Author: Linda

The Cloisters museum and gardens is on most people’s “To Do” list when they move to New York or visit the city as a tourist, but many never return. The museum, which is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, highlights the art and architecture of medieval Europe.
  
This fall, there is a new and compelling reason to revisit the museum, or make the trek to upper Manhattan for the first time. Janet Cardiff’s “The Forty Part Motet” opened at the Fuentiduena Chapel on September 10, and will remain on view through December 8. The first time that contemporary art has been shown at the Cloisters, the installation consists of forty speakers set up in a circle outlining the circumference of this gorgeous twelfth-century chapel from Spain. The continuously playing work featuring a three minute interlude and an eleven-minute motet by Tudor composer Thomas Tallis, is sung by individual unaccompanied voices, each emanating from one of the forty speakers.
  
The speakers on stands take on a lifelike appearance. As one circles the room standing before each speaker some voices become “favorites” and one returns to that voice as an old friend.
  
There are many lovely galleries and gardens to discover after enjoying the music.
  
Our recommendation for lunch is New Leaf Restaurant located in Fort Tryon Park, just a short walk or 3-minute car ride from the Cloisters. In addition to the beautiful and tranquil location and the quaint 1930’s cottage, the food is absolutely delicious and fresh as can be. Perhaps most notably, the restuarant is part of the New York Restoration Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to reclaiming and restoring New York City’s parks, community gardens and open space—all net proceeds support the organization’s cleaning and greening efforts, making a dining experience at New Leaf charitable and environmentally responsible!
  
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We were warned that we would have to take off our shoes when invited to photographer Laurie Simmons‘ home because her floors were newly stained; but no one cared because we were all interested to hear what she had to say about her work.
  
Her apartment is warm and chic. There is a large open kitchen next to the living room where she served us lovely wine, cheeses and sweet cakes.
  

Image: Still from Tiny Furniture, Simmons (left) and daughter Lena Dunham (right) with some of the tiny furniture in Siri’s office. Via www.dwell.com
  
Simmons is extremely organized and has archived her work in a professional manner—there are library shelves filled with rows and rows of her images in binders. Simmons said, “every image that was ever shot, the finals, are all in a safe.” She feels that it is satisfying to have her work in order, “It is like having your house in order.”
  

Image: Laurie Simmons. Walking Petit Four, 1990–91. Lithograph, four colors. Via Artsy
  
Jenny Blessing, Senior Curator of Photography at the Guggenheim introduced Simmons and posed questions. In her introduction, Blessing said that Simmons came from “The Pictures Generation.” Simmons was raised with the myth that photographs always tell the truth, though later had a “light bulb”moment when she realized that pictures can lie and you can trick the viewer. Many of her pictures reflect media and gender roles, and when Simmons photographs objects like toys or dolls and they seem to come alive, that is her gift.
  

Image: Laurie Simmons. Lying Objects, 1992. Suite of 4 offset photographs. Via Artsy
  
Simmons sees herself as an artist not just a photographer—an artist who uses a camera.
  
And, if you’re in New York City this fall, see Laurie Simmons’s Two Boys, a new exhibition at the Arnold & Marie Schwartz Gallery Met; presented in conjunction with the North American premiere of Nico Muhly’s opera of the same name. Simmons has created 4 original photographs for the show, which will be on display in Gallery Met through January 15, 2014.
  
Simmons is represented by Salon94 Gallery. She is having a very big year—in addition to her Met Opera show, she was featured in WSJ Magazine’s August issue in the spread, Portraits of the Players From This Year’s Venice Biennale. Simmons is also a guest editor of Wallpaper’s October issue. On November 14, Brooklyn Museum is going to honor Simmons and her daughter, Lena Dunham at their Women in the Arts Luncheon.
Top Image: Laurie Simmons (detail), from The Journal. Via www.lauriesimmons.net

As summer in the Hamptons draws to a close, we decided to take a local excursion to Martos Gallery in East Marion, New York—a stone’s throw from our house in Water Mill. To get there, we drove to Sag Harbor, took a ferry to Shelter Island, then took another ferry to Greenport—easy and fun! First we checked out Greenport Village, which is a charming old town with a New England feel. As we drove to visit the gallery we found the most wonderful handmade candy at The Candy Man in Orient. This store is a MUST to visit! I bought boxes of candy as gifts.
 
The Martos Gallery’s fourth annual exhibition, LAT. 41° 7′ N., LONG. 72° 19′ W, showcases artworks both inside the 1902 Victorian home and outside on its large lawn. The show was fun and had a couple of surprises. There is artwork all over the house—one can walk up vibrant neon stairs decorated by Jim Lambie to the second floor and encounter 24 plaster heads by the amazing sculptor Barry X Ball. There are familiar artists names that one would know and others that may not have shown before.
 
 
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Created by genius designer Jack Larsen, Longhouse Reserve is a “not to be missed” art experience in the Hamptons. Walking through these gardens, one feels the breathtaking marriage of art and nature, and one is transported into a state of peace and tranquility.
 
Longhouse gardens are divided into many garden “rooms,” with 35 rooms in total. Toshiko Takaezu‘s “The Gateway Bell” welcomed us into the gardens as we passed through a sand dune area with a Bryan Hunt sculpture.
 
Highlights are “Maelstrom,” a white sculpture by Alice Aycock, and a Buckminster Fuller dome titled “Fly’s Eye Dome.” Do not miss Ai Weiwei ‘s “Animal’s Zodiac Heads: Gold” that are shown in the Pavilion area close to the main house.
 
If you want to laugh, look at the bronze trees with shoes (Migrant, 2010) by Cuban artist Yoan Capote.
 
Magdalena Abakanowicz’s twin sculpture overlooks a lotus-filled pond which could give the famed Giverny pond competition.
 
Be sure to locate the Dale Chihuly, “Cobalt Reeds” that are near the Pavillion and Yue Minjun’s spectacular bronze “Chinese Contemporary Warriors.”
 
Visitors love to climb on Sol LeWitt’s tower sculpture; you will always find children interacting with this piece, titled Irregular Progression, High #7.
 
A first time visitor may be overwhelmed by the many sculptures and installations, but be sure to search out the Willem de Kooning bronze “Reclining Figure” and Yoko Ono’s “Play It by Trust ” chess board.
 
The best surprise was coming across the Red Garden. The simplicity and elegance is memorable.

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Friday night, we attended a cocktail party to benefit Guild Hall, honoring Chuck Close’s opening at the museum. The soirée was held at philanthropist, über collector, and largest shareholder of Barnes & Noble, Leonard Riggio’s home. On his vast property there was a sculpture garden that had many works by Isamu Noguchi, Jean Dubuffet, Donald Judd, Niki De Saint Phalle, etc. He even has a large Richard Serra in his front yard!

 
Saturday afternoon at Guild Hall, there was a “Conversation with Robert Storr and Chuck Close.” The dialogue started with them sipping two large glasses of Scotch in paper cups. Close is face blind, and cannot recognize faces that are in three dimensions. He can see faces which are flat like a photograph and then he commits that image to memory. It is very ironic that with this disability he is still one of the most important portrait painters of this century.
 
 
Close is overwhelmed by the “whole” and breaks projects down to pixels (pieces). After 40 years of therapy, he felt there was nothing more to learn. Then he told the audience of a breakthrough. His psychiatrist asked him about his grandmother. He lived with his grandmother and she was an agoraphobic nervous wreck and didn’t leave the house. She crocheted little star and flower squares and then sewed them together. Her life work was an example of doing an activity and breaking it down into pieces and then creating something large from the little squares.
 
 
It was a gift to see Chuck Close’s show at the Museum at Guild Hall and then hear the artist speak about his work and the process of creating portraits. The exhibition, “Chuck Close: Recent Works” runs until October 14th.
 
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Global art star Idris Khan’s studio is located on a charming lane in Northeast London. The young artist creates his own unique work in a shared creative space with his wife and talented contemporary artist Annie Morris.
 
On Khan’s side of the studio, pieces are being geared towards the artist’s upcoming solo show at Victoria Miro Gallery. Khan has created a series of purple works consisting of aluminum panels, primed with black gesso, with text stamped in oil-based ink. He is also making a series of works with text stamped onto paper, and will produce a site-specific drawing in the gallery using the same technique but stamped directly on to the wall. The show opens in London on September 19th.
 
 
Khan’s next exciting project is creating the set designs for a production of ‘The Four Seasons’ in collaboration with composer Max Richter and choreographer Wayne McGregor, which will show at the Zurich Opera House next March.
 
Idris Khan is internationally represented by prominent galleries Yvon Lambert in Paris, Galerie Thomas Schulte in Berlin, Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco, Sean Kelly in New York, and the previously mentioned Victoria Miro Gallery in London. Khan has also exhibited at such renowned institutions as The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, SFMOMA, The Saatchi Gallery, and The Centre Pompidou.
 
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Photographs by Larry Sosnow
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When one thinks of contemporary art and architecture, Oslo and Copenhagen may not immediately come to mind—but that is changing.
 

Oslo

The dazzling private contemporary art venue, the Astrup Fearnley Museum, designed by Renzo Piano, opened in Oslo last year.
 
This glass- and wood–designed contemporary art complex situated on the waterfront consists of three structures. Two of the buildings are dramatically linked by a bridge over water. One building houses Han’s Rasmus Astrup’s private collection of contemporary art. On view during our visit were galleries devoted to works by Damien Hirst, Jeff Koons, Matthew Barney, and Francis Bacon. With more than 2,000 pieces in Astrup’s collection, these galleries will change and highlight different artists throughout the year.
 
Another building, which is primarily devoted to traveling exhibitions, featured Cindy Sherman’s grotesque photographs during our visit. The third building is reserved for office use. Find Astrup Fearnley Museum in our Directory.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Architecturally stunning, the Oslo Opera House is situated on the waterfront with dramatic views of the city. This well-used facility designed by famed architecture firm Snøhetta, encourages the public to enjoy its features with activities such as skateboarding, picnicking on the roof, or experiencing “avant-garde” opera productions.
 
 
 

Be prepared to be amazed by the spectacular stage curtain in the theatre, which looks at first to be made of crumpled metal or aluminum but is actually made of fabric, created with a computer-assisted loom by artist Pae White. In this building, there is something for everyone.
 
 
 
 
 
Copenhagen
 
The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is a private art museum, approximately a 45-minute drive outside of the city of Copenhagen. In a park-like setting overlooking the sound, Louisiana is renowned for its sculpture collection of Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, Richard Serra, and Alberto Giacometti.
 
 
 
 
Tara Donovan’s elegant constructions and a large Yoko Ono retrospective were on view when we were visiting. Plan to spend hours enjoying the art, eating delicious food in their restaurant, and shopping at Louisiana’s vast museum shop that carries the famed Denmark designs. Find Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in our Directory.
 
 
 
 
 
The Danish Jewish Museum is an architectural jewel designed by Daniel Libeskind. This museum celebrates how the Danish people saved 7,000 jews by transporting them across the water to neutral Sweden during the Second World War.
 
 
The Copenhagen Opera House is an architectural masterpiece by leading Danish architect Henning Larsen. Privately financed, one can only be in awe of how magnificently it represents a new concept as a twenty-first century cultural center. The three large illuminated chandeliers by Olafur Eliasson in the foyer are a visual focal point. These creations reflect light while remaining transparent—fascinating works of art. Because it is such a large, complex, and beautiful structure be sure to book a tour of the Opera House.
 
 
Besides all the new architecture, museums, libraries, and historical points of interest, one must mention the spectacular food and restaurants in both cities. Noma, in Copenhagen, might be the world’s most famous restaurant but be aware there are many delicious eating opportunities. Even the bread with homemade jam that we had for breakfast in our hotel, The Thief in Oslo, was memorable.
 
 

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We can all be very proud of Sarah Sze, who represents the US at the 55th International Art Exhibition—la Biennale in Venice. Sze’s spectacular, elegant and lyrical works take over the entire US Pavillion, inside and out. Using everyday objects, she creates installations that feel organic and alive. It took Sze more than three months to create this on-site work. Sze says that it was very special working in the garden as other artists were also creating their  works for the Biennale.
 
 
One well known contemporary art collector who had purchased a large work said it eventually took over five rooms of his apartment. When Sze was asked what was planned and what was spontaneous in her work, she responded that there is a central view or core that is in place and then the rest of the work happens.
 
 
 
 
Follow Art Privée on Twitter and Instagram for more from the Venice Biennale and the art world year-round.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Renown sculptor Ron Mueck is showing at the Cartier Foundation through September 29.  
 
The exhibition opens with Mueck’s sculpture of two giant elderly people, “Couple Under an Umbrella,” which takes over the entire first gallery space. His meticulously crafted human forms are so realistic down to the smallest details—the toenails, the hair on their legs, their haunting facial expressions—they are mesmerizing.
 
 
 
 
 
“Woman with Sticks,” a small nude bending backward grimaces under the weight of a bundle of sticks, a burden she can barely carry—a metaphor for life. It’s almost primeval in that we all have our burdens to bear.
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Woman with Shopping” is an emotional portrait of a young street woman with a baby strapped to her chest, carrying two plastic shopping bags full of stuff. As horrifying it is to see the woman’s tired blank stare, the baby’s upward gaze toward his mother shows its longing for a human connection. The artist himself saw the scene in the street and was inspired to create the piece.
 
 
A departure from Mueck’s typical style, “Drift” is presented on the wall, it’s smaller than human scale, and the figure’s sunglasses create a barrier between the viewer and the subject. With his arms extended and its placement above eye-level, one could reference Christ on the cross—an unexpected association for a piece depicting a man floating on a raft in a blue pool.
 
 
 
Downstairs, the 55-minute Gautier Deblonde video showing Ron Mueck at work is fascinating—it shows how complex and how time-consuming each sculpture is to create.This small nine-piece show is one you’ll always remember and if you’re in Paris, it is a must-see art experience.
 
 
Find more information about the Cartier Foundation for Contemporary Art in our Directory: https://www.artprivee.org/private-museums-and-foundations/europe/france/paris/cartier-foundation-for-contemporary-art/
 
 

A recent decision by the Louvre signalled a growing art trend—collecting and exhibiting Latin American art. The Louvre kicked off a Latin American initiative with an exhibit of Mexican masterpieces from the 17th and 18th century.

 
Zurich-based collector Ruth Schmidheiny has just opened Casa Daros in Rio de Janeiro boasting 1,200 pieces by 117 Latin American artists, most of them still alive and working. Its current exhibition, Cantos Cuentos Colombianos, features contemporary Colombian artists.
(https://www.artprivee.org/private-museums-and-foundations/south-america/brazil/rio-de-janeiro/casa-daros/)

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The Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros (CPPC) and the Cisneros Foundation are taking Latin American art into the digital realm with recently launched bilingual e-books based on their Conversaciones/Conversations series. The e-books feature videos, slideshows, etc, to showcase interviews between Latin American artists (such as Jesús Soto and Tomás Maldonado), and art historians and critics.
(http://www.coleccioncisneros.org/the-digital-editions/ )
 

Conversaciones/Conversations: The Digital Editions from Colección Cisneros on Vimeo.