There are many reasons, that the Upper East Side of Manhattan is a prime destination for a fall Saturday afternoon. One of those reasons is art, and even with Museum mile, the Whitney, and so many of the best galleries in town beckoning, a few happenings made themselves heard above the din.
Art Out Loud is a program benefiting the scholarship program at the Society of Illustrators. Every few months, from 2-6 artist rise to a challenge, creating from scratch, in one afternoon, a work of art, drawing and painting simultaneously, side by side. The upstairs café at the Society’s brownstone was filled to capacity as we watched members James Bennett, Gary Kelley and Gregory Manchess complete current assignments, working their magic while chatting and laughing with their rapt audience.
Gregory Manchess Creating Art Out Loud
Seeing the images come to life was a treat in itself. Watching this unfold in a room where the walls are crowded with works by the likes of Maxfield Parrish, Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth is truly a singular experience. We could almost hear these great artist of another era trading comments with their contemporary counterparts.
Around the corner and up 3 blocks, Art20 was in residence at the Armory. In the seemingly endless parade of art fairs through town, this one stood out, perhaps by virtue of focussing on art from 1900 to the present. Before taking even 10 steps inside the exhibition, large scale works by Haring, Picasso, Rosenquist and Botero surrounded us - keep walking and the list went on and on. Moving beyond the being taken aback by the “schmaltz” factor alone, the selections on display presented a thought-provoking overview of the progress and relatedness of important work during over 100 years of art history.
Man Ray seen at ART20
Little Basket with Pears, 1948
Oil on canvas, 16 x 17 ¾ inches
courtesy of
Francis M. Naumann Fine Art, LLC
As contemporary artists, we love to discuss where our art has come from, who’s doing what now, and where it will go in the future. Exploring Art20 felt like eavesdropping on a century of such conversations. In a quiet evening moment, it was possible to imagine the spirits of artists of the past, surrounded by their works, engaged in a lively discussion and debate, right there on Park Avenue.
JOHN CURRIN, Kissers, 2006
Oil on canvas
23 x 25 inches (58.4 x 63.5 cm)
Up on Madison, Saturday evening marked the opening of John Currin’s first exhibition at Gagosian Gallery. A capacity crowd was all abuzz, viewing the works of this exceptionally gifted painted and taking stock of his unique, to some exceptionable, subject matter. Some pieces echo vintage illustration, including Rockwell. We could not help but wondering if the luminary shades of the Armory and the Society might have followed us uptown that night. If so, they certainly had something to talk about.
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