Favorite shows of 2019
Part Two
Manet and Modern Beauty, the Getty, Los Angeles
If you live in Chicago or Los Angeles you might have been lucky enough to see this show. Manet has been not only a long time love but also subject of my work. His paintings made a few cameos in early watercolors I made many moons ago in 2005. This is a beautiful show featuring more of his personal subjects, his wife amongst them. I found them most tender and loving. The highlight was a small room that had a collection of his watercolors, most had been painted on hand written letters, as well as his well used watercolor pallet in its own perfect vitrine. Beauty indeed!
Anya Gallaccio, Stroke, Blum & Poe, Los Angeles
I am having an obsession with brown this past year. I was visually was so drawn to this work, but it really hit every other sense. A room painted with chocolate! I wish everyone could smell this room! It was incredible. I took some photos of this piece, and one of them (a close up of a brush stroke of chocolate) became a small watercolor that went to Nada Miami in December with Regards Gallery. I loved this piece because of its transformation of material, it made me think a lot about desire in painting and image making. A treat for the senses! This piece was a recreation of an original installation she did at Blum & Poe in 1994.
Alma Allen, Blum & Poe, Los Angeles
Alma Allen is one of those artists who can do no wrong. It is always great to see his work, especially shown in large rooms where groups can be arranged. He never disappoints.
Masaomi Yasunaga, Nonaka Hill, Los Angeles
Masaomi Yasunga’s work was a surprise of 2019, and the guys at Nonaka Hill did an incredible job installing it in the gallery onto of a plinth of rocks. Perfection! Yasunga has an interesting process - Unlike clay objects which maintain their original form when fired in the kiln, Yasunaga’s glaze objects melt, so they must be buried in trays of sand, soil or rocks to retain their form. Once inside the kiln, the viscous molten glaze adheres to the surrounding earthen material. After firing and cooling, Yasunaga unburies his objects in a studio process which parallels the surprises of archeological excavation, and painstakingly removes the excess sand and rocks from the interstices of the objects. The resulting artworks range from smooth to heavily encrusted.
At The Edge of Things, JO BAER, MARY CORSE, AGNES MARTIN, Kayne Griffin Corcoran, Los Angeles
Three knockout painters in their own right. This show - though it appears minimal - was such a feast for the eyes! Examining aspects of perception, light, abstraction, line, the phenomenological capacity of painting, and the tropes of painting, these paintings give so much by doing so little. I love all of these painters, but it was incredible to see their work in dialogue with each other. A breathtaking show.
David Hammons, Hauser & Wirth, Los Angeles
His press release was an abstract line drawing that simply stated, “This show is dedicated to Ornette Coleman. Harmolodic Thinker.” I was blown away, only knowing a little of Hammons work. But his use of materials was so elegant and strong. A photo I look of a piece from this show also became a watercolor that went to Nada. “Outrageously magical things happen when you mess around with a symbol.” Still processing this retrospective of Hammon’s work. So good.
Laura Owens, Books and Tables, Matthew Marks, Los Angeles
Another killer show by Laura Owens! Walking into this opening, full of people, you saw no art on the walls, no art at all, as everyone was huddled around and hiding the tables (I have to think this was Owens’ sense of humor coming through about the expectations of the art world). Each table full of handmade books, and each table had a different theme. The tables themselves were pretty magical with a sense of humor (in true Owens fashion). Knock on the surface of one table for a drawer to magically open, wait for the books to start magically moving around by themselves (with the help of some hidden mechanics and magnates), books made in the shape of a rainbow, pop up, fold out, hand drawn, cut out, painted, printed, delightful books! Art that you can touch, hold, flip through, fold out, pick up, put down.
