The Art Show, the 2008 ADAA Fair.... All Hat and No Cattle..?
Last night was the VIP preview for The Art Show (ADAA Fair) at the uptown Armory.
What a difference a year makes! It was soooo different than last years 2007 ADAA Fair preview... It was very calm and almost tranquil.. not even close to the typical cattle call... can anyone say recession?
Here's just a few MAO observations...
- - It wasn't anywhere near as crowded as 2007, we didn't see much sold either
- - Single artist gallery booths REALLY standout (Tina Barney @ Janet Borden, Jennifer Bartlett at Grey, Amy Sillman @ Sikkema, Richard Prince photos @ Skarstedt, Avedon @ Fraenkel)
- There was much less Warhol than last year
- The
art frenzyenergy of 2006 and 2007 was totally missing.. but the night felt very civilized - There's a lot of
very busy badrich plastic surgeons on the UES - Even L&M Arts
with all their Goldman Sacks moneycan stage a totally dull and boring booth - VIP visitors were spending more time at the bar than the gallery booths
- Dan Tanzilli has a very nice beard
- Compared to 2007, there were very few super
expensivehigh end art works presented here.. we saw almost no multi-million dollar Pollocks, Warhols, Johns, or Hirsts for sale - Fur Coats are
still tackyback in style on the UES - There was much more contemporary photography than last year...sweet!
- They really need to make those pulled pork sandwich hors d'oeuvres much bigger!
- We did see a
very over pricedVik Muniz (chocolate series), and a Diane Arbus photo sell in the first few minutes of the fair open... so clearly quality is still in hot demand! - Art Dealers should never wear
purpleLAVENDER corduroy suits to art fairs, it's not chic, and can make them lookfatcheezey - The MAO Best Booth award goes to the D'Amelio Terras gallery for their all "Suspended Art" theme..totally wonderful !
Do You know how long I'm going to have to hear about that comment? Do you do this to me on purpose?
Posted by: Kenny T | February 21, 2008 at 11:42 AM
Hey KT..
MAO is just trying to help you out!
Note to Steve and DC.. don't let KennyT wear the purple corduroy suit for the big LES opening night!
Posted by: Mike @ MAO | February 21, 2008 at 12:53 PM
Hey MAO..
Maybe you can take up a blog collection for a new suit, so your nice friend doesn'to wear that purple one again?
Posted by: TommyB | February 21, 2008 at 02:05 PM
I've never once commented on a public forum about your appearance. It's ALWAYS behind your back and behind closed doors.
And TommyB, read line about Dan Tanzilli.
Posted by: Kenny T | February 21, 2008 at 02:10 PM
I totally agree about the D'Amelio Terras booth. It's kick-ass. The Alan Saret work alone was stunning.
As for the suit comment, I'm not sure fashion advice from someone once spotted in a sleeveless gym shirt on Lincoln Road during Miami Basel is worth much.
Posted by: DC | February 21, 2008 at 02:33 PM
Meow...to all of you!
Catty comments about clothing. I thought the art is what matters most. As for outfits in Miami Basel, It was damn hot there, I wore tank tops to some of the fairs. If you got the look, and style and body who cares! Even David Geffen was looking but, could not buy it(well maybe..lol).Too many tired gallerinas overdressed and looking miserable in suits with sneakers(boring!).Then again who wants to see what's underneath those suits...meow now too from me!
Anyway, MAO I will go Saturday and look at the exhibits and the art in it...not at the beauty peagent syndrome victims.Thanks for your comments in my blog. I surely want to steer away from cattiness...left that long time ago under the disco ball.
Thanks for the info!
Posted by: Ruben | February 21, 2008 at 10:46 PM
Meow...to all of you!
Catty comments about clothing. I thought the art is what matters most. As for outfits in Miami Basel, It was damn hot there, I wore tank tops to some of the fairs. If you got the look, and style and body who cares! Even David Geffen was looking but, could not buy it(well maybe..lol).Too many tired gallerinas overdressed and looking miserable in suits with sneakers(boring!).Then again who wants to see what's underneath those suits...meow now too from me!
Anyway, MAO I will go Saturday and look at the exhibits and the art in it...not at the beauty peagent syndrome victims.Thanks for your comments in my blog. I surely want to steer away from cattiness...left that long time ago under the disco ball.
Thanks for the info!
Posted by: Ruben | February 21, 2008 at 11:19 PM
MAa - were we at the same art fair?!?
Far and away the best single artist booth (and one dedicated mostly to photography, which you love so much) was John Baldessari at Marian Goodman. Barney, Bartlett, Avedon, and Sillman? Puh-leeeez! I can't BELIEVE you didn't even mention the booth of exceedingly rare and wonderful early Baldessari photos (and paintings) - shame on you!
And as far as great booths go - did you see the David Tunick old master print booth with choice Rembrandts, Durers et. al.? The beautifully but minimally hung Matthew Marks booth?
Tina Barney at Janet Borden? Surely you jest....
Posted by: todd | February 22, 2008 at 03:50 PM
Ah Todd...
We missed you!
Actually there was such a botoxed mob posing in front of the Marian Goodman booth during the entire preview night.. MAO only spent a few minutes there.
But is Baldessari a photographer now?
And that huge over reaching billboard Gursky photo just killed the Matthew Marks booth for MAO...sometimes bigger isn't better.
Posted by: Mike @ MAO | February 22, 2008 at 05:19 PM
"...But is Baldessari a photographer now?..."
What a ridiculous question! Of course Baldessari, along with other artists like Dan Graham and the Bechers (to name just a few) from the late 60's/early 70's gave permission to, and in fact, allowed many of the younger photographers you hold in such high esteem today to pursue their art. Whether these earlier artists only created photograps, or whether photography was only a part of their output is beside the point. This work challenged the core of accepted notions regarding ideas such as "pictorial beauty" and "technical proficiency" which had long been the hallmarks of 'fine art photgraphy,' completely and permanently turning how later artists, curators, critics, and collectors looked at and assessed photography going forward, as well as made them reassess what had passed before - and that is a remarkable acheivement in and of itself.
The next generation of artist/photographers from the late 70's such as Wall and Sherman learned and immediately understood this message, and their mise-en-scene approach injected the narrative back into conceptual photography, but in a new, postmodern way that clearly referenced 16th-18th Century art history, popular culture, and conceptual art simultaneously. Artists as disparate as Crewdson, Barney, and Muniz pale in comparison.
And I won't even begin to discuss Prince's impact, because it's clear enough - but of course, he's a painter and sculptor as well, so maybe that means, like Baldessari, he doesn't 'count' as a photographer in your estimation, either?
As two related side notes -
1.) Just returned this evening from the opening of the Jeff Wall exhibition at Marian Goodman. Very powerful.
2.) If you like Jeff Wall, Carolina Nitsch has just produced a gorgeous edition by Jeff - a diptych of two black and white photographs of a rock face, each photograph about 11 X 17 inches, in a a small edition (edition of 30, I think) that I find to be very well priced at $10,000 for the set.
Posted by: Todd | February 24, 2008 at 04:27 AM
OMG Todd...
You know, MAO loves you like an older brother.. But, I can't believe you said...
"Artists as disparate as Crewdson, Barney, and Muniz pale in comparison..."
Ouch!! Crewdson..Maybe.. but for Barney and Muniz.. those are fighting words!!
So, when MAO used the words, "photographer now.." Our intention was to imply .. Mr. Baldessari wasn't doing much new photographic work.. and his ultimate art legacy may be less about his photography. Hard to say..
Actually his Wikipedia listing specificly identifies him now as a "Conceptual Artist" and doens't even include the word photographer. Check it out.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Baldessari
Oh.. and MAO wouldn't consider Mr. Prince a photographer now either.. :-)
And, Thanks for the tips on Jeff Wall.. Now he's a Photographer!! We'll check it out.
Posted by: Mike | February 24, 2008 at 11:53 AM
Oh...Oh.MAO Do I have to send you Lassie again to the rescue?
More meow mix?
Went today to the show. Check out my comments.
Can somebody rescue me tomorrow from Jury Duty?
Not even Lassie can...Ha!
www.artmostfierce.blogspot.com
Posted by: Ruben | February 25, 2008 at 02:11 AM
Oh...Oh.MAO Do I have to send you Lassie again to the rescue?
More meow mix?
Went today to the show. Check out my comments.
Can somebody rescue me tomorrow from Jury Duty?
Not even Lassie can...Ha!
www.artmostfierce.blogspot.com
Posted by: Ruben | February 25, 2008 at 02:12 AM