara Welitoff prints and videos we've posted about previously.

Vrrrooom! IFPDA Print Fair Opens

Stealing a quote from Cliff Ackley, "Vrrroom!". There was no doubt that the IFPDA members were trying to leverage the exhibition Rhythms of Modern Life: British Prints 1914-1939currently at the Met and previously at the MFA Boston. At the IFPDA Print Fair which opened last night at the Park Avenue Armory, we spotted two entire booths dedicated exclusively to these British Modernest style prints, with several other booths also including a few prints by Cyril Power, Paul Nash, David Bombert, C.R.W. Nevinson and Sybil Andrews.

This was our first time at the opening night preview. It is definitely a much less crowded time to visit. There is a sliding scale of ticket prices, with the priciest tickets offering earliest access. But even at 7:30, the latest entry time, there was still plenty of opportunity to talk to dealers. Despite economic fears, we did see several red dots early in the evening.

Stay tuned for more posts as we return to the fair. See you tonight at the opening of the Editions/Artists' Book Fair!

Jonathan Monk

I like Jonathan Monk. Period.

He is a young British artist working in Berlin, who creates conceptual works that play off classic conceptual works. If a concept can be art, what about a concept about a concept? He has turned artists books by Sol Lewitt into movies and made a few artists books poking fun at the books of Ed Ruscha. While it may all seem like a joke, he is in the collection of MOMA and had his own show at the ICA in London. He is represented by Yvon Lambert (http://www.yvon-lambert.com/).

He also does prints. Over the last 10 years has been creating prints that are of the image of the wrapper in which the blank paper was sold (shown here above). He has also done a series of "meetings" that are limited edition text pieces that announce a specific date and time at a specific location, written in the native language of location- sort of like invitations. I have 3 of his meeting editions, including one to meet at sunrise in Luxor, Egypt (in Arabic) and, on the reverse side, to meet at sunset at Luxor in Las Vegas (in English). I have been trying to collect his prints and artist books in depth.

Most recently, he has created a benefit edition for Printed Matter for this year's NY Art Book Fair. The print is white with a Braille transcipt of Monk talking about making the piece. It is only $20 and can be purchased through Printed Matter (http://www.printedmatter.org/).

Edward Burtynsky

(left to right: two Burtynsky's and a McLean)

A recent trip to Toronto allowed for a pleasant morning in the Mira Godard Gallery in the fashionable Yorkville district. The goal of the visit to the gallery was to view and learn more about Edward Burtynsky, a Toronto-born photographer. The Mira Godard Gallery was first to represent him in his early days, in the 1960’s. It was not clear for what reason, but apparently, Burtynsky has left the Godard Gallery, and although they seem to have swallowed that bitter pill, they still have some amazing large scale photographs for sale, for USD $19,000! Apparently, Burtynsky style is to step up to an imaginary line of life and subject matter to capture a moment in time. The photographs we saw represent and focus on the ideas of deconstruction, recycling and living life in the midst of both. For the 3 Gorges Dam piece, snapshop depicts the Chinese workers who were paid very little to disassemble their own homes, to pile the bricks neatly into organized piles, to retrieve and save the rebar metal ropes which held the structures together again for future use while at the same time people are continuing to live in the village, hanging their laundry out in the dirty air and trying to get by in the middle of this controversial and major re-location project of 1,000’s of people. For the Shipbreaking piece, Bangladesh workers were paid about $.10/day to disassemble an aging, out-of-commission ship and to recycle the metal for scrap. You see workers, obviously poor, in bare feet or flimsy sneakers, walking over the dangerous area with metal on the ground – they too, are going to melt and recycle the ship’s metal for more rebar for a future-use project. While the images are so overwhelmingly industrial and dirty they are both ‘green’ recycling projects on an awesome scale. Close inspection of both really puts you at the line of viewing life and being viewed by it.

As we were leaving, we noticed another photographer: Melville McLean, based out of Maine. His work is amazing, even a little overwhelming. Landscapes are not a favorite of ours, but the quality of the photos is extremely eye catching and almost surreal looking, as the technique he uses is the layering of transparencies over each other (each focuses on a particular aspect, element or color) to bring out the most heightened color and vividness possible for the works he makes. Stones have a luminescent tonality, not because of the light of day, but because of the technique. He also focuses on nature/nurture, for example in Rocks, Plants, Sea and Fog 2007, below, the centuries old rock formations are the life line of the very healthy and living seaweed attached and living on it. We are wondering if he will be the next Edward Burtynsky – so someone to keep an eye on, especially with his large scale works priced at a third of Burtynsky’s. A trip to Toronto to the Gallery could be a beneficial and fun excursion.
The Mira Godard Gallery is located at 22 Hazelton Avenue, Toronto. http://www.godardgallery.com/.

Artcetera 2008

For those who won't be at the IFPDA Print Fair in NYC on November 1st, that Saturday AIDS Action in Boston is presenting Artcetera 2008. The live and silent auctions at this event can be a good place to see and buy art made in Boston and beyond- sometimes with really good deals. Michael Mazur and Judith Larsen (both mentioned in this blog) have prints in the auctions. There is also a Laura McPhee benefit print (shown here) for Patrons at the $2,500 level and above. To view the available artwork and purchase tickets, click on the link below.

http://www.aac.org/site/PageServer?pagename=events_artcetera

Interesting statistics on year over year price changes in the contemporary art market just came out (link below). It's only through mid-year so it doesn't include the most recent data. Amazing how many Chinese works are listed.

Artprice and the Fiac publish an exclusive report on the 2007/2008 contemporary art market, in partnership with Axa Art http://web.artprice.com/AMI/AMI.aspx?id=NjQ1NTM3MDAwNTk4Njk=

Michael Mazur claims "I'm definitely not a purist"

Michael Mazur was a guest this evening of the MFA's Print and Drawing Club. Michael took the group of about 25 of us through a variety of print-making processes that he uses. He showed proofs along the way to making several prints. For one of the prints in his Dante's Inferno series, he had one of the original mylars that was used to make the metal plate, the copper plate itself, which had been reworked several times (but before the steel electroplated layer was added). For that work he also share a working proof, the B.A.T. (Bon a Tirer -- meaning "good to pull"), and final edition print.

He also walked us through a series of 5 proofs starting with the first flat produced with a "rainbow roll" (a method where one or more colors are literally rolled on the paper to create a colored stripe), new images were superimposed in additional colors and then finally a wood block was used to print a wood-grained texture onto the final image.

In another interesting example of using different printing techniques, Michael showed us to very different prints of the same image. One was made as an etching and the other produced with an inkjet printer. "No one should be frightened by injet prints" he advocates. After the lecture, I shared my skepticism of injet prints with Michael. Think about the image - don't worry about the process he said.

In Boston, you can find Michaels work at Barbara Krakow Gallery.

Prints Only?

Lately I have been struggling with the concept of "focus" in a collection. I started out collecting artist books and prints, but have found it difficult to stick with one medium or even a theme. In the last year or so, I have been buying drawings, sculpture, and some excellent work that defies categorization, such as rising art star, Brian Glaser's peice entitled, "I will leave less than this behind," made out of over 5,000 found cigarette butts.

In a kind of organic process, I think a focus has been slowly evolving out of my art purchases- artists in the early phase of their careers. It has been really fun to buy without a safety net, following my own instincts and tastes. In fact, some of my biggest art buying regrets have been not following those instincts and not buying Tara Donovan and Judith Larsen years ago.

Rachel Whiteread at MFA, Boston

When I lived in NYC in 1999, I would make special trips to SoHo just to see Rachel Whiteread's Watertower piece. It is a clear resin cast of the inside of one of the ubiquitous watertowers in Manhattan, installed on a watertower base on the top of a building. Amidst all of the bustle and commotion of the street below, it was like a secret oasis of calm, still water- frozen. It could also be quite spectacular when hit by the sun.
Last week, Rachel Whiteread opened a show at the MFA, Boston and gave two lectures about her work. Although her work looks very simple, it is deceptively thoughtful and emotional. Everyone needs to go see her installation, Village, as soon as possible. It is an arrangement of hand-made dollhouses that she has been collecting over the last 20 years. The room is dark and each dollhouse is lit from within, resembling a village at night. You might at first associate to a Christmas display in some shop, but when you stand there in the dark and reflect on the fact that each house was made by an individual- the piece represents the lives of possibly hundreds of people- it can give you goosebumps.

Bruce Yonemoto gets Ironic at MassArt

We first discovered Bruce Yonemoto at Art Miami last December. His striking portraits of Asian-American men dressed in Civil War costumes posed in classic poses of the era. (Bruce is represented by Alexander Gray Associates in New York)

Having attended the Mass College of Art's benefit auction the past few years, we are on their mailing list and were surprised to recieve an inviation to their visiting artist speaker series -- which featured out favorite Yonemoto photograph as the main image!

We attended the lecture on Wednesday. Hey, this is a great opportunity! We were expecting crowds, but discovered about 25 attendees -- almost entirely students. Bruce spoke for just over an hour and we discovered that he is first and foremost a video and installation artist. Some of his early works consider the materiality of the film screen itself. He has art created out of the material used to make movie theater screens. He also uses a variety of portable movie screens to create a layering effect upon which a movie is shown. Another issue that Bruce examines is the passage of time. He had an interesting piece where he projected a video up into a glass of water. Inside the glass is a sugar cube upon which you can see the video. Of course, as you watch the video, the sugar cube is disolving, becoming increasingly noticable.

I would say that the most common theme throughout Bruce's work is irony. Bruce creates a "screen" made of chopsticks, made supposedly from trees from the rainforest -- upon which he projects images of the rainforest. In another installation, he uses globes, inside which he projects the movie "Journey to the Center of the Earth"

Back to his Civil War series, Bruce lives near a major costume company in California. He rented Civil War costumes which thought might have been used in the Movie "Birth of a Nation" -- a film which is considered to have re-started the KKK. Using costumes which may have been involved in such a racially controversial movie, Bruce places non-white models. Another interesting irony that Bruce points out is how the entire racial discussion around the Civil war is around black and white -- leaving no room for any discussion of other races. In fact, Yonemoto states, that Asian-Americans fought in the Civil War and there is nearly no discussion of this in history books. Beyond the political underpinnings, the photos are quite striking. Although the costumes and poses are quite traditional, your eye is somewhat jarred because it is not expecting to see the Asian-American men in the Civil War costumes, nor are you expecting the vivid color. The strong background colors together with the patterns of the painted floor clothes contribute to a strong graffic impact.

Suara Welitoff at Barbara Krakow

On October 2, the Barbara Krakow Gallery held a special event for those of us who had supported the MFA Counsel’s Summer P(art)y by purchasing the benefit by Suara Welitoff. Suara, who we had a chance to see last year at Alston Skirt Gallery, has been picked up by Barbara Krakow. We had the opportunity to hear from Suara and view a dozen of her video works. Her

works include videos that she shot herself, as well as works based off of found footage. Her works were included in the MFA’s exhibition War and Discontent in 2007. In fact, Suara’s works make up 3 out of the 6 video works in the MFA’s contemporary collection. One of the MFA works, “Say Yes” was a crowd favorite. Some of her works are entirely silent. Several of these which include war or military images are especially eerie without sound. Suara has paired others, including “Tell Me” with music which in some cases makes them seem overly sentimental. Suara explained that she doesn’t start out with a plan for including or excluding sound or music, but rather experiments with several options to determine if the audio adds to the composition. Another crowd favorite was Lasts Longer, 2008, which although only 1 minute 46 seconds, includes a complexity of motion and design which makes it feel substantially longer. The scene -- a photographer shooting photos of a model-like women invokes a feeling of being in Warhol's Factory. Not surprisingly, Wharhol is one of Suara's inspirations

Thanks to Suara, William Stover and the Barbara Krakow gallery for this amazing opportunity.

Wall Street Journal Discusses Handmade Paper Works

I got an email from Dieu Donné today with a link to an article in Friday's Wall Street Journal (Dieu Donné is a non-profit non-profit artist workspace dedicated to the creation, promotion, and preservation of contemporary art in the hand papermaking process.)  Stay tuned for more about Dieu Donné in a later post.

The article was interesting from several perspectives.  It featured some nifty manipulated paper pulp works by Chuck Close (we're big fans) Louise Bourgeois, Ellsworth Kelly and Kiki Smith.  The article discussed artists' works on handmade paper as a more affordable way to acquire unique or semi-unique pieces by top artists.  I was surprised though that the article suggested that some critics consider these paper works to be "crafts".  (And Chuck Close was quoted as saying that artists refer to the term as "the C word".)  

Print Week in New York

Print week is coming up in New York.  You'll hear a lot about the two major fairs:  IFPDA which has it's opening party on Wednesday, October 29.  The Editions/Artists' Book fair opening is the following night.  I just read that on the same night, Art on Paper magazine is having a party to kick off their annual print issue -- which includes their choice for the top new print editions.  

Since it is near the EAB fair at the Tunnel, we should be able to knock them both off that night.

 

5TH ANNUAL NEW PRINTS REVIEW ISSUE RELEASE PARTY!

 

artonpaper magazine and the 
International Print Center New York
invite you to the unveiling of this year's 
New Prints Review issue

 

Be the first to see artonpaper's selection of the best editions of 2008 on Thursday, October 30th, from 8 to 10 pm

The party will be held at IPCNY
526 West 26th Street #824

Boston Common Magazine includes the MFA Summer Party

Lookout for the Late Fall issue of Boston Common magazine.  Several great photos from the MFA's Summer Party (including a shot of one of the BostonPrintCollectors).  

When I was checking out the online edition (still Early Fall edition photos), I discovered that the publisher, Niche Media, also puts out a special Art Basel Miami Beach edition.  Web site currently links to the main ABMB website (http://www.artbaselmiamibeach.com/ca/cc/ss/ ), but I'll be checking back before I head down to Miami.  

The Fall Art Season is in Full Swing

After a brief experiment last year, we've decided to get this blog back off the ground.  Fall brings the start of many art-related activities, so now seemed like a good time.  The MFA Museum Council kicked off its season with Art and Empires:  Treasures from Assyria on September 20th.   As usual, we had quite the crowd for cocktails, a lecture from the curator, a private viewing and dinner. 

That same weekend, South End Open Studios featured over 200 artists.  Before the event, I had been asked for advice about the best strategy.  Hard to say.  This year  I optimized around convenience since I was bringing my parents for the first time.  We focused on 450 Harrision, which had around 75 studios (and an elevator).  I haven't been to South End Open Studios in a couple of years and I was impressed with the overall quality  of the art (high) and prices (affordable).  With the broad range of media and styles, there was something for everyone.