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12.29.2013

Fair Well: Looking Sharp

Some Mid-Century Geometric Abstraction

Previous Miami posts
Is Anybody Happy?
C'est What?


At DAN Galeria, Sao Paolo, the entire large booth was dedicated to a curated show, Concrete Parallels/Paralelos Concretos; at ABMB


One of the thrills of attending the art fairs is knowing I will see a lot of geometric abstraction from Latin America, and that much of it will be from Mid Century. Unless you studied Latin American art specifically in art school, there are likely to be gaps in your knowledge. Fortunately the Miami fairs, located as they are at the geographic northern edge of Latin America, attract a lot of dealers who exhibit some spectacular work, so you get to continue your education in real time.

This post opens with some of that spectacular work, then flows northward. The whole post focuses on art from the mid-1900s. Next post, I'll look at more contemorary geometric abstraction.

  
From the DAN Galeria exhibition: Lygia Clark, 1960

Another exhibition view, turning left from the opening shot

Above: Geraldo de Barros, 1983

Below: Lygia Clark, 1958-81


Exhibition continues: Two by Willys de Castro, foreground, work from 1960-1972
Closer view below . . .


. . . and Hercules Barsotti, 1981


At Guillermo de Osma Galeria, Madrid: another Hercules Barsotti, 1986
Installation view below to show scale; at ABMB


Also at Guillermo de Osma: Samson Flexner, 1954


At Jorge Mara-La Ruche, Buenos Aires (I think): Ana Sacerdote, work on paper from the 50s and 60s; at ABMB

Another Sacerdote work below

At Galerie Sur, Punte de Este, Uruguay: Maria Friere, 1952


If you're interested in seeing more, checkout the catalog for The Geometry of Hope: Latin American Art from the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection, which looks at work from Buenos Aires, Caracas, Montevideo, Rio de Janiero, São Paolo, and Paris.

Now we move on to mid-century geometric abstraction in the United States. One could be cynical and complain that the work is all secondary market. Who cares? I'm attending the fairs as a viewer, not a collector or gallerist, so I'm happy to see museum-quality work in a setting that allows me close-up views and the opportunity to photograph the work to show you.

At Joan Washburn Gallery, New York City: Alice Trumbull Mason; at ABMB

Closer view below of Mason painting, Remembrance, 1962, oil on canvas




At Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York City: Julije Knifer, 1967; at ABMB 

At Tibor di Nagy Gallery, New York City: Shirley Jaffe, 1974; at Miami Project
Foreground: contemporary vessel by Kathy Butterly


At Valerie Carberry Gallery, Chicago: Leon Polk Smith; at ABMB

Above: Installation view of a section of the gallery called a Kabinett, dedicated to a solo exhibition; work from the 1950s and 60s

Below: closer view of Untitled work, 1960




Above: turning to the right in the Kabinett

Below: closer view of the Untitled sculpture, 1963
See more on the gallery website




At Yares Art Projects, Santa Fe: Gene Davis, 1961; at Art Miami


At Armand Bartos Fine Art, New York City: Kenneth Noland, 1974
Detail below



At Michael Rosenfeld, New York City: Charmion von Weigand, 1955; at ABMB
Foreground: Bettye Saar sculpture


At Rive Yares: Thomas Downing, 1962: at Art Miami

At Scott White Contemporary, La Jolla, California: Frank Stella, 1973, and Bernar Venet, 1987; at Art Miami

Next up: Contemporary Geometric Abstraction

If you are enjoying these posts from Miami, please consider making a yearly donation of $20 to support my blog. The cost in money and time to attend and report on the fairs is significant for an artist with an ongoing studio practice. A link to PayPal is on the right sidebar close to the top of the page (look for the red type). Any amount is welcome. Thank you.

5 comments:

Tamar said...

Yum!
Ana Sacerdote, Lygia Clark, Alice Trumbull Mason, Leon Polk Smith....
It is so very satisfying to see this work. Thanks Joanne.

Sue Marrazzo Fine Art said...

Thanks for sharing this art!
I am so inspired to CREATE, NOW!
Happy 2014!

Tiffany Gholar said...

Great photos! Thanks so much for sharing them. You're right, they definitely don't teach enough about Latin American artists in US art schools, which is a shame. Very informative post.

Nancy Natale said...

I love that final image although I didn't understand if the piece on the floor was by Frank Stella. They look so great together that I hope it went together with the construction on the wall. Another fabulous collection of works! Thank you, Joanne!

Joanne Mattera said...

Nancy: The painting is by Stella, the sculpture by Venet.