Sotheby's Institute of Art: London • New York

Cy Twombly, the enigmatic, controversial, operatic artist is dead at age 83. I must say I have extremely mixed feelings about Twombly. I have been moved by some of his paintings, am bored by most of his sculpture, and despite some misgivings believe he was a very important and influential figure in 20th century art. However, having worked with him on an exhibition at the Whitney, I got to know him slightly and as my mother often told me, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, say nothing at all.” So, in this case, I will follow her advice. Here are some of the obits, reflections and appreciations that have been written over the past few days.

The Wall Street Journal

New York Times

LA Times

New York Times Appreciation

Jerry Saltz on Facebook

Allora and Calzadilla's upturned tank/treadmill

After a week of racing through both the official and collateral events in Venice, it is hard not to notice the proliferation of  events organized by galleries, corporations or other commercial entities. There are palaces, storefronts and warehouses all over town devoted to one artist or group shows, some of which are pretty good, others are simply designed as commercial ventures and could easily be skipped. The main pavilions and the Arsenale are their usual mixture of memorable and not so memorable installations. The overall title of the Biennale this time is IllumiNATIONS, which the organizers say has to do with artists searching for light. However, to me the Pavilions and collateral exhibitions have more to do with degradation, desperation, dissolution and despair. We are everywhere confronted with uncomfortable truths we don’t really want to see, and sometimes that makes for pretty good art.  It is impossible to write about everything that I saw and liked, so here are a few highlights.

Church Organ ATM in the American Pavilion

I especially liked the American Pavilion. Even though their messages were completely unsubtle, Allora and Calzadilla did a masterful job of summing up the shallow and hypocritical state of politics, war, luxury, and society in the USA (if not the rest of the world). I love how the upturned tank/treadmill acts as a magnet to the pavilion with its ear-piercing clatter. It is an obvious statement, but a nice piece of work. The best is the ATM church organ. It is not only beautiful, it is hilarious, and it expresses one of the main leitmotifs of the Biennale–the worship of money. In the main rooms there are two wooden sculptures of first class airline seats that serve as platforms for acrobatic performances.

Acrobat at the American Pavilion

When they are activated by the gymnasts, who wear US Olympic team uniforms,  the sculptures make sense, but without them the space feels rather dead. For this reason I am glad that the IMA raised enough money to continue regular performances through the run of the Biennale.

 

Film still from the Japanese Pavilion

Another worthy effort is the Japanese pavilion. The young artist Tabaimo has created an entire animated world with a beautifully crafted video installation. It starts out with a cityscape that is gradually invaded by enormous mushrooms, flowers, fingertips and other organic materials that move in and out of the drawings. The entire effect is dramatized by mirrored walls and an opening in the center that shows us the sky, providing us with the realization that we are trapped in an upside down well. The experience is hallucinogenic and hypnotic. I don’t really understand what she is trying to say, but her mixture of anime, video, drawing and architecture is quite compelling.

Inside the British Pavilion

Mike Nelson’s British Pavilion takes us into another dystopia. This one is full of dusty, abandoned spaces, warrens of cast-off machinery, darkrooms hung with fading photographs, staircases leading to tiny rooms with ceilings so low one has to bend to walk through them into another similar space. It is no surprise that the lines to get in are blocks long—but what does one come away with? I am not sure.

And in this same vein,  Thomas Hirschhorn has transformed Switzerland’s pavilion into a terrifying maze of tin foil, PVC pipes, plastic-wrapped objects and low walls topped with broken bottles. Not my favorite of the offerings, but my discomfort with the installation must have been something the artist intended. He certainly lets us know that our commercialism is doomed and dangerous.

Christoph Schlingensief died before he could organize an exhibition for the German pavilion, but the curators decided to go ahead and make something using documentation and parts of earlier installations. The result won the Goldon Lion, and is a retrospective of his fluxus-inspired work within a church environment that Schlingensief created for another piece. The audience sits on pews surrounded by films of a rabbit being consumed by maggots, several clips showing the advance of a patient’s (the artist’s) lung cancer, and various other objects and projects from different stages of his life. The result is a moving pastiche of sound, film and setting that requires one to consider life, death, and decay. It is too bad we will never know what he would have done himself.

Still from Mary Koszymary

And then there is the puzzle of Poland.  Called “…and Europe will be stunned” Israeli artist Yael Bartana has created three interrelated videos about a movement calling for the return of Jews to Poland. On the surface, all seems reasonable. We see a political organizer addressing a stadium of supporters giving an impassioned speech. His purpose is to repatriate the 3 million Jews lost from the country during and after WWII. He tells us Poland needs them to have a vibrant, diverse, living culture.  The speaker has all the trappings of a charismatic leader, he pleads for sanity, he tells us that Poland misses the Jews, and that forty million Poles need Jews to enrich their culture. The video is straight propaganda and right out of the 700 Club or even Nazi Germany. One is moved by the idea of a newly diverse Poland, the idea of Poland perhaps welcoming Jews back in order to heal wounds from the past, even if the whole idea seems rather preposterous and creepy. And, one wonders, what is the message about Israeli culture embedded in this little film? How diverse is Israel these days? And, as expected, the second video unveils sinister underpinnings of the plan. In this video, Polish youth are building a settlement for the newly repatriated Jews. The settlement is tiny, its walls are high with no windows. The tops of the walls are ringed with barbed wire, and a watchtower is erected to guard the occupants, who wear armbands with the movement logo. A sign on the gate says Kibbutz. One is not certain whether the Jews are being protected or threatened.  Another snippet shows settlers being re-educated to Polish language and culture. What has happened, we wonder, to the idea of diversity?  We also wonder whether this is a comment on Israeli settlements in the occupied lands and its re-education of those who make “alia” as much as it is about Poland’s anti-Semitism. 

Film still from Zamach (Assasination)

In the third video the movement’s leader has been assassinated and we are at his funeral. An enormous (and horribly ugly, glasses and all) statue has been erected in his honor. Important speakers are invited to talk about his vision and life.  Several are Israelis who dismiss the movement out of hand, and movement youth praise him and vow to carry on the mission without him.  As we leave, visitors to the pavilion are invited to join the movement and are given numbered cards that carry its logo.  What are we joining? What does it mean? All in all it is one of the most powerful works of art in the Biennale. It is complicated, layered, international, political and well-crafted. And in addition to that, I am still thinking about it, puzzling it out, mulling it over, and I find that the more I learn about it the better I like it.

Venice Pavilion

There is a lot of water in this Biennale. In the Greek pavilion, we walk over a pond across a wooden platform. In the Venice pavilion Fabrizio Plessi has created a line of upright boats in a dark semi circular room, each with a waterfall video. The Israeli pavilion is a water purification plant by artist Sigalit Landou. The machinery winds through the space with pipes vibrating and groaning from the pressure. In addition to the

Video from Israeli Pavilion

pipes, there is a video of three naked women moving in and out of the ocean, scratching lines in the sand before they jump back into the waves. This is playful but also a bit ominous, reminding us that the economy of the entire country rests on its ability to de-salinate water and control whatever fresh water it can for the use of its population.  

Nathaniel Mellors's Sculpture

The International pavilion, curated by Bice Curiger, includes 83 artists and groups. There is a lot to see but it doesn’t all work together.  Highlights for me were the Cindy Sherman room, the Nathaniel Mellors videos and sculptures, the David Goldblatt photography, the Omar Fast video and of course, the Tintorettos at the entrance.

 

Adel Abdin, Consumption of War

Off site, pavilions that were particularly striking to me were the Bangladesh pavilion, the Luxembourg pavilion and the Zimbabwe pavilion. The Iraqi pavilion is called Wounded Water and features 6 artist’s interpretations of water, with haunting images of families and villages destroyed by war along with a hilarious, yet strangely moving video by Adel Abdin called “Consumption of War” that shows two men dressed in business suits battling with florescent lights, making jeddi warrior sounds as they swing their weapons.

Venice in Venice was a lot of fun, especially the light works of Laddie John Dill installed in the rough brick basement spaces. Artist Chiharu Shiota, represented by Haunch of Venison has an installation called “Memory of Books”on Via Garabaldi which is beautifully installed and the Tim Davies exhibition is too large but worth a quick visit if you are in the neighborhood to see Iraq and Bangladesh.

by Jan Rothschild

Next installment will cover the Arsenale and other off site exhibitions of note.

The Whitney's Historic Breuer Building at Madison Avenue and 75th Street

The rumor has finally been confirmed that the Metropolitan Museum will take over the Whitney Museum’s landmark Breuer building when the Whitney moves downtown to its new site at The High Line. Groundbreaking is in two weeks on the Whitney’s new building, designed by Renzo Piano, and this announcement in the New York Times reassures us that the Breuer building will continue to be a museum for at least the next ten years while the Metropolitan refurbishes its modern and contemporary wing and the Whitney establishes itself in its new home. No one is talking about long term plans for the Breuer building since Leonard Lauder’s $131 million gift stipulated that the Whitney could not sell the building for an unspecified amount of time. But the Metropolitan’s use of the building to show their holdings in contemporary art is a wonderful opportunity for art lovers in New York. Let’s hope they will do exciting projects and take some risks. Bravo to Tom Campbell and Adam Weinberg for getting the deal done.

Yesterday the Independent newspaper in London published an article with the headline “It’s Oil Money that Fuels our Museums” by Tiffany Jenkins that discusses the pros and cons of museums accepting money from oil companies and others who may not always take the high ground when it comes to the gathering of wealth. This has been a conversation in non profits as long as they have existed. In fact, it is a conversation in every situation where fund raising occurs. Think about political fund raising and how many politicians have shamefacedly had to hand back donations from crooks. Bernie Madoff was a trustee of several charitable organizations, and Enron senior executives were pillars in their communities. What’s a non profit to do?

Typically Jenkins suggests that arts organizations should take the money and run. Take it and turn lemons into lemonade. Others, including protesters at the Tate Modern and other museums around the world take a different view and believe that tainted money perverts institutions and should be avoided at all costs. What do you think?

Maastricht-City-Center-at-Night

For a few days in March, not far from the cobble stone streets of the City Center of Maastricht designers have created a charming world all of its own to host TEFAF (The European Fine Art Fair), one of the most respected and elite art fairs in the world. The Fair is housed in a large convention center, almost warehouse like in construction; however, one immediately forgets the humble origins of the structure upon entering the grand hall. One of the great pleasures of the Sotheby’s Institute Art Business program’s recent trip to Maastricht was learning about how designers created an environment in which collectors can lose themselves in the experience.

While in Maastricht, we had the privilege of meeting Tom Postma, the lead designer for TEFAF (as well as other fairs such as Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach). Mr. Postma stressed the necessity of transforming the “hideous warehouse” into a luxurious and spacious selling environment akin to a small city. Mr. Postma was extremely successful in this endeavor. During my time at the fair, I felt as if I were wandering the streets of a dream world – completely oblivious to time and the worries of everyday life.

Entering-the-Grand-Hall-at-TEFAF

TEFAF with its well-established layout offers distinct pathways which lead to nodes similar to the open spaces of piazzas found in European cities. These open spaces help guide visitors through the fair while providing a respite for social gathering in the midst of natural elements representative of Holland – tulips, tulips, and more tulips. Throughout the fair, one can also find café spaces, gathering areas, vendors, and sponsor booths carefully designed and thoughtfully placed within the “city”. The various gallery and dealer booths represented at the fair are meticulously monitored and quite a few are even designed by Mr. Postma himself.

View-of-a-Traditional-Booth-Inside-TEFAF

Every element of the fair, down to the design of the frieze, color choice of the gallery walls, and lighting style is chosen to enhance the visitor’s journey and the art. Planning for the design of fair begins a year in advance, however, it is all constructed three-weeks before the actual opening. Interestingly, all of the materials are pre-fabricated yet for the green-minded an emphasis is placed on choosing materials that can be repurposed year to year. Despite reusing the various materials, each year of the fair is designed to be significantly different depending on the design concept and participants. Next year is the twenty-fifth anniversary of TEFAF and Mr. Postma promises it to be spectacular and a year not to be missed.

By Johanna B. Barger, MA Art Business, 2011, Sotheby’s Institute of Art

New Art From Emerging Markets by Iain Robertson

Our own Iain Robertson, head of Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute in London,  has a new book that will be published this month from Lund Humphries in collaboration with Sotheby’s Institute of Art. The first in a series of collaborative publications, New Art from Emerging Markets takes a look at how value in non-Western contemporary art is constructed largely by external political events and economic factors rather than aesthetic considerations. The book also considers whether it is better to let a new art market grow organically, driven by commercial imperatives, or for the government to step in to construct a cultural and economic infrastructure within which an art market can be placed.

Ai Weiwei in his studio March 7, 2011

Perhaps we were just dreaming that China, the economic tiger, the cultural dragon, would allow freedom of speech and political dissent now that they have relaxed economic laws and allowed private citizens to amass vast fortunes. But no, it seems that the year of the rabbit is also the year of the backlash against artists, writers and others who dare to criticize government corruption and strictures. According to the New York Times, over the last two weeks many prominent filmmakers, lawers, writers and artists have been detained, some simply disappearing into custody. Mr Ai is perhaps the most prominent of those arrested–and shortly after his capture his studio was raided and many of his assistants, both foreign and Chinese, were also detained.  

And what could be a more blatant illustration of the government’s unwillingness to face it’s compromised present and uncomfortable truths from its past than the exhibitions in the new $400 million National Museum, just opening in Beijing? According to reports, the museum, the largest in the world,  has barely a mention of the Cultural Revolution, no exhibitions about the halting and sometimes violent aspects of communist rule or the difficult changes in leadership over the years. 

Any hope in the West of China emerging as a new democractic partner must certainly be tempered by these signs. The government is prepared to grant extensive economic freedom and reap the substantial financial benefits, but cultural freedom is not to be tolerated. It will be interesting to see how the United States and other Western powers respond to this new crack down. So far, it has been met with silence.

The Guardian newspaper

has just published an interview with James Lingwood and Michael Morris, who this year are celebrating twenty years leading Artangel, the London-based art world production company. They are the impresarios that brought us Rachel Whiteread’s House, back in 1993, and more recently expanded their geographical reach by helping Roni Horn to construct her magical Library of Water in a distant part of Iceland.

 Artangel are a fascinating example of how the art world has evolved new forms to answer to the dramatic changes that art itself has experienced since the 1960s. And it is changes and evolutions such as this that we will be tracking in the new online course, Introduction to Contemporary art, that Sotheby’s is initiating next week. We sweep over the whole history of what has come to be called “contemporary” art, from the emergence of Pop in the 1950s and 1960s, to the latest developments in the commercial galleries. Some surveys of the period are presented as a series of artists and styles, each coming after the other in a plodding progression, but this course breaks that history into living traditions. We look at how Pop art inspired the work of contemporaries such as Jeff Koons and Takashi Murakami, and how Conceptual art has seeded the ideas of young artists such as Tino Seghal and Douglas Gordon. And, throughout, we keep an eye on the changing institutions of the art world, from commercial galleries to auction houses to public agencies such as Artangel.

 Morgan Falconer

Rembrandt's Night Watch

Van Gogh's Sunflowers

Following this, are more specific genres of writing for students to explore – gallery notices for works on the wall and more general, longer exhibition introductions as well as brief catalogue descriptions of the artworks. Discussions centre around the best ways to balance facts for the visitors without being intrusively instructive or “lecturey”…

Other opportunities are for journalistic exercises, learning to be a reviewer for a national paper, or preparing and writing an academic paper, or a fully-fledged essay for an exhibition catalogue (all these are optional). So, how many yellow can you discern in the Van Gogh sunflowers?

James Malpas

From Richard Prince's Canal Zone series

The New York Times reports today that a federal judge in Manhattan ruled against Richard Prince in the closely watched copyright infringement case filed by Patrick Cariou, a French photographer. Prince used more than 41 of Cariou’s images in a body of work he called “Canal Zone.” The works were shown in 2008 at

Cariou’s Photo Left, Richard Prince Canal Zone, Right

Gagosian Gallery in New York, and in St. Barts.  Cariou claims that Prince used his photos without permission, and that an exhibition of his work was cancelled when the gallery learned of the works by Prince. Prince has said that he has no interest in the subject of the photos, he finds them boring and was using time-honored artistic license that falls under the “fair use” law to make them into more compelling works of art. Judge Deborah Batts found in favor of Cariou, saying that Prince and Gagosian Gallery violated Cariou’s copyright. The paintings have now been impounded until the parties return to court in May. Read the New York Times story HERE. The Art Newspaper has also reported the story with a Cariou interview. Read their take on it HERE.