REVIEW: Vija Celmins, Rachel Harrison, Bertoldo di Giovanni exhibitions set to close
Photo: Installation View: Artistic License: Six Takes on the Guggenheim Collection, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, May 24, 2019– January 12, 2020. Photo: David Heald
Several fall-to-winter art exhibitions at several high-profile museums in New York City are set to close Sunday, Jan. 12. These shows — some contemporary, some classical — offer quite a dizzying array of talent, perspective and creativity.
Vija Celmins, The Met Breuer — The wonders of this full-career retrospective can be found in the moment when appreciators realize that Celmins is a painter and not a photographer. Her realistic depictions of the night sky and choppy waves are marvels to behold because of their simplicity and authenticity. Equally fascinating are her sculptural pieces that go for the same effect. For example, she collects an assortment of colorful rocks and then renders exact copies — truly exact copies — which make it difficult for the viewer to differentiate between the original and the facsimile. The two floors of the Breuer showcasing her oeuvre make for a compelling afternoon into the world and intricacies of a great contemporary artist.
The Colmar Treasure: A Medieval Jewish Legacy, The Cloisters — The objects on display in this Cloisters show are tiny wonders that come with a sad and violent history. The small treasures, according to press notes, were rescued from a house in Colmar, France, after that city’s Jewish population were massacred as scapegoats for the Plague in the 14th century. These artifacts, many of them rings and other bits of jewelry, offer a lasting legacy to a community that faced anti-Semitism and violent upheavals. The history is so profound and distressing that one can excuse the Cloisters’ somewhat disjointed displaying of the objects (it wasn’t immediately apparent where the Colmar show ended and the regular collection began).
Rachel Harrison Life Hack, Whitney Museum of American Art — Rachel Harrison’s sculptural and conceptual pieces are true mind exercises, and that means this retrospective at the Whitney will eat up so much glorious time for those who give themselves over to her creativity and colorful output. The far-reaching exhibition has several highlights, but this reviewer was most struck by the free-standing collections of disparate objects that made for convoluted displays with a DIY pastiche; think Isa Genzken, but perhaps on a more approachable scale. “Brownie” from 2005 is one example, or anything found in the pièce de résistance, a final room featuring several sculptural pieces encircled by a crown of folding chairs facing outward. (Have a seat, and take in the view of nothingness because the art will be at your back.)
Alan Michelson: Wolf Nation, Whitney Museum of American Art — This reviewer first encountered Michelson’s video installation, Wolf Nation from 2018, at Storm King’s sweeping exhibition on climate change. The Whitney upgrades the display of this wolf-centered video by giving the purple-colored footage of red wolves its own dark room, inviting guests to sit and ponder the connections between this endangered species and Native Americans in the local area who have lost their lives and cultural heritage. Other pieces in this small exhibition: two AR works that are fun and historically interesting, and “Shattemuc,” a video focused on the Hudson River. White Mountain Apache composer and musician Laura Ortman provides accompaniment to the video pieces, according to press notes.
Bertoldo di Giovanni: The Renaissance of Sculpture in Medici Florence, The Frick Collection — One of the true highlights of the art season is this exquisite show focused on the complete works of Bertoldo di Giovanni, renowned for being a student of Donatello and teacher of Michelangelo in Medici Florence, according to press notes. Housed in the downstairs galleries of the Frick, the objects on display are relatively small in nature, but large in impact. The intricacies of the sculptural pieces, including “Shield Bearer,” speak to the talents of this forgotten Renaissance master and the seemingly endless artistic energy emanating from Florence in the 15th century.
Artistic License: Six Takes on the Guggenheim Collection, The Guggenheim — This well-received show, featuring the curatorial skills of six contemporary artists, was recently reviewed by Hollywood Soapbox. Check out the review here.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
