BUYERS DELIGHT AT EDITIONS '03 FAIR Fine Art Print Week New York, Nov. 3-9, 2003, is well under way, with 87 print dealers from around the world displaying their wares at the premier 13th Annual Print Fair, Nov. 6-9, at the Seventh Regiment Armory on Park Avenue. That fair is not to be missed, but for art lovers with a hunger for the contemporary -- not to mention an "art eye for the good buy" -- the show to see is the Editions/Artists' Books '03 fair, Nov. 6-9, on the 14th floor of the Art Deco Starrett-Lehigh building at 601 West 26th Street in Chelsea.
Jointly organized by Michele Quinn of Brooke Alexander Editions, Susan Inglett of I.C. Editions and David Platzker of Printed Matter, Editions/Artists' Books '03 brings together more than 35 publishers, many of them with especially fresh offerings from leading contemporary artists. Printed Matter, for instance, is featuring a Tom Sachs multiple of a race car set, including a toy Porsche, do-it-yourself decals and a remote control, all in a foam-core carrying case. The impressive package is published by the Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin in an edition of 150, and is priced at $800. By the way, Sachs is designing Printed Matter's holiday catalogue for 2003 -- keep your eye on www.printedmatter.org.
Printed Matter also has Matthew Barney's DVD of The Order from Cremaster 3 -- the tape that was playing in the rotunda of his recent Guggenheim retrospective -- available in an unlimited edition for $24.95. The film is actually much more alluring on the small screen, if that is believable. In the book department, PM also has the new Punk Picasso by Larry Clark, a 496-monster that essentially reproduces the bad-boy film director's recent autobiographical show at Luhring Augustine, in a signed, numbered edition of 1,000 for $500.
SoHo dealer Peter Blum's offerings include Primus Inter Pares, a beautifully produced slipcased book that is a collaboration between Alex Katz and the late poet Kenneth Koch. It includes the simple, runic verses that were Koch's forte along with unique, hand-made drawings by Katz -- individual "happy downtown dots," one to a page, that all together make a looping path in a shape not unlike a memorial ribbon or the proofreader's "delete" mark. Published in an edition of 50 copies, the book's pre-publication price is $2,500. It's quite touching. The title, according to Blum, translates as "to be the first one there."
Several dealers are offering editions at near-irresistible prices. Ernst Hilger, who opened his first gallery in Vienna in 1971 and is at the fair for the first time, has an especially choice Mel Ramos litho from 2002 called Fralein French Fries, $350 in an edition of 499. Dealer Michael Steinberg, who recently opened a space for his MS Editions in 508 West 26th Street, has a new multiple by Ester Partegas -- in the form of a wallet stuffed with receipts -- for $750 in an edition of 30, as well as a delicate black-and-white candyland view by Will Cotton for $1,000 in an edition of 30, and two large new silkscreens by Iona Rozeal Brown of geishas in blackface for $950 in editions of 35.
And Two Palms Press, which is located in SoHo and can be "like an extension of the artist's studio," according to director Evelyn Day Lasry, has a new embossed print by Jessica Stockholder made in a hydraulic press from fake fur, velveteen and collage. It's $750 in an edition of 50. Two Palms has prints by other top contemporary artists, too, including Cecily Brown, Carroll Dunham, Elizabeth Peyton and Terry Winters.
The fair is open 11 am-7 pm on Saturday and 11 am-4 pm on Sunday; admission is free. For a more extensive lineup of print week events, see Artnet News, Oct. 13, 2003.
PIERSON DOES DELAND MEMORIAL
Speaking of multiple editions, Gerard McCarthy of Adora Porcelain has just published his latest work -- a portrait on an eight-inch porcelain plate by the celebrated photographer Jack Pierson of the beloved avant-garde dealer Colin de Land, who died at age 47 on Mar. 2, 2003. The plate is $250 in a signed edition of 150, and can be ordered at www.adoraporcelain.com.
IPCNY SHOWCASES 2003 PRINTS
Still speaking of editions, the International Print Center New York at 526 West 26th Street is showcasing the best new prints, hot off the presses for the fall. "New Prints 2003/Autumn," Nov. 4, 2003-Jan. 6, 2004, is a juried exhibition of 56 prints, artists' books and multiples from 34 artists. A sampling of the works ranges from Donald Baechler's Szechuan Garden, an acquatint and soft-ground etching from Baron/Boisant ($1,600, edition of 30), and Robert Kushner's Cherries, a litho printed by Bud Shark ($950, edition of 30), to three untitled Ruth Root color cut and collage lithos printed by Bill Lagutta for Tamarind Institute ($650 each, edition of 20) and Chris Twomey's Cheeriopus No. 7, bird Nest Mutation silkscreen, published by the artist ($700, edition of 20).
The jury for the selection included Brooke Alexander, Dudley Del Balso, Carin Kuoni, Liliana Porter, Suzanne Randolph and Joseph Ruzicka; an essay about the show by Kuoni appears at www.ipcny.org.
STEDELIJK MOVES TO TEMPORARY QUARTERS
In preparation for its upcoming renovations, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam is moving to a new temporary location on the Oosterdok Island, part of the city of Amsterdam located close to its center. Some 5,500 square meters are earmarked for exhibitions of work from the Stedelijk's rich holdings of modern and contemporary art, which includes one of the largest and most important collections of works by Russian avant-garde painter Kasimir Malevich as well as works ranging from Picasso and Mondrian to recent works by Tracey Emin and Gunther Forg. Temporary exhibitions will also be held in the new space, though the museum has yet to announce a schedule.
The Stedelijk plans to close its current facility on Dec. 31, 2003, with renovations scheduled to start sometime in 2004. The new, temporary location scheduled to open in April, 2004.
Meanwhile, the Dutch courts have exonerated former Stedelijk director Rudi Fuchs, whose last days at the museum were marred by accusations that he had evaded import taxes on art works by the Dutch CoBRA artist Karel Appel. The charges were widely reported in numerous art magazines worldwide.
As a result of the allegations, the Dutch government cancelled its plans for a farewell fete for Fuchs, whose tenure at the museum in large measure focused on the planning and development of the upcoming renovation and expansion project. Now free of all charges, Fuchs plans to continue his work on various writing projects and lecturing at the University of Amsterdam.
-- Abigail Esman
CROWDING INTO CHAGALL
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is calling its just-closed Marc Chagall exhibition, July 26-Nov. 4, 2003, a "phenomenal success." During October, more than 115,000 people crowded into the museum, setting a record for monthly attendance. A total of 363,641 visitors -- over 4,000 per day -- saw the show.
SEX IN ART IN ARTNEWS
Sex in art -- is it a subject that people still care about? If you have any doubts at all, peruse the "Sex Issue" of ARTnews magazine, forthcoming in January 2004. In addition to a "sex in art" survey by critic and author Linda Yablonsky (featuring works by everyone from Cecily Brown and Sarah Lucas to Eric Fischl and Thomas Ruff), the magazine promises Francine Prose on Pierre Bonnard's Indolence, a profile of pin-up painter Lisa Yuskavage, an examination of the market dynamics of sexually explicit art, a poll to identify the most erotic artworks, and more.
PIGHEADED ARTIST WINS PRIZE
The Atelier Van Lieshout artists' collective in Rotterdam has awarded its first AVL Prize for Pigheaded Artist to Neil Minuk, a sculptor, architect and teacher living in Winnipeg, Canada. Honoring artists who are determined and uncompromising, the award comes with a cash prize of 7,000. Minuk's own house, which he designed, is pig-headed because it "jeopardizes people's safety for an experientially rich and esthetically pure environment," reads the citation.
DESIGN AWARDS TO MICHAEL GRAVES, VITRA Brooklyn Museum of Art director Arnold L. Lehman presents the Modernism Lifetime Achievement Award to Princeton architect Michael Graves and the newly created Design in Commerce Award to the Vitra design firm at the Nov. 12 gala benefit for the Modernism: A Century of Style and Design show, opening Nov. 13-16 at the Seventh Regiment Armory on Park Avenue. The gala benefits the Brooklyn Museum; tickets begin at $150 and can be obtained at (718) 501-6327.
BUCKINGHAM ART PRIZE FINALISTS
The finalists for the first annual $17,000 Buckingham Art Prize for the Expression of Music through Art are Ronan Sharabani, Janet Cook and Norman Darvie. Works by the three artists are on view at the newly renovated Arts Students League of New York through the end of the month. Sponsored by the Buckingham Hotel at 101 West 57th Street, the competition is open to students and faculty at the Art Students League and the New York Studio School. The total prize is divided into three cash purchase prizes: $10,000 for first place, $5,000 for second and $2,000 for third.
ARTISSIMA IN ITALY
Wouldn't you rather be in -- Turin? The Italian city's Artissima 10 art fair, Nov. 6-9, 2003, presents 185 galleries from 21 countries in Italy's only exclusively contemporary art exposition. The fair includes "Present Future," a section devoted to 15 emerging artists selected by five museum curators, and "New Entries," a group of 16 avant-garde galleries. Among the U.S. galleries making the trip are 1301PE and Peres Projects from Los Angeles, Spencer Brownstone, Clementine, I-20, Suite 106 and The Project from New York, Bodybuilder & Sportsman from Chicago, and Inman from Houston, For more info, see www.artissima.it.
NIGHT OF 1,000 DRAWINGS Artists Space in SoHo holds its trademark "Night of 1,000 Drawings" benefit on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 3-9 pm. "It's a fantastic chance to get great art for a great price," said Artists Space director Barbara Hunt. The benefit features hundreds of drawings donated by artists young and old and hung salon-style without identification of the makers. Drawings are priced at either $25 or $50, depending on size; admission to the event is $5 at the door. The night promises as well to become something of a party -- the open bar is sponsored by Bombay Sapphire gin and the Stone Brewing Co. of San Diego.
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