Art Gallery

There were breaks in the rain, but the day ended with small rivers flowing through the gutters in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood. It was the last day of Armory week in New York City, an event consisting of art fairs all over the city, ranging from colossal reputations and incredible valuations to emerging artists eager for their first tastes of success and notoriety. I was on my way to the Verge show, itself spread out over several locations.

If you want to find something unique or unusual, Verge is the place to go. You'll have to sift through a lot of good efforts (as opposed to successful results), but the one piece that blows your mind is worth it. I found it at 20 Jay Street: "The Flood," by Ahron Weiner.

There is nothing conventional about Weiner's photography, except, perhaps, for the fact that he uses a camera. After that, he's truly exploring new territory. "The Flood" is part of a larger effort that tells the stories of the Old Testament through rehabilitated advertising images.
Okay, that's a lot to digest. So, let's step through the concept.

If you ever see a tall (by my standards, at least) man with long blond hair chipping through the advertising posters on Manhattan scaffolds, there's a good chance it's Weiner. These posters are slapped up all over the city, with the new simply covering up the old ... and so on. It's endless. Weiner goes in the opposite direction. He peels away at the layers, looking for a story to emerge. Starting with what strikes him as an interesting advertisement, he pulls to see what lies beneath.

You only have another week or so to check out a comprehensive display of the work of Fernando Botero's work in Miami, Florida. Gallerist and art book publisher Gary Nader has gathered together a collection of the Colombian artist's work in order to celebrate the launch of a new art book on Botero.

Botero's rounded forms are immediately recognizable. He's famous for his corpulent figures but has also done still life paintings and bronze sculptures that showcase his range as well as a series of paintings depicted prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison. Recent works reflect his enduring fascination with circus performers and circus life. In a culture that often sees fat as a four-letter word, Botero's paintings normalize roundness giving it dignity.

Nader gathered pieces from collectors around the world. The show is up only through January 31 and includes a chronological assortment of more than 100 paintings, sculpture and drawings dating from the 1950s to the present day. Nader's gallery houses $200 million of the most impressive collections by U.S, Latin and European masters. Accompanying the Botero Retrospective is a hard cover edition of 224 pages with close to 200 full color page illustrations, published by Nader and priced at $150.

In conjunction with the Whitney Museum of Art's acclaimed Edward Hopper exhibition, Mark Murray Fine Paintings on Manhattan's Upper East Side is holding an exhibition of original works of art by the groundbreaking Ashcan School artist. All of the works are available for purchase.

Thirty rare early drawings, watercolors and a landscape in oil are on view at the gallery, all of which were formerly in the collection of the artist's widow, Jo Hopper, and subsequently given to the Reverend Arthayor R. Sanborn. Interestingly, Sanborn was a close friend of the Hopper family and served as the minister who officiated at the burial ceremonies for Hopper in 1967.

Mark Murray Fine Paintings' exhibition reveals Hopper's early mastery of drawing, particularly the human form, his fondness for literary sources, and his admiration for the paintings of the Old Masters. A subtle psychology can also be seen taking shape, especially in the many subjects he approached as an illustrator.

Three highlights of this collection include a large and bold drawing depicting the artist's mother, Elizabeth Griffiths Smith Hopper, executed c. 1900; an early landscape in oil titled "Country Road" (1897) (seen above), one of only 32 paintings by Hopper remaining in private hands; and a striking illustration depicting firemen at work titled "Under Control" (1907-10). A selection of drawings from this collection were included in the catalogue for an exhibition titled "The Early Drawings of Edward Hopper" (with an essay by Hopper scholar Gail Levin), held at Kennedy Galleries, New York in 1995.

The year is coming to an end, and that means the art gallery at Eden Rock is filling up. As peak season hits down on St. Barths, the gallery becomes home to endless excitement, and it should be higher than in the past few years, as the art market bounces back from its late 2008 and early 2009 depths.

This year, the Eden Rock Gallery will be home to an exhibition called "Uncovered," running from December 22, 2010 through January 31, 2011. Hosted in partnership with the New York Academy of Art and curated by Eileen Guggenheim, Peter Drake and David Kratz, it will include 24 pieces by artists affiliated with the academy, with work by faculty and members of the Artists' Advisory Board of the Academy on the walls, too. Rosson Crow, Kurt Kauper, Natalie Frank, Alyssa Monks, Robert Feintuch, Julie Heffernan and Margaret Bowland are among the artists being featured.

You can't experience the Eden Rock resort in St Barths without running into art. In addition to an on-property art gallery with an exciting artist-in-residence program, there is carefully selected artwork throughout the resort. When you get into the villas, however, a new level of care and attention is attained. One of Eden Rock's premier accommodations, Villa Nina comes with a five-figure a night price tag and is adorned appropriately. In this video, gallery director Natalie Clifford takes us on a tour of the unique Villa Nina art holdings.





Disclosure: Eden Rock picked up the tab for this trip, and it didn't influence my coverage.

The timing couldn't be better for Saudi artists. Just as the art market is recovering in the wake of a severe slump – the worst in almost 20 years – the world is starting to take notice of work that has long been limited only to a local market. Following an exhibition by a group of artists in London in October 2008 and another at last year's Venice Biennale, momentum is building. Shows are planned for Istanbul and Berlin. Auction prices are shooting higher. Excitement is abundant.

And the government is behind it.

King Abdullah's strategy for rebranding Saudi Arabia includes promoting the country's artists, even though there aren't many art galleries inside its borders. The combination of hype and low prices could translate to an amazing opportunity for art collectors. Get in now while the buzz is beginning, and you might be able to ride a sharp increase.

I snuck a peak into 25CPW over the weekend while taking my son for walk down Central Park West. Having been jammed for the past few weeks, I'd lost track of what's been passing through the unique gallery space on the Upper West Side. So, it was nice to have a chance to catch even a glimpse of the latest collection.

The action inside the art gallery caught my eye. New pieces were hanging, and gallery executive director Bess Greenberg was moving through the pace with a purpose, and a man I hadn't seen before wielded a paint roller at the end of a long handle. Not wanting to give up the perfect day, I pushed the stroller forward and back toward Central Park, but the curiosity stayed with me.

It turns out the new show contains selected works by Michael Varley and is on display until May 5, 2010. It can be viewed only by appointment, and the work is certainly interesting. Don't worry, there are more events coming.

You know how it is in the art scene: big checks, big names and big egos like to stay under the radar. Anonymity is the norm, of course, and the buyers of Rothkos and Basquiats don't like to see their names in press releases. Yet, a look under the covers of the TEFAF Maasricht art fair shows that some pretty important pieces moved for some rather hefty amounts. The billionaires came out to play, and dealer and galleries were more than ready to accommodate.

Over 10-days, $2.7 billion of inventory was offered t dealers and museums from around the world. Prices edged higher thanks to a recovering art market, and impressive pieces found new homes. Jean-Michel's Basquiat's "Busted Atlas 2" was picked up for $2.4 million by a German collector, sold by Van de Weghe Fine Art, a gallery in New York.

Nonetheless, it's not like the art bubble. David Leiber, of New York's Sperone Westwater gallery, tells Bloomberg News, "Collectors are adjusting to the new values. We have to charge these prices because we can't replace these works." He adds, "There may be some people who went a little overboard at the auctions," a sentiment echoed by Paolo Vedovi of Galerie Odermatt-Vedovi. Vedovi observes, "Auctions are almost a separate market," continuing, "We don't see many of those people. Art fairs aren't as spontaneous. Buyers are cautious and they need to think."

Plenty of art moved at TEFAF Maastricht 2010, and collectors were willing to deal with the prices ... and enjoy their stays in style. According to a statement by TEFAF, many international collectors took private jets to Maastricht/Aachen Airport, where 171 private aircraft landed during the fair. Eighty-two of them touched down in time for the Private View on March 11, 2010. U.S. collectors were back in the game, and the Europeans amped up the intensity, too.

TEFAF attracted 263 dealers and representatives from more than 150 museums from more than 17 countries, which contributed to the robust marketplace (along with the change in global economic circumstances , of course). TEFAF on Paper, a new section at the fair, featured a wide range of prints, drawings and photographs, among others. Parisian dealer Tanakaya moved two early prints, very rare, by Hashiguchi Goyô, entitled Kami sukero Onna, 1921 and Keshô no Onna, 1918. They sold for €32,000 and €30,000 respectively.

Over in the antiquities section, dealer Rupert Wace of London moved an Egyptian Wood Mummy Mask at an asking price of €150,000 (final price not announced) to a private collector. He also sold a Roman bronze statuette of Aphrodite wearing a silver diadem. The piece was from the first century and is headed for a private museum in France.

The action at 25CPW has been nonstop. Following its successful show last week, featuring the artwork of guards from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the temporary art gallery on Manhattan's Upper West Side hosted a silent auction featuring the original creations of Afghan women and children. Several thousand dollars were raised at the event, which was organized by 25CPW guru Bess Greenberg and Brianne Leary, the driving force behind Saving Afghanistan and journalist who covered the Soviet/Afghan conflict through the 1980s. The financial result, says Leary, addresses an immediate need for specific refugees in transition.

The prices at the one-night auction were purposefully kept accessible, given the prevailing economic climate, says Leary, and the event was well-attended. Get the full story directly from Leary in the video below.

The Upper West Side of Manhattan was once again home to an exciting and unique art exhibition last week. 25CPW, a temporary art gallery occupying a vacant retail space on Central Park West hosted an art show for a unique group within the Metropolitan Museum of Art: the guards. It turns out that some of the people protecting the masterpieces on the other side of Central Park also like to create, and from what I saw on Thursday night, when I attended the opening, they are pretty damned good at it.

The Thursday night opening also included the launch of Sw!pe Magazine: Guards' Matter, an art journal that accompanied the exhibition.

On display were paintings, drawings, photographs and other pieces. The styles varied but were displayed intelligently, preventing contrasting styles from crowding each other and leaving each artist enough space for his work to stand out. Nelson Diaz, an artist and friend who attended the how with me, was as electrified as I was – both by the works on display and the energy in the 25CPW space.

You can view the NY Times photo gallery here.

The next 25CPW event is on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 night at 6:00 PM, when the Afghan Art Auction will be held to benefit the George Dritsas Anthropos Fund. The fund was created to help refugees in transition, so do find a way to open your wallet. The money raised will also be used to help the Afghan Women Council, which seeks to assist women and children inside Afghanistan.

From the inaugural event at 25CPW:

For the past week, the art community has focused on New York City's annual Armory event, in which artists put their best pieces forward, dealers and galleries are on the prowl and collectors look for new finds that will someday redefine their portfolios. Momentum from the contemporary art auctions at Christie's and Sotheby's was certainly present, as all in attendance seemed focused on opportunity rather than window-shopping. The efforts at the Armory were consistent with a marketplace that's active, not the crushing fear that characterized the art market through the second half of 2008 and most of 2009.

1. Koons went bare
What was expected to be the most controversial event of Armory Week turned out to be subdued, though well attended. Jeff Koons offered a tribute to open sexuality with an exhibition that opened last Tuesday. Protesters weren't in sight, but musicians Cyndi Lauper and The Edge (guitarist for U2) checked out the show.

2. Solo booths were back in style
According to ArtInfo, "Solo artist booths were everywhere you looked." Individuals were ready to put themselves out into the market. Collectors had the opportunity to focus on specific artists as a result, rather than see disparate artwork crammed together by galleries and dealers managing inventory as if they were grocers. The good news, however, is that this shift isn't indicative of an art market slump. Rather, it's a sign of optimism. There's a belief out there that art collectors are ready to buy, especially given what we've seen at auction so far this year.

There's a new show at the Eden Rock Gallery on St. Barths this month ... and it represents a bit of a departure from past exhibitions. Doubtless, some considerable talent has moved through the resort's art gallery, with names such as Richard Prince not to be taken lightly. And, the relationship with the New York Academy of Art has ensured that the artists in residence have been unmatched in talent.

The latest show is not short on talent and remains consistent with the reputation the Eden Rock Gallery has defined for itself, but the artist comes from a little closer to home. Jane Matthews will be showing her work in an exhibition entitled "Between Places and People," which features simple but direct subject matter in a fluid style slightly reminiscent of Gaugin (just a hint).

Jane owns Eden Rock with her husband, David Matthews, and it's their commitment to the arts that led to the gallery and the careful selection of pieces to hang in the property's various villas (such as Villa Rockstar).

With "Between Places and People," Jane proves that she doesn't just know how to pick art – she can create it, too. The photos alone caused me to fall in love with this show.

The art market was already in decline when the global financial system was sent into mayhem in September 2008, but the financial nightmare accelerated the drop. This past year has been pretty miserable for artists, galleries, dealers and collectors (who have seen their buying power dry up), but that doesn't mean there hasn't been anything to celebrate.

Several prominent pieces hit fantastic heights at auction this year. Some of the names will look familiar, including Andy Warhol, Henri Matisse and Alberto Giacometti. Old Masters and Asia are represented as well, as they have generally done best in resisting the forces of the art market recession.

Below, take a look at the top 10 pieces at auction in 2009.

Jinghesheng Investment Company and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are now partners in the art market. The investment firm and the most isolated dictatorship in the world are working together to show and sell 90 paintings at art galleries in Beijing. The paintings – 60 of them oil and 30 in the traditional Korean ink style – will be rotated through the gallery and sold.

The unifying thread in this show is that all works are by artists in North Korea ... and have been approved by the DPRK's Ministry of Culture, according to exhibit director Li Xuemei. Because information doesn't flow easily across the border, the exact origins of the pieces and details of the artists are unknown, but Li says to CNN, "Ours are surely authentic artworks from DPRK."

There has been no shortage of interest in the display. Li's gallery, which is showing the works of 20 North Korean artists associated with Pyongyang museums and art institutions, sees up to 100 visitors a day on the weekends and 60 a day during the week.