It is no secret that I am a huge lover of art. Specifically, I tend to favor modern and contemporary art over marble statues and oil paintings of zaftig nudes and bowls of fruit. All due props to Michelangelo and Matisse, that stuff doesn’t really ‘yank my chain,’ as they say; but put me in a museum full of Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans and Jeff Koons’ gigantic, painted steel Balloon Dog sculptures and I’m in heaven. Being blessed with someone like Geoffrey as a BFF, it only stands to reason that I would have become a bit fond of the Street Art. Because if Geoffrey is any kind of gay, he is completely and totally GAY FOR THE STREET ART. Just being serious. If it weren’t for Geoffrey, the likes of Banksy and D Face would still be a mystery to me. This past February, Geoffrey forced (not really) me to stand in line outside in the freezing cold for hours and hours, until my tiny feet turned into blocks of ice, to get into the Mr. Brainwash Icons exhibit in the meatpacking district. At the time, I barely even knew who the fuck Mr. Brainwash was, but after five minutes inside the gallery – and once I was able to thaw out and tap a kidney – I became a huge Mr. Brainwash fan. Because, as an artist whose work embodies a cross between Bansky and my beloved Andy Warhol, Mr. Brainwash, he is the shit. So thanks, Geoffrey, for turning me into a fan.

At New York’s Sunshine Theater right now, there is a documentary film playing called Exit Through the Gift Shop, which I took myself to see this past Sunday afternoon. Exit Through the Gift Shop tells the engaging and hilarious story of a French immigrant vintage clothing boutique proprietor living in Los Angeles named Thierry (“Terry”) Guetta, who became obsessed with video-taping the late night activities of Graffiti / Street Artists. Through his relentless filming escapades, Guetta eventually meets the most prolific purveyor of Street Art (the now world-famous Shepard Fairey) and later the most elusive one (the uber-mysterious Bansky) and becomes a kind of sidekick or assistant to these men. Although it is initially Guetta’s objective to transform his thousand of hours of film into a bona fide documentary about Street Artists, once he shows his “completed film” (entitled Life Remote Control) to Banksy, it becomes painfully obvious that Guetta has no idea how to make a cohesive film. However, heartened by Guetta’s never-say-die spirit and fiery, creative passion, Banksy encourages him to go out and make some Street Art himself.

From that point in the film, we see Thierry transform himself from an obsessed  fan into a Street Artist who would eventually become known as – wait for it – Mr. Brainwash! Directed by Banksy and featuring prime cuts from Guetta’s rare “gonzo” footage, and punctuated by interviews with dozens of other artists, Exit Through the Gift Shop is a rare movie-going experience that not only captivates the viewer but one that also manages to propose and offer insightful answers to the timeless question “what is art?” Plus you have to love the part where Banksy and Brainwash surreptitiously attempt to install a work of Guantanamo Bay Detainee–inspired “Art” at Disneyland: one of the most tightly policed places on Earth. Hee!

If you walk into this film not knowing anything about Graffiti Artists or Street Art whatsoever, you will likely come out with a thoroughly comprehensive knowledge of the movement while having been entertained far beyond your money’s worth. What other film can you say that about? The more time I have to digest this film, the more I am convinced that Exit Through the Gift Shop is one of the best and most thoroughly enjoyable films I have seen in my life – which puts it right up there with A Clockwork Orange and Harold and Maude. The Worley Gig gives Exit Through the Gift Shop Five Out of Five Stars.

“Lotus Flower and Goldfish” (2011) By Tat Ito

At a time when the hearts and minds of so many are concerned with the welfare of the people of Japan, it’s extremely compelling to see an exhibit by a Japanese artist who is clearly dealing with the quest to integrate both eastern and western artistic motifs into his work. Tat Ito’s Memento Mori (Latin for an object, such as a skull, intended to remind people of the inevitability of death) is anything but morbid, but the artist uses whimsical characters and a palette of bright colors along with distinctive characteristics of traditional Japanese artwork to comment on his native culture’s surrender to a relentless onslaught of Western pop sensibilities (see also Takashi Muyrakami’s theory of the “Superflat”). As with Nir Hod’s Genius exhibit, Memento Mori is about so much more than just what appears on the canvas.

“Lobster and Shark”

As a Japanese-born artist who studied art in the United States, the exhibit’s press release confirms that “the artist and his paintings are a dynamic confluence of East and West, traditional and contemporary. The poetic analogy of “oil on water” describes Ito’s approach to both imagery and cultural references; in his vibrantly colored work, traditional Japanese aesthetics are a foundation upon which floats a contemporary (i.e., Western-influenced) viewpoint. Like a skim of oil on water, the beautiful, reflective surfaces of his paintings fascinate viewers. These top layers never mix but, rather, are presented in dialogue with the substance beneath.”

“Cosmos, Chrysanthemum and Dalmatian” (Section, Click Image to Enlarge)

Memento Mori includes works on both round (tondo) and rectilinear canvases. In Lotus Flower and Goldfish, an acrylic on canvas tondo, Ito appropriates the pools-and-waterfalls motif from medieval Japanese painting as a palette for a contemporary overlay of Warholian silver leaf, purple polka dots, and miniature frolicking swimmers with scuba fins. Cosmos, Chrysanthemum and Dalmatian — a scroll-like, rectilinear painting in acrylic, gouache, and gold leaf on canvas— combines a running floral motif with running Dalmatian dogs (“nearly 101 of the variety made famous in Western animation”). At 20” x 180” in length, Cosmos covers a full wall of the Liner gallery. When examined closely, one can find tiny, hidden representations of the work of “Factory Pop” artists such as Andy Warhol (The Campbell’s Soup Can) and Jeff Koons (Balloon Dog) while two other pieces, Shark and Lobster and Butterfly Primavera pay discreet homage to Damien Hirst’s “The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living” (shark in formaldehyde tank) and “For the Love of God” (Diamond-Encrusted Skull), respectively. According 2 G has a couple of nice photos with detailed close ups that reveal where these little “bonus” images appear.

Tat Ito’s Memento Mori runs through June 11, 2011 at the Joshua Liner Gallery, Located at  548 West 28th Street, 3rd Floor (between 10th and 11th Avenues) New York, NY 10001. Gallery Hours are Tuesday – Saturday from 11 AM – 6 PM

“Butterfly Primavera” (Section, Click Image to Enlarge)

Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Julian Schnabel Are Part of The Art Army Royalty

Holy Cow, am I ever excited to tell you about a new art show that is must-see caliber material! The Jonathan Levine Gallery is currently hosting what may just be the coolest art exhibit in Manhattan! Michael Leavitt’s Art Army Royalty is a mind blowing collection of 11-inch ‘action figure’ sculptures based on some of the world’s most popular contemporary artists, as interpreted through their particular distinctive art medium. The detail in these miniature sculptures is just amazing. I had fun examining each one and trying to guess, based on all of the meticulous details, who it was, before looking at the name – most of the time it was easy, but not always!

Chuck Close

According to the exhibit’s Press Release, each figure is sculpted from scratch in polymer clay, surface-finished and texturized with acrylic paint and mixed media. Leavitt engineers the miniature sculptures with articulating joints, assembling moving body parts with elastic cord so that the figures can be posed. Leavitt’s Art Army is a satire on consumer culture, reducing the collector compulsion of two markets —art and product — into a miniature scale. Using the vinyl toy industry as a vehicle to convey the phenomenon of idolization and celebrity status in contemporary art and culture, Leavitt transforms the subjects into caricatures, along with the work they are best known for. Examples include portrayals of Damien Hirst as a bisected shark, Jeff Koons as a balloon animal, and Kara Walker with a paper-thin silhouette.

Matthew Barney As Depicted in His Cremaster Series Films

While Levine does not have Leavitt’s full collection on display (Ron English was conspicuously absent), you can preview what’s in store for you when you do visit the gallery at This Link. Definitely, this was the most fun I have had at an exhibit in a long time! Don’t miss it!

Michael Leavitt’s Art Army Royalty Runs through October 8, 2011 at the Jonathan Levine Gallery, located at 529 West 20th Street, 9th Floor (West of 10th Avenue) in New York. Gallery Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 AM to 6 PM.

Hey all you Jeff Koons fans out there! Are you dying to make a Jello gelatin dessert molded in the shape of a Balloon Dog? I know I am, and now it is possible to do just that with this awesome Balloon Dog Jello Mold that you can buy from This Link for just $9.95! Only 6 of these puppies are left in stock as of this posting, so don’t delay!

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The art world is filled with enigmas, and that’s what keeps it exciting. This week, I attended a screening of a new documentary film about American contemporary artist/painter Mark Kostabi, called Full Circle, The Kostabi Story, directed by Italian filmmaker Sabrina Digregorio. The film is amazing, but before I get into it, I need to get something off my chest about another excellent Kostabi documentary from 2011, called Con Artist. Because, to me, Full Circle felt very much like the bookend to Con Artist, though I am sure that was unintentional.

While Con Artist did an excellent job of distilling Mark Kostabi’s colorful life, undeniable scenester status and celebrated art career up to that point, the title of the film referenced the fact that Kostabi, like so many modern art superstars, employs a staff to execute his paintings. I’ve met Mark Kostabi casually a few times (he is extremely friendly and approachable) and even visited his Chelsea based studio, Kostabi World, so it’s not like his process is a huge, dirty secret.

Far from it. This “revelation” is not at all scandalous when you consider that Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst, among many others, employ assistants and craftsmen to execute their projects, without being subject to serious flack as to whether this step in the creative process detracts from their legitimate artistic credibility. Hell, even Michelangelo had a staff. Con Artist is an enjoyable film, but the filmmakers definitely had an agenda, and I’m still not sure if Kostabi was complicit in the way it came off. I could have asked him about it, but I never did.

Con Artist left me with a weird feeling of emotional manipulation: like I wasn’t supposed to respect Mark Kostabi or admire his art because he doesn’t personally paint every single one of his paintings. The conclusion I drew was that Kostabi had become disillusioned, abandoned the creative process and simply turned to manufacturing art, instructing his art-drones to paint in the prescribed style of “a Kostabi,” and then signing his name to that canvas. As if, by being labeled a “Con Artist,” he had surrendered to and embraced that accusation. For lack of a more eloquent phrase, it was kind of a bummer, but one that nevertheless added an additional layer of enigma to the artist.

Full Circle, on the other hand, is an extremely uplifting film. While providing only the most cursory background information on Mark, the film opts for a tight focus on his current career, his reputation among Italian art critics (Kostabi spends half the year living in Rome) and an in-depth exploration of how he works with his staff to fully realize more of his paintings – from idea to canvas – than he could possibly create physically on his own. What you get to see in full glorious detail is how all Kostabi paintings are born not just from a vague idea or rote instruction but from complete sketches that Mark provides to the painter. While the employees of Kostabi World transfer Mark’s detailed sketches to canvas he continually consults with each until the painting is up to his standards and just feels “right.”

I think that anyone who’s been confused by seeing Con Artist definitely needs to see Full Circle. Mark Kostabi really is a talented, wildly passionate and unique artist, an amazing modern classical pianist, a knowledgeable art historian and a reputable teacher. Beyond that, he is a very nice, interesting and cool person. Mark Kostabi!

I recommend Full Circle, The Kostabi Story not just to art fans who already know Mark’s work, but to anyone who is curious about Contemporary art and artists, or who feels like they don’t “get” art. I learned lot from this movie and my only minor complaint is that, at just over 60 minutes run time, it is not nearly long enough.

Watch The Trailer Below!

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Street artist Aakash Nihalani often references the work of other fine artists in his colorful, geometric sculptures. Here you can see an obvious homage to Jeff Koons iconic, oversized, painted steel balloon dogs. Love this!

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The fabulous Jeff Koons, one of our very favorite contemporary pop artists, is the latest in a long line of artists to create an original work for Château Mouton Rothschild, which has commissioned avant-garde artists to design its labels since 1945. In his design, pictured above, Koons works over a Pompeii fresco of The Birth of Venus with a silver line drawing of a ship sailing under a bright sun.

Among the other artists to have created a label for Mouton Rothschild are Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Georges Braque, Juan Miró, Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon and Lucien Freud.

All Photos By Gail

It’s been a decade since the art of Jeff Koons – one of the contemporary art world’s wealthiest, most celebrated and undeniably wildly polarizing figures – has been the focus of a solo exhibit here in Manhattan. This week, he has two: a series of new works at David Zwirner and a retrospective (opening this evening) at the Gagosian Gallery.

The David Zwirner Gallery-hosted Gazing Ball opened last night and, even though the doors opened exactly one hour behind schedule, it was well worth waiting for.

For Gazing Ball, Koons has filled two conjoined spaces of the Gallery (located at adjacent addresses) with more than a dozen Las Vegas-style reproductions of ancient Roman statuary, each adorned with a strategically placed, royal blue stainless steel sphere flaunting the mirror-finish surface that has become so identifiable with Koons’ sculptures.

Jeff Koons with Art Collector Peter Brant at Wednesday’s Opening Reception

In each piece, the juxtaposition between the classic and the kitsch, to me, is conceptually fantastic and very visually appealing. But of course there are fans and then there are people live to talk smack about Jeff Koons, which I find puzzling.

It’s been said in other reviews, and I tend to agree, that people who dump on Jeff Koons’ art must be suffering from some kind of misplaced envy or inferiority complex. If you don’t like Jeff Koons, and no one says you must, you are free to stay away from his art shows, but don’t come a Koons’ exhibit and talk loudly about how much the art sucks, because it just makes you look pathetic and desperate to seem cool.

Jeff Koons’ Gazing Ball will be on exhibit through June 29th, 2013 at David Zwirner, Located at 525 West 19th Street, In the Chelsea Gallery District. Hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 11 AM – 6:00 PM.

JEFF KOONS
Balloon Venus (Magenta), 2008–12
High chromium stainless steel with transparent color coating
102 x 48 x 50 inches (259.1 x 121.9 x 127 cm)
1/5 unique versions

If you live in the tri-State area, you can see this awesome pink goddess of a sculpture in person at the Gagosian Gallery, located at 555 West 24th Street in NYC, through June 29th, 2013.

All Photos By Gail

To celebrate their 150th Anniversary, Bernardaud, makers of fine porcelain and other luxury decorative items for the home, has created a collection of tableware designed by filmmakers, photographers and artists including Jean-Michel Alberola, Marco Brambilla, Sophie Calle, Fassianos, Jeff Koons, Michael Lin, David Lynch, Marlene Mocquet, Nabil Nahas, Prune Norry, JR, Sarkis and Julian Schnabel.

During Saturday’s art crawl, we stumbled upon a boutique that’s opened up in Chelsea, located at 465 West 23rd Street, just east of 10th Avenue, where this design-ware will be on display throughout the summer of 2013. Before we were politely told that no photographs were allowed (of course), we managed to snap a few shots of Jeff Koons Banality Series, based on a selection of his most popular projects.

The Bernardaud Pop Up Store is more of a showroom than a regular retail outlet but we’re guessing you can place orders for the dinnerware at the shop (the lady working there seemed very nice) and have it delivered to your home at a later date. It goes without saying that it likely costs a fortune, but what else is money for, if not to surround yourself with nice things? For more information, and to see designs by the other artists, visit Bernardaud 150.

West 23rd Street Storefront

Art By Kim Gordon, Photos By Gail

Most people know the name Kim Gordon for her prominence in the music industry as the vocalist and guitarist for Sonic Youth, but Gordon is also an accomplished artist and filmmaker, having graduated from LA’s Otis College of Art and Design in the 1970s. Gordon is currently exhibiting a collection of her Paintings, Sculptures, Installation, Performance Art Documentation and Films in a show called Design Office with Kim Gordon – Since 1980, at White Columns Gallery in downtown Manhattan.

Gordon has also written extensively about art and music, and several of her books and articles are also part of the exhibit.

Design Office with Kim Gordon works well as a career retrospective of Gordon’s body of work from 1980 to the present, and while it is impressive for revealing her willingness to experiment with a variety of mediums and the obvious passion she has for her artistic expression, it reminded me very much of the student art exhibits I attended in college.

Wreath Painting

My favorite quote attributed to the late great Andy Warhol is “Art is What You Can Get Away With.” I see a lot of art and all I can add is that I believe he was correct.

Untitled (From The Boyfriend Series), Paint on Denim Skirts

The highlight of the exhibit for me was the ten minutes I spent in a small screening room watching part of the film X Girl Movie (1995), in which actress Chloë Sevigny roams the city, eventually crashing a Marc Jacobs Fashion Week event, looking for a man named Guy Lionaise who works at The UN. It’s more interesting than it sounds.

Twitter Paintings

I also liked her Twitter Paintings, which reminded me of the word art of David Shrigley, a tree branch painted with ice-blue glitter and one or two other isolated pieces, the best of which I’ve shown here.

Kim Gordon Recording Pressed on White Vinyl

That said, I’d tend to recommend this exhibit for fans of Kim Gordon and/or Sonic Youth, only.

Design Office with Kim Gordon – since 1980 will be on exhibit through October 19th, 2013 at White Columns Gallery, Located at 320 West 13th Street (Enter on Horatio Street, between Hudson and 8th Avenue), New York, NY 10014. Gallery Hours are Tuesday – Saturday from  12 Noon – 6:00 PM.

Charlie (Spray Paint on Cellophane)

ARTPOP POP UP: A LADY GAGA GALLERY is a special three day event that will take place only in New York and Los Angeles from November 11 to 13th, 2013.

The Gallery will be open from 12:00 Noon – 9:00 PM at the following locations:

In NYC: 417 West 14th Street

In LA: 1538 N. Cahuenga Blvd

Come celebrate and experience the release of Gaga’s latest CD, ARTPOP with Music, Interactive Experiences, actual Gaga props and outfits, and much more! ARTPOP is available everywhere 11/11/13.

I’ll be “popping” by the gallery space on West 14th Street on Monday November 11th and will post pics of all the hot action right here upon my return.

All Photos By Gail

Today, November 11th, 2013 marks the release of Lady Gaga’s latest CD, ArtPop. The disc is most notable not so much for its musical ear-worm dancefloor-friendly shenanigans as it is for the artwork that graces the cover: a sculpture of a nude Gaga with a Gazing Ball between her legs, which was designed by Jeff Koons, one of the wealthiest and most successful contemporary artists in America. Confession: the fact that Lady Gaga managed to collaborate with Jeff Koons is the only reason I am paying any attention to this album.

To celebrate the CD’s please, Gaga’s well-oiled Hype Machine have opened a Pop Up Store in New York’s Meat Packing District (and another one in LA) which is open today, tomorrow and Wednesday from Noon to 9 PM each day. Since today is a holiday, I was free to check out the scene on West 14th Street and take some photos so you can see what you’re missing out on. Or not.

Everyone Working in the Store Had Their Make Up Done Like This

The place was totally mobbed within 30 minutes of opening its doors and one of the guys there selling T-Shirts said it had already been “a long day.” HA! In addition to merchandise for sale, which includes a variety of Gaga T Shirts, Canvas Tote Bags, Magazines with her face on them and, of course, the ArtPop CD, the space features a few props from the ArtPop photo shoot and a selection of Gaga’s outfits, which are always fun to see.

For Fans looking for a more personalized experience, there are “interactive” kiosks, where you can virtually insert yourself yourself into one of Gaga’s videos, get your photo taken in front of some Gaga Props and a tiny room where people are leaving written homages to Gaga on its paper walls.

This is the Binary Chair from the ArtPop photo shoot. Pretty cool!

Here you can see Jeff Koons styling and photographing Gaga for the cover sculpture.

This is probably from the CD booklet, but will give you an idea of what Koons’ Gazing Ball exhibit at the David Zwirner gallery looked like.

Here are some masks Gaga wears on stage.

Swine Mask

Plastic Mask

They had lots of T-Shirts for sale!

Sadly, these Gazing Balls, which are props left over from the MTV Music Awards are not for sale.

I enjoyed my visit!

The Lady Gaga ARTPOP Pop Up Store is Open Monday November 11 – Wednesday November 13, from Noon to 9:00 PM Daily! Find it at 417 West 14th Street just West of Ninth Avenue (Near the Apple Store).

All Photos By Gail

If the new standard of originality in the arts is based on how cleverly you appropriate and reinvent images and ideas from other well known sources, then LA based pop art sculptor known as Desire Obtain Cherish (real name Jonathan Paul) is a genius. We Are Known By The Company We Keep is his new solo show at Unix Gallery, and it is a mind blower.

Some kind of Blow Up Sex Doll Thing

Desire Obtain Cherish (DOC) works across a wide variety of different media to create art that both validates and critiques the cycle of consumerism alluded to in his pseudonym. His controversial and self aware work combines pop, street, conceptual and appropriation art to explore contemporary society’s unrelenting obsession with sex, drugs, luxury, media and fame.

Here are some of our favorite works from the show.

Giant stuffed Bear Shaped Like a Beehive fills the center of the Gallery’s front room.

Wrapped Candy Sculpture inspred by Damien Hirst’s Spot Paintings.

This series of conjoined canvases pays homage to Warhol, Mondrian and Pollack.

Intensive Care Units is an ornate display cabinet filled with rows of silver and gilt-accented “blood bags,” each of which is embossed with the name and logo of a famous designer brand.

Designer Blood Bags Close Up

DOC has done Blow Pop sculptures like these for other exhibits, but this one appears to be a direct reference to the factory-made works of Jeff Koons.

Obviously, there are many, many layers of thought and meaning behind each work, which made it even more hilarious that one woman followed me around the exhibit repeating the phrase “I Don’t Get It” over and over.

We Are Known By The Company We Keep by Desire Obtain Cherish will be on view through May 6th, 2014 at UNIX gallery, Located at 532 W 24th Street, in the Chelsea Gallery District.

All Photos By Gail

Geoffrey and I had some time to kill after our wonderful day spent at MOMA, so we headed over to Rockefeller Center to check out the latest Jeff Koons public artwork: a giant flowering sculpture depicting half a of Rocking Horse Head and half of a Dinosaur Head called Split-Rocker. Koons did something similar back in 1992 with Puppy, now on permanent view at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

I took a bunch of photos of the sculpture from all angles so you can get an idea of how huge it is and how it looks up close as well as from far away

Here is is from the left Pony side.

Here it is from the right Dinosaur side, where the “Big Eye” is.

Rear View.

Close up of the front, at the sculpture’s base.

Flower Grid Detail.

Jeff Koons Split-Rocker will be On View 24 Hours a Day Through September 12th, 2014. That seems like a long time, but don’t wait too long because you don’t want to miss it!

Jeff Koons Retrospective Signage Depicting Michael Jackson and Bubbles Sculpture from the Banality Series (All Photos By Gail)

It is no secret that Jeff Koons is one of my most-loved artists. A lot of haters take issue with the fact that Koons is so rich and successful, like that is a bad, thing. I say, if a billionaire wants to pay $58 million dollars for one of his Balloon Dog sculptures, good for him. Good for everybody! If I had $58 Million to blow on some rad artwork, I would do the same thing. Jeff Koons!

Jeff Koons is currently the subject of a retrospective at The Whitney Museum, surveying the full scope of his career, and it is a must see show. Comprised of almost 150 objects dating from 1978 to the present, this exhibition is the most comprehensive ever devoted to Koons’ Artwork, his first major museum presentation in New York, and the first to fill nearly the entire Marcel Breuer-designed Whitney building with a single artist’s work. The Koons Retrospective will also be the final exhibition to take place there before the Whitney opens its new building in the Meatpacking District in 2015 — but what a way to go!

Gazing Ball Series (2013)

The Koons Retrospective fills four floors of the building including the lobby, plus the lower level (adjacent to the restaurant) and the small outdoor “garden.” The work is organized chronologically with his newest work, which includes the Gazing Ball series that debuted at the David Zwirner Gallery last year, in a lobby adjacent gallery. Geoffrey and I started on the 4th floor and worked our way down.

Non-flash photography is allowed (thank god) and I took about 100 photos. Here are some highlights from the show!

Inflatable Flowers

The Inflatables Series (1978–79) features works that look like weightless, air-filled plastic flowers, though the works are made of stainless Steel.

Toaster Mounted on Lit Base

Pre-New (1979–80) includes a series of small, counter top kitchen appliances mounted on deco-style lit bases.

Red Telephone, Pre-New Series

I never thought I would live in an era where some people will neither know how the above object is used, nor understand the significance of its red color.

Vacuum Cleaners, New Series

The News Series (1980–87) features billboard-sized product adverts as well as a large collection of sculptures comprised of early model vacuum cleaners encased in vitrines lit by fluorescent tubing. These works reminded me favorably of The Carousel of Progress attraction at Disneyland.

New Series Gallery View

Three Basketballs in a Tank, Equilibrium Series (1983–93)

Frangelico Ad, Luxury and Degradation Series (1986)

Baccarat Crystal Cocktail Service Set, Luxury and Degradation Series

Mermaid, Statuary Series (1986)

Bob Hope, Statuary Series

Banality Series (1988) Installation View

Surprised Bather, Banality Series

Gilt Mirror, Banality Series

Made in Heaven Series (1989–91)

Between 1989 and 1991, Koons and his then wife, Italian Porn star and Politician Cicciolina, posed for a series of sexually explicit artworks that became the Made in Heaven Series and Coffee Table Book. While Koons and Cicciolina are unbelievably hot and fun to look at, some of these photos show lots of Peen and Vajayjay, so you are going to want to keep any kids out of the galleries that are labeled “Sexually Explicit Material/Not for Children” or something similar.

Made In Heaven Series

Koons Bust with Crystals, Made in Heaven Series

Made In Heaven Series Amethyst Sculpture

Pink Cake, Celebration Series (1994 Onward)

The Celebration Series gallery is probably my favorite in the entire exhibit.

Purple Heart, Celebration Series

Play-Doh with Balloon Dog in the Background, Celebration Series

Pink Button with Random Gallery Visitor, Included for Scale, Celebration Series

Purple Giraffe Silhouette Mirror, Easyfun Series (1999–2000)

Easyfun Series

Easyfun-Ethereal Series (2000–02)

Easyfun-Ethereal Series

Seal Walrus (Chairs) Sculpture (Foreground), Elvis (Background), Popeye Series (2002 Onward)

Lobster, Popeye Series

Hulk (Organ), Hulk Elvis Series (2004–14)

Pluto and Proserpina, Antiquity Series (2013 Onward)

Balloon Venus (Orange), Antiquity Series

I know there are a ton of photos in this post, but consider that they represent only one tenth of what’s in the exhibit and you know you gotta go check this out! I’ll be going back at least once more. Helpful Hint to Avoid Crowds: Try to get to The Whitney by 12 Noon or earlier on a weekend. Although crowds are unpredictable, an early arrival made the difference between waiting on line just inside the lobby when we arrived a line that went outside and around the block when we left!

Jeff Koons: A Retrospective Will be on Exhibit Through October 19th, 2014, at the Whitney Museum of American Art, Located at 945 Madison Avenue (at 75th Street) in NYC. The exhibition then travels to the Centre Pompidou, Musée national d’art moderne, Paris (November 26, 2014–April 27, 2015) and to the Guggenheim Bilbao (June 5–September 27, 2015).

A Copy of Deflated Sculpture No 1 By Jonathan Monk (All Photos By Gail)

When it comes to my taste in Contemporary art, two things that always draw me in are clever appropriation and subversive absurdity. I just love that shit. And that is part of the reason I had such a good time at this exhibit called I Went to School with Someone Called Jonathon Monk, which is over at the Casey Kaplan Gallery. You should check it out.

For this extremely fun and cerebrally stimulating exhibit, artist Jonathan Monk (whose first name is intentionally misspelled in the exhibit’s title) interprets significant biographical events in his own life by filtering his art projects through the works of artists that have influenced him. Or something like that. According to the Press Release, Monk’s work “is a continuing engagement with notions of authorship and identity, as he recasts iconic works of art with a consistent and incisive humor.” Take a look at the above photo, for example.

In the gallery’s front room, you’ll see the above pictured work entitled A Copy Of Deflated Sculpture No. 1, which any art fan can tell immediately is a knock off of an iconic, Jeff Koons Inflatable. What you might not know is that the sculpture is “a facsimile of Monk’s subtly deflated copy of Jeff Koon’s iconic inflatable bunny, exhibited in his 2009 exhibition with the gallery, The Inflated Deflated.” Does your brain hurt yet? Mine does.

Here are additional works we enjoyed!

Together Again But Always Alone (2014) is a miniature statue of Paul McCartney dressed in a paint-smeared Santa suit, which references artist Paul McCarthy’s 1999 performance piece, Tokyo Santa. So genius.

Figurative Sandwich (2014) features two Black and White prints (Vintage foundation garment ads) on either side of a sheet of Radiant Plexiglas, which possibly references the works of Dan Graham.

You’ll Never See My Face In Kansas City (2007) Enamel Paint on Volkswagen Type I Beetle Hood.

From One State To Another (Sewn Together To Make A Whole) (2014), Souvenir scarves from every American state sewn together in the shape of the country, a reference to the embroidered maps of the late Alighiero Boetti.

Mistakes Have Been Made (2014), Marble Sculpture of Child’s Skull-Shaped Eraser.

From the Year I was Born Until the Year I Left America (2014), 31 C-prints mounted on Medium Density Fiberboard.

Three Part Piece (Untitled Wood Destroyed). Taking a lost, early wooden sculpture by American minimalist Carl Andre as its starting point, Monk displays the work in three variations – a charred replica, a photograph of its original condition, as well as video documentation of the work burning (seen in the photo above).

Worleygig.com Highly Recommends This Exhibit!

I Went to School With Someone Called Jonathon Monk will be on Exhibit Through October 18th, 2014 at Casey Kaplan Gallery, located at 525 West 21st Street, in the Chelsea Gallery District.

All Photos By Gail

If you missed the Jeff Koons Retrospective that just closed at the Whitney Museum this past weekend after a 3-plus month run, then you missed your chance to see this lovely piece of art up close and personal. Your bad! Like his famous Balloon Dog — the reflection of which is visible in the photo above — Moon (Light Pink) is one of Koons‘ mammoth steel sculptures with the hypnotic mirrored finish that make it so much fun to photograph, but impossible to get really clean shots due to its endlessly reflective surface! I think Moon looks like an oversized, inflatable button. Love this thing!

Pairings Feast (All Photos By Gail, Click On Any Image to Enlarge for Detail)

Robert Jackson’s Tinkering with Reality is a disarmingly fun exhibit of contemporary pop-realist paintings whose everyday subject matter lends them an element of the absurd. More than anything, this exhibit reminded me of the paintings of Robert Deyber, but without the obvious visual puns attached.

Pop Betsy Ross

Pancakes

Robert Jackson’s paintings offer tightly contained theaters of absurd impossibilities that speak to the very act of creating itself. Jackson’s regular cast of characters includes unbelievably tall stacks of pastries and hamburgers, anthropomorphized apples, Oreos and balloon animals, as well as colorful wooden crates whose graphic faces flatten the picture plane even as they enhance the painting’s ‘trompe l’oeil’ effects.

Pop Floral

More Donuts

Jackson paints scenes that delight in their illusory spectacle as they navigate through painting’s loaded history. Jackson’s props lack traditional sophistication by designs – the silliness of a balloon dog or the artificial sweetness of an Oreo cookie lend a playful spirit to the philosophical conundrums that Jackson explores in his narrative-driven paintings.

Dollar

Robert Jackson’s transfixing work makes it easy for the viewer to suspend their disbelief. But there’s an element of self-awareness in Jackson’s paintings that makes the viewer conscious of Jackson not trying to simply fool, but to make the viewer think about the process of being fooled.

Props

Painted at human scale, Props looks like scene the viewer could walk into, pick up a burger and walk out of again. Jackson finds a way to cleverly imply his own presence in the work through the bitten red delicious apple on top of a Pop Kola crate, and the tiny green Fisher Price figurine on the stack of crates to the left.

The Thinker

I also really loved the way Jackson references other works of art within his paintings, such as the homage to Rodin’s The Thinker, above.

Art Project

And of course you cannot talk about Balloon Dogs without thinking of Jeff Koons.

Icons

How many “Iconic” works can you identify in the painting above? Tinkering With Reality is one of my favorite current exhibits, and I recommend very enthusiastically that you check it out in person!

Robert C. Jackson’s Tinkering With Reality will be on Exhibit Through November 29th, 2015 at Gallery Henoch, Located at 555 West 25 Street, New York, NY 10001

Art By Robert Indiana (All Photos By Gail)

Leila Heller’s multi-floor midtown gallery is wrapping up its Pop Sculpture / Pop Culture exhibit on Saturday, but we had one last chance to check it out this week, when WhiteWall Magazine sponsored a fun party encompassing the three floors on which the exhibit is installed. Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne made sure that the open bar was stocked with its delicious Brut Rose, and every body had a great time!

Pop Sculpture / Pop Culture is an exhibition of select three-dimensional works from leaders of the Pop Art sculpture movement, on view since September 18th and closing November 15th at Heller’s 43 West 57th Street location.

Yayoi Kusama, Narcissus Garden

The exhibition presents a wildly impressive selection of iconic sculptures by the most prominent Pop sculptors from the 1960s to the contemporary artists whom they have influenced.

Here are few of our favorite pieces from the show!

Andy Warhol, Campbell’s Soup Can (Chicken with Rice)

Robert Indiana, AMOR

Keith Haring, Untitled (Two Dancing Figures)

Jeff Koons, New Hoover Deluxe Shampoo Polisher

Claes Oldenburg, Ice Cream Display

Roy Lichtenstein, Brushstroke Chair & Ottoman

Tim Noble & Sue Webster, Excessive Sensual Indulgence

Shelter Serra, Nine Fake Guns

Bertozi & Casoni Cover

The above is a glazed ceramic replica (and embellishment) of Warhol’s iconic Brillo Box. Clever!

Keith Haring, TV Head; Rachel Lee Hovnanian, Body Armor

Parviz Tanavoli, Heech

If you don’t already have plans for Saturday the 15th of November, maybe the Leila Heller Gallery at 43 West 57th street (between 5th and 6th Avenues) is the place to be?