There were a total of nine of us for my Introduction To Chelsea tour on Saturday, November 8th. Texas, New Jersey and New York were all represented. The idea of the Intro tour is to give people a sense of what Chelsea has to offer—from the most affordable art to the works that aren’t even for sale.

Ana Cristea Gallery

We began this tour on West 26th Street at the Ana Cristea Gallery, where she is showing “I Can’t Sing but I Do, I Can’t Dance but I Do, I Can’t Paint but I Do”, works on concrete by the Macedonian artist (living and working in Brooklyn—isn’t everyone?) Jugoslav Mitevski. Small, quite simple and beautiful abstractions that appear to be paint but are not. Ana gave an informative talk about the artist and his work.

Johannes Vogt Gallery

From there we moved on to the Johannes Vogt gallery across the street where we were treated to “Swell Swollen,”works created from beeswax on linen by Jessica Sanders, a youngish mid-Western sculptor who’s been working in this media for a number of years. As with the previous gallery, what you see is quite different from you think you are seeing and gallery Associate Director Nate Hitchcock took the time to explain how the process actually works.

International Center for Prints New York

Our next stop on the tour was the International Center for Prints New York where we viewed “Somewheres and Nowheres,” their current show of new work . IPCNY is one of Chelsea’s jewels, a not-for-profit gallery that brings together some of the finest work done by both young and established print-makers working in everything from wood-cuts, to etchings, to aquatint, to silkscreen….The walls and vitrines are filled with fine art at affordable prices. We had a chance to see a lot of very different work and to learn from one of the gallery Directors a great deal about the various processes.

Paul Kasmin Galleries

My original plan for this tour was to head over to West 24th Street but, at the risk of running over time (no one seemed to mind the idea) I took the group on a side trip to West 27th Street to the two Paul Kasmin galleries. On 10th Avenue Kasmin is showing sculpture by Saint Clair Cemin in a show they’ve called “Myth and Math.”

Cemin is a Brazilian working in stainless steel and the pieces are gorgeous, imposing, intricate, intelligent and incredibly crafted. Well worth a visit. The real treat for the day, I must say, was the second Paul Kasmin gallery on West 27th Street. The show is “Robert Motherwell: Works on Paper, 1951-1991.” It is so rich and so beautiful and there is so much to see. For those of us who have seen just a small sampling of Motherwell over the years,–usually one large canvas in a room filled with the Abstract Expressionists—this is such a treat and such a revelation. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The show runs through January 3rd.

Susan Inglet Gallery

We returned to the trail I had originally laid out, heading down to West 24th street and to Susan Inglet Gallery. I always find her choice of artists very interesting and am rarely disappointed in what I see there. This time it is “Ryan Wallace: Slo Crostic” –works in two and three dimensions that feed off of one another, the materials used to create one being the medium for the other. A bit complicated to describe, though the press release Susan provides does do an admirable job of explaining both the process and the thinking behind it.

Jack Shainman Gallery

From there we went next door to Jack Shainman, current showing in this gallery ‘El Anatsui, Trains of Thought”—two rooms of striking new pieces incorporating his usual materials and adding some new ones to create beautiful woven tapestries of wonderful color, texture and form.

Andrea Meislin Gallery

We walked a bit further up the street to Andrea Meislin Gallery where Andrea is celebrating ten years of showing some of the more interesting and provocative work being done in photography. Showcasing eleven of the artists the gallery represents, this exhibition can act as an introduction to what is happening in photography today, both in terms of subject matter and technique. Almost all of the work here is large-format, most are digital, and each offers the viewer a great deal more than what meets the casual eye. I am always taken by the work of Barry Frydlander, and one of his large works depicting an outdoor event among a group of Hassids in Israel is currently on display. Work by Naomi Leshem, Ilit Azoulay and Pavel Wolberg are also in the show and are worth the visit.

Gemini G.E.L.

Our final stop together was across the street at Gemini G.E.L, one of the most important and prestigious print shops and galleries in the country. Presently on view—new work by John Baldesari, Elsworth Kelly, Richard Serra, Richard Tuttle and David Hockney. We were given an informative talk and a very nice light brunch along with the opportunity to look at some of the latest work being done by some of the most celebrated artists of our time.
Outside we said our goodbyes and I made my recommendations for other shows to see in Chelsea that day. At the start of our tour I’d provided the tour members with a list of the names, addresses and current show information for the Big Name Galleries so that they could visit the other kinds of places Chelsea is known for and experience the blockbusters that only galleries like Pace, Gagosian, Zwirner and Hauser & Wirth can provide. It was a great day to be in Chelsea and I hope they took advantage of it. Though I must say that after two and a half hours of the art we saw, I wouldn’t blame anyone for lunch and a nap.

 

El Anatsui