Great though Giacometti’s ‘surrealist’ sculptures were, he was drawn back to the ““thrill and the anxiety” of figuration.” The reviewer finds optimism in these later, gaunt figures. That’s a surprise. A more common view is, as put by another writer “If existentialism was a brand, a Giacometti stick figure would be on the T-shirt”.
The linked piece gives a nice overview of a Chicago retrospective of White’s career but much the better accounting of this under-recognised artist comes in Kerry James Marshall’s poetic homage to his mentor. “His most accomplished drawings achieve true perfection. The effect is dazzling … nobody else has drawn the black body with more elegance and authority”
What made the Impressionists so distinctive? Many things, but what upset their critics the most was their use of violet. Violet differentiated, which was welcome. More importantly, though, they were changing “landscapes into lightscapes”, painting the air between painter and object. ““I have finally discovered the true color of the atmosphere,” [boasted] Manet “It is violet.””
A retrospective in Basel is just the latest in a rush of recognition for Gilliam. After making an impact early in his career, Gilliam’s profile slipped in the absence of gallery representation. Displays at Tate and the Venice Biennale have changed that. A gallerist admits, perhaps a touch defensively, “there’s a cycle … it’s hard to be the focus of everyone’s attention incessantly.”
There is sometimes not a lot to say about biennales. The eponymous biennial in Los Angeles is a little different in its diversity and focus on emerging artists. Rather than revealing a characteristic LA style (“72 suburbs in search of a city”, notes one writer) it provides a cross-section of current artistic practices and preoccupations. More detail on some artists is here.
Having expelled the (Catholic) Spanish, seventeenth century Holland was keen on non-traditional, secular paintings. The Dutch Golden Age resulted, rightly celebrated in this show. It is also a celebration of the million object collection of England’s National Trust, an astonishing inheritance from the era of the grand country house.
Not everyone loves this show. Penone has a preoccupation, trees. In his view, they eloquently express the work of time. Some like the works presented but not the above reviewer. “When his weighty philosophical inferences don’t quite connect with the subject they can feel ponderous … [pieces] of rather corny ecological illustration”.
Modern Japanese architecture has international allure. It draws on ancient traditions of wooden buildings and ideas about the fluidity of internal spaces. Less obvious but not less important is ‘wabi-sabi’ – the Japanese concept of beauty. More than Greek ideals of beauty, wabi extolls restraint, simplicity – “nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect”. More images are here.
Chippendale is the most magical name in fine furniture. The tercentenary of Thomas Chippendale’s birth is being celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic. His pieces stand out for their beauty and outstanding craftsmanship. Mies Van Der Rohe apparently said “a chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier. That is why Chippendale is famous”.
Peering through the jargon it seems that Dak’Art, Africa’s largest biennale, was a success. African art is growing in appeal to Western collectors but local galleries, museums and writers are emerging only slowly. The market’s “nerve center” is in distant London. Without more supportive infrastructure, says the Dak’Art curator, African art “will continue to be invisible”.
Glasgow was once famous not just for shipbuilding but for art. There were many notables but Charles Rennie MacIntosh was the star. He influenced the development of Art Nouveau, not least by exhibiting in that other cultural hotspot of the day, Vienna. Within a decade things moved on and people started looking to Paris. More images of MacIntosh’s work are here.
In 2016 the woeful administration of Italy’s national museums was tackled with sweeping reforms. There are now signs of progress. With a new national government in office, are the reforms at risk? Perhaps not – museums’ lack of interest in visitors, including a failure to even have working websites, has not been forgotten. Meanwhile, opposition to the reforms persists.
Can an artwork be too successful? Indiana felt so. A design for MoMA’s 1965 Christmas card was so popular that it overwhelmed his other text-oriented “hard edged” work. He admitted “It was a marvelous idea, but it was also a terrible mistake. It became too popular”. A balanced assessment of his work still seems a long way off.
Russian billionaire Dimitry Rybolovlev wanted masterpieces. Swiss dealer Yves Bouvier obliged, helping him acquire dozens of pieces including Leonardo’s Salvator Mundi. Rybolovlev is now suing Bouvier, having belatedly learned of his huge price markups. The “woe-is-me” case is faltering because of the windfall Rybolovlev himself got from on-selling the Leonardo. Caveat emptor!