Art Trends | Artsyfartsymartinart

KRUGER SCULPTURES AT

BOOKSTEIN PROJECTS

Three sculptures by Louise Kruger are now on show at Bookstein Projects, at the gallery’s new location on East 78th Street at Madison Avenue.

Two of the works are being exhibited for the first time.

The works highlight Ms Kruger’s unique style in bronze, ceramic and wood, and represent the artist at her most creative period.

The ceramic is a sculpture entitled “Reclining Woman” c. 1962 (10 ¼” x 3 ½” x 2 ¼”), terracotta on a custom- made wood base.

The bronze is “Nude Woman” a small elegant work, c. 1958 (6” x 3 5/8” x 1 ¼”) with base.

The third piece is “Man Leaning on Window” c. 1975-80 (30” x 16” x 12 ½”) made of wood and metal, including a metal base.

Contact Bookstein Projects for viewing times and other information.

For more information about Louise Kruger, click here for a biography. A selection of Ms. Kruger’s work can be viewed here. Josh Martin

KRUGER GOES BRONZE IN ITALY

Louise Kruger recalls the impact of Italian metal foundries on her bronze sculptures.

See the story here.

NEW YORK ART sCENE ~~ GETS HOT ~~

AS BUYERS RETURN

After a 3-year drought due to the Covid pandemic, gallery attendance is soaring and buyers are making their moves.

While high-end venues like Gagosian and Sotheby continue to dominate in terms of dollar value, lesser-known galleries in Chelsea, the Upper East Side, and even venues in New York City’s outer boroughs have been attracting a surge in attendance to judge from the visits to a significant number openings in September and October, marking the beginning of the 2023-2024 art season.

Notable shows can be seen in a cluster of new galleries that have sprung up in proximity to Gagosian’s premier Madison Avenue gallery and bookstore.

Bookstein Projects opened its new gallery on East 78th

Street in October with a major installation of works by

Stephen Antonakos, as well as a selection of works by

past and present artists on the gallery’s roster. The

Antonakos show is coordinated with the artist’s

monograph, published by Rizzoli. The show also

includes two neon panels as well as ‘Travel Collages’

and ‘Gold Works’.

Gagosian’s mega-gallery, at 980 Madison Avenue, is offering up back-to-back shows by two late masters of modern art: Roy Lichtenstein and Brice Marden. The Marden exhibit, opening November 2, features large paintings, as well as 16 recent drawings Marden recently made, recording his visits to the Caribbean island of Nevis as well as Marrakech in Morocco.

In Chelsea, the coordination among the galleries in 547 West 27th /548 West 28th Street, allow for art afficianados who do not live in triplex apartments or travel in stretch limousines to take in works at a dozen or more venues on such shared opening nights. Participants include several cooperative galleries run by the artists themselves, including Atlantic Gallery, First Street Gallery and Prince Street Gallery. The same building also houses The Painting Center, another cooperative, which boasts one of the largest show rooms in the building, and often mounts two exhibitions simultaneously. In these galleries, art buyers can find affordable work by artists whose work has yet to be embraced by the wealthier class.

Other Chelsea galleries of note include Tagliatella (299 Tenth Avenue) which offers pop art to suit every taste, and Jim Kempner (501 West 23rd Street), whose owner of the same name prints up witty post cards in which he superimposes himself as the subject of iconic artworks from past masters. But Kempner is no lightweight: His current show includes works by Mel Bochner, David Hockney, Alex Katz and Frank Stella, as well up-and-coming artists such as Jim Watt.

In future installments I will make more detailed comments on trends moving through the art scene, both in terms of the artworks on offer, as well as the terms of sale which are increasingly subject to sometimes whimsical conditions set by the artists themselves or the galleries which show their work. Stay tuned!

Spanierman Modern, a long time stalwart of the silk stocking art scene, held a gala opening of its new gallery at 958 Madison Avenue on October 5, with a dazzling group show, headed by a stunning painting by Elaine de Kooning (“An Opening at Egan Gallery” which portrays the gallerista Betsy Egan at her peak), as well as a large work in oil and acrylic by one of my personal favorites, Steven Alexander.