Dan Flavin, a carefully rendered and detailed sketch toward a lithograph of the proposed fountain in memory of Pablo Picasso, black ballpoint pen on white looseleaf notebook paper, 1974.

The retrospective is the first of its kind highlighting the drawings of Dan Flavin. The exhibit is arranged into clear distinctions. In addition to two fluorescent pieces, highlights include early works, drawings for icons and related constructions, drawings for fluorescent light installations, landscapes, sails, and portrait drawings. The excellent wall labels, many of which contain quotes from the artist, really give the visitor a powerful sense of the man and his motives.

Dan Flavin, Don Judd, an American artist; Claes Oldenburg, an American artist [2 drawings], India ink on paper, 1974.

A common misconception about Flavin was immediately righted. He was mainly uninterested in crafting technical drawings contrary to assumptions derived from the Minimalist nature of his fluorescent sculptures. His spirit burned passionately and he sought quick gesture and energetic line in the drawings that were a staple of his daily practice.

Dan Flavin, for the Whitney Annual — some color options (detail), ballpoint pen on paper, 1970.

Flavin enjoyed a mild obsession with Calligrammes and their creator, French poet, Guillaume Apollinaire. He would often use these word structures to visually represent his arrangement of colored light.

Dan Flavin, in honor of Harold Joachim in pink, yellow, blue and green fluorescent light 8′ high and wide, colored pencil and ink on graph paper, 1977 (?)

Most of the drawings on display are on small pieces of notebook paper. These records often served as points of reference toward the realization of the light sculptures. A stretch of wall in the space has been adorned with precise drawings, mostly on graph paper created by various artist assistants and family members. The signed conceptual drawings were overseen by Flavin and often passed on with the fluorescent sculptures as diagrams for their installation.

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), Sparrows in Flight.

Including nearly fifty drawings from Dan Flavin’s personal collection was a great touch. He had a fantastic and diverse eye that shines through in his acquisitions from the economic gestural drawings of Japanese ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world) to the nineteenth-century American landscapes by Hudson River School artists. Several assets from his minimalist contemporaries round out this exhibit within the exhibit.

John Frederick Kensett, Catskill Mt., graphite pencil on cream wove paper covered with a transparent white wash, 1849.

It was our first trip to the Morgan Library & Museum and we had a blast. Get there for this exhibit and also enjoy the personal collection of Pierpont Morgan as well as “Rembrandt’s World: Dutch Drawings from the Clement C. Moore Collection.” “Dan Flavin: Drawing” lands next at Kunsthalle Bielefeld in Germany, toward the end of 2012.

Dan Flavin
Drawing
17 February – 1 July 2012
The Morgan Library & Museum
NYC

Images courtesy of The Morgan Library & Museum.

Ian Gamache at Galerie D, Montréal, 2012. (Photo: Pierre Blackburn)

The frowning characterizations of the everyman depicted in the drawings of Ian Gamache consistently engage our sense of malaise and general discontent. The shared hopelessness that resides in the debility displayed draws on the complete range of empathy from humorous to heart wrenching. The artist’s memory archives maintain a strong sense of style derived from years of steady study and obsessive practice.

Ian Gamache, Drought, mixed media, 2011.

Gamache meditates on the poetry of the searching line. The repetition of gesture serves as a reminder that real life is not made up of entirely smooth surfaces. Our journey as humans is primed with overlapping experiences that we hope to bind together into something that floats.

2011 was the year of Gamache. Ian has begun to receive recognition beyond the normal expectations of a visual artist. Follow his heavily attended Facebook fan page to get a clear picture of the phenomena. It’s been exciting to watch his well deserved fan base build so rapidly. In many ways, 2012 serves as a new beginning for Ian Gamache. He’s holding a bright torch and this solo exhibit feels like the first step in a very long run.

Ian Gamache, Early Days (detail), mixed media, 2011.

Ian Gamache
26 January – 22 February 2012
Galerie D
Montréal

Robert Morris, 1934 Mid-West Dust Storm, epoxy on aluminum panels, 96 x 144″, 2010.

Eight large works make up the exhibition. The artist refers to these epoxy and acrylic pieces as drawings, referencing the practice over the medium. Sea sponges were used to apply paint to the large aluminum panels. The perforated texture mimics the newsreel quality inherent in the images of the time period.

Robert Morris, Distant Relative (Before 1934), acrylic on aluminum panels, 96 x 144″, 2010.

Robert Morris was born in 1931. He chose 1934 as the date of his earliest memories and the imagery is derived from sources predating this awareness instead of personal experience. He may very well be claiming the past as manifestations emanating from his being. A theory that carries weight through science, theology and art. Nostalgia, good and bad, is such a powerful force because it draws on our shared dimension.

Robert Morris, 1934 Nuremberg Rally, arcrylic on aluminum panels, 144 x 144″, 2010.

Robert Morris
1934 and Before
3 May – 30 June 2011
Leo Castelli Gallery
NYC

Renie Spoelstra, Recreation Area, charcoal on paper, 95 x 138″, 2010.

Renie Spoelstra crafts her charcoal drawings in studio working from video stills and other photographic material. It can be a challenge to translate photographs into other media but the artist manages to breathe the sort of life into her compositions that you may expect from a plein air situation.

Renie Spoelstra, Car #3, charcoal on paper, 12 x 16″, 2010.

Spoelstra often selects imagery that captures the asides of life. Drawings from photographs taken whilst driving offer another look at the mundane that gains appreciation with examination. Darkness broods in a very literal way through this work. The shadows within the shadows enlighten the viewer to the subtle power that teems through our periphery.

Renie Spoelstra, Driving #2, charcoal on paper, 16 x 20″, 2010.

Renie Spoelstra
10 March – 2 April 2011
Nicholas Metivier Gallery
Toronto

Today, the Whitney Museum of American Art has thrown the doors open on “Diver” a retrospective exhibition highlighting the wide scope of work generated by artist Paul Thek in his short lifetime. Yesterday, the museum let us in to preview the work on display and we have some photos to share.

The retrospect is thoughtfully curated. Each room folds out another aspect, time period and location change from the career of the artist. It’s a sensation that is felt by the viewer as avenues that appear as growth from change rather than linear progress. To experience the work contained in “Diver” as it is laid out is to get a surreal sense of the life of Paul Thek.

The last room of the exhibit contains work produced shortly before Thek submitted to complications from AIDS. The paintings are hung very low in this room. The audience is forced to bow or kneel to engage the work closely. Thek’s sentiments, knowing he was going to die, unearth a beauty of spirit and directness that reorganize his life’s effort into new clarity.

Paul Thek was a man that knew the history of his trade well, this is evident from getting to know his work. Another thing that jumps out is that he became, himself, an influence to countless artists. It is the first major examination of his work in the United States. If time and space are against you and you can’t get to New York, pick up the 304 page catalogue, here.

More photos after the break.

Paul Thek
Diver, A Retrospective
21 October – 9 January 2010
Whitney Museum of American Art
NYC

William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin, The Third Mind, ink and typescript on paper, 1965.

An original Dreamachine is also on display. In 1961, Gysin along with Ian Somerville conceived the device that is intended to be viewed with closed eyes. The Dreamachine produces light that pulses at a frequency that stimulates alpha waves in the brain. Initial experiences conjure common symbols to roll through the mind’s eye. Consistent use over time has been known to invoke virtual three-dimensional spaces and trigger senses beyond vision. I built my first Dreamachine in 1994 and have used it occasionally over the years. Here is a link to an online simulation, please heed the warnings as the effect can elicit photosensitive epilepsy.

Bryon Gysin with Dreamachine at Musée des Art Décoratifs, Paris, 1962.

It is impossible to sum up the importance of this man, his art and collaborations in a few short paragraphs. This is why it is so important to get to the New Museum before October 3rd. We are going to be spending the Fall and Winter in New York and actually altered our plans so that we would be sure not to miss this long-deserved remembrance.

William S. Burroughs and Brion Gysin, The Third Mind, crayon, gelatin-silver prints, letterpress, offset lithography, and typescript on graph paper, 1965.

Brion Gysin
Dreamachine
7 July – 3 October 2010
New Museum
NYC

Blu, Big Bang Big Boom, still from video, 2010.

“Big Bang Big Boom” is a narrative, frame-by-frame animation that runs a course from the initial big bang that sparked our Universe to a hypothetical end to our own planet.

Blu, Big Bang Big Boom, still from video, 2010.

Despite the potentially alarmist nature of the material, Blu’s sense of play can be felt running through the entire video. This endearing quality is enhanced with a marvelous soundtrack by Andrea Martignoni.

Blu, Big Bang Big Boom, still from video, 2010.

This is the most impressive animation that Blu has done to date. This is saying a lot as there has been some astonishing work in the past. “Big Bang Big Boom” continues to evolve with new ideas in addition to providing a perfect balance of two and three dimensional animation with powerful transitions.

Mark Ryden, Incarnation (#100), oil on panel, 2009.

Ryden has put together an exhibition that carries over his easily identifiable style with a meticulous commitment to the application of oil paint. Be sure to check out the time lapse video from the making of “Incarnation” at the bottom of this post.

Mark Ryden, The Piano Player, oil on canvas, 2010.

For some time, his paintings have concentrated on the juxtaposition of the darling and disgusting with subtle stabs at humor. Some of the work exhibited bypasses innuendo and heads straight for the punchline. Knee-jerk opinion will raise suspicion but the fact is that these pieces are strong and the artist should be commended for his alterations to the expected.

Mark Ryden, The Grinder, oil on canvas, 2010.

Oh Abe!

Mark Ryden, Riding with the Lord, graphite and watercolor on paper, 2010.

If you have merely seen the paintings in digital form, do yourself a favor, jaded New Yorkers, drop the pretense and get over to the gallery.

Mark Ryden, Virgin and Child, oil on canvas, 2010.

***UPDATE***
The images in this post have been updated (at the request of the artist) to include the intricate hand carved frames that stage these exceptional works.

Mark Ryden, Pink Lincoln, oil on canvas, 2010.

Mark Ryden
The Gay 90’s: Old Tyme Art Show
29 April – 5 June 2010
Paul Kasmin Gallery
NYC

Bernardi Roig, Pierrot le fou (detail), mixed media, 2009.

Art Miami (covered here on LIMO) offered a lot of excellent work this year. One of the highlights for me was the engaging output from Bernardi Roig at the Claire Oliver booth. The repeated form of Roig’s stark white man acts as a surface for the viewer to project their own ideas and misconceptions. The rapport that builds can range from affinity to compassion.

Bernardi Roig, Despondency Exercise (detail), mixed media, 2009.

The exhibition of “Pierrot le fou is (not) Dead” includes several pieces that were shown in Miami combined with a larger scope of the artist’s recent work. The balance of strong concept and superior craftsmanship will remain long after a visit to the gallery.

Bernardi Roig, Pierrot le fou – Study 1, charcoal on paper, 2009.

Bernardi Roig
Pierrot le fou is (not) Dead
10 December 2009 – 16 January 2010
Claire Oliver Gallery
NYC