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12.22.2010

Fair Enough: Art Miami

The posts so far:
Fair Enough: And I'm Off 
Fair Enough: Traveling Incognita? 
Fair Enough: All Over But the Posting
Fair Enough: Art or Trash? 
Fair Enough: Prologue to the Report 
Fair Enough: ABMB, Part 1 
Fair Enough: ABMB, Part 2
Fair Enough: Aqua Art
Fair Enough: Pulse
Fair Enough: Seven
Fair Enough: Scope 
Fiar Enough: NADA
Fair Enough: Ink
Fair Enough: A Peek at Art Miami
Fair Enough: Doubletake at Art Miami 

Art Miami's big-ass tent

I saw a lot of art at Art Miami. From the previous post you know that the venue had over 100 galleries. Fortunately it had a less maze-like layout than ABMB so although I had just one long afternoon there, I believe I saw everything. Let me emphasize that I am just one set of eyes. Another person would have given you an entirely different report, and 10 people would surely have given you that many times more. For instance, I photographed a lot of red and red-orange at this fair. Was there really more at this end of the spectrum, or were my tired eyes just focusing on these retinally vibrational hues--like Four Loko for the optic nerve? I don't know. In fact, I didn't realize I'd shot so much of it until I got back to my hotel room that night and started downloading.

Tangerine realities: at the information desk above, with a painting by Gene Davis

Steve Tobin installation at Bridgette Meyer, Philadelphia
Detail below



Shen Chen at Cynthia-Reeves Projects, New York


The most perfect installation anywhere: Charlotte Jackson Fine Art, Santa Fe
Segmented views below:

William Metcalf arc, left;  Jeremy Thomas forged forms on floor;  Ronald Davis painting

Charles Arnoldi fiery grid in distance; Anne Truitt painting on paper, right
(I tried to photograph the Truitt up close, but the glazing reflected the installation--a nice shot, but not what I was after)

With the Truitt to my shoulder, a final shot looking out of the booth, with Black Pair by Elliot Norquist, right


View into the booth of Galerie Renate Bender, Berlin
See what I mean about orange? Two sculptures by Bill Thompson,  two paintings by Matt McClune, an Alan Ebnother, two by Lars Strandn

I'm singling out the work of Alan Ebnother, first because I like it and second, because it's the best of a trendlet of texture, which you'll see in successive images

Above: Ebnother's November 9th, 2010, oil and pigments on wooden panel
Below: a generous detail of a surface that's as restrained as it is sensuous

John Zinsser oil on canvas at Graham Gallery, New York
Detail below



James Hayward oil on three panels at Modernism, San Francisco
Detail below




Judith Murray at Sundaram Tagore, New York City
(Sorry, no detail)


Since we're knee deep in texture, let's continue in that vein. Normally I'm not a fan of glop art; I like a little more restraint with my paint. But allow me to eat some oil here. I love these paintings by Trudy Benson. I'm not sure why, because she's of the slather-and-caulk school of painting, but they work for me. In fact, I liked them so much I'm showing you two, each with a detail.

Trudy Benson,  Dark Matter, at Mike Weiss Gallery, New York
Detail below:



Benson's Red Dwarf
Detail below: 


In addition to the seeming preponderance of orange and the tangible surfaces of many paintings, there were some other things I noticed:
. Good and diverse painting (I'm mostly not showing you secondary-market stuff; Matisses were in evidence, though I don't think I saw any Picassos)
. Many good prints and works on paper. I wonder if Ink was so small this year because exhibitors ventured from their safe little enclave into the larger wilds of the big fairs?
. The whole made from the sum of its parts--piecing, assembling, repeated compositional elements
. And plenty of the bigger trends: books, money, textiles, all of which will get their own posts

Let's continue.

Carlos Silva's little optical gem at Aldo de Sousa Gallery,  Buenos Aires
Closeup below:


Omar Barquet small geometries at Dot Fiftyone, Miami


John Brown at Wilde Gallery, Berlin
Each painting is about 16 inches square, framed.
Closeups of three below:





Grace Hartigan at C. Grimaldis Gallery, Baltimore. This gallery is the late artist's hometown dealer

Above: Greta, oil on linen
Below, another Hartigan  for which I have no information




Collector viewing a Rana Rochat encaustic painting at David Lusk Gallery, Memphis


Lisa Nankivil oil on canvas at McCormick Gallery, Chicago
The painting was installed in a narrow space. The oblique view is the best I could do, so I'm at least showing it to you as large as I can
Nankivil's surfaces are richly textured with a textile sensibility

Detail below:



Speaking of textiles: Sam Gilliam's unstretched painting at Mark Borghi Fine Art, New York City
Detail below:



Black-light art is a little too Haight-Ashbury-on-a-double-hit-of-Owsley for me, but this hanging knitted from plastic wire--and its folded counterpart on the floor--gave me a double jolt

Regine Schumann, Black Box Glowing, an installation by Galerie Renate Bender, Berlin
Closeup below



As I mentioned, there was a lot of work on paper
Pat Steir and a glimpse of Robert Mangold at Pace Prints, New York City

Dan Walsh folio below


James Siena drawings and gouaches at James Barron Art, South Kent, Conn., and Rome


I saw a lot of lunar photographs and drawings at the fairs. I thought I might do a dedicated post, but I want to wrap up this project by the end of the year, so this grid will have to do:  Loewy & Puisex lunar photographs at Contemporary Works/Vintage Works, Chalfont, California


Corner of the booth at Bernice Steinbaum, Miami
Tatiana Parcero photographs; Cal Lane filigreed oil drum


Starn Twins resin-coated photograph at Hackelbury Fine Art, London


Paul Oberst modular installation at Bridgette Meyer, Philadelphia
(You notice, by the way, that we've moved into black and white)


That mosaic wall you see above? It's Sarah Frost's installation of computer keys, at William Shearburn Gallery, St. Louis



Also at William Shearburn: Agnes Martin, whose small and meditative work gets lost under the big top. You can see where the work is located, below 

Above and below: Joseph Havel assemblage of fabric shirt labels in plexi box



At Arthur Roger Gallery, New Orleans: Troy Dugas quiltlike assemblages. Sunflower, foreground, is made from shredded labels mounted to paper
Detail below:



Also at Arthur Roger: Leslie Dill installation with detail below:


Coincidence alert:
Above: Fanny Sanin painting at Durban Segnini Gallery, Miami
Below: Detail of Richard Landis double-weave fabric construction at Tai Gallery, Santa Fe


Full view of Landis weaving below:



A trend you'll see more of: books
Here,  John Fraser's literary minimalism, reconstituted from book parts
Closer view below:



Another trend you'll see more of:  money
Here, Patrick LoGiudice, Two Dollar Note, digital print and wax, at Von Braunbehrens, Munich


Exhausted (as I'm feeling now; how about you?), I walked out into the late afternoon

6 comments:

Ian MacLeod said...

Again a great post Joanne. I love the pieces you've shown by Lisa Nankivil and Alan Ebnother.

Norma Schlager said...

What a fabulous exhibit! So many of them looked like they could be quilts. Thanks for sharing.

Tamar said...

Whew--so much to see here.
My favorites--Tatiana Parcero photographs and Cal Lane filigreed oil drum at Bernice Steinbaum; and the Charlotte Jackson booth (thanks for the comprehensive views)--the Charles Arnoldi is vibrant!
Thanks Joanne.

annell4 said...

So many wonderful works, so many ideas! Thanks

Nancy Natale said...

Thank you, Joanne! I love the tangerine and red and even the pink (Pat Steir and Carlos Silva). It all looks fabulous - as seen through your eyes and filtered through the camera. What an overload of great stuff!

CMC said...

Another great post, Joanne. I love the John Fraser pieces.
Thanks for giving us all a little peek into all this work.