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Art

Lawren Harris at the Hammer Museum

February 29, 2016 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

North Shore, Lake Superior, Oil on Canvas, Lawren Harris, Hammer Museum, Photo Romi Cortier

Lake Superior, Oil on Canvas, Lawren Harris, Hammer Museum, Photo Romi Cortier

Mt. Lefroy, Oil on Canvas, Lawren Harris, Hammer Museum, Photo Romi Cortier

Pic Island, Oil on Canvas, Lawren Harris, Hammer Museum, Photo Romi Cortier

Icebergs, Davis Strait, Oil on Canvas, Lawren Harris, Hammer Museum, Photo Romi Cortier

Mountain Forms, Oil on Canvas, Lawren Harris, Hammer Museum, Photo Romi Cortier

I almost missed the Lawren Harris exhibit, which just closed at the Hammer Museum. Fortunately my client and favorite gal pal Sharon Lawrence reminded me about the show. What a gift. I wish I would have had my photo taken in front of one of them to give you a sense of their scale. The larger pieces, like Mountain Forms above, are about 60 x 60 and remarkably stunning, especially when viewed from a distance.

There’s no doubt that Lawren’s use of color is both superb and stunning. However, it’s his remarkable stylized line work that screams Art Deco and truly draws me in. The dates on these pieces range from 1922 – 30, the height of the deco era. That said, the establishment refers to him as a pioneering modernist and a leading figure in defining Canadian art in the twentieth century. While Harris is a household name in his native Canada, he’s practically unknown in the United States.

My research shows that actor, art connoisseur and collector Steve Martin was instrumental in bring this show to the Hammer, as well as guest curating it. Ann Philbin, the Hammer’s director, had visited Martin’s home and was intrigued by his collection of Lawren Harris landscape paintings. Ms. Philbin delved further into the works of Lawren Harris and then invited Martin to curate the exhibit. Martin wisely chose not to include any works from his personal collection to avoid any conflicts interest. As you may know, every time a painting his hung in a museum exhibit, it adds to the provenance of the piece. That provenance will follow the painting to market any time it’s taken to auction, or sold to a new collector. Thus it would be in bad form to curate a show, add works from your collection, and then sell it at a later date touting its provenance that you helped create. Martin’s love of the work was his motivation for helping bring it to the Hammer, helping to open the doors to a new American audience. I for one am thrilled to have been exposed to this remarkable painting.

The Idea of North: The Paintings of Lawren Harris will be on view at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) July 2 – September 11, 2016.

Learn more about the upcoming exhibit here.

Art

Warhol’s Soup Can Paintings at MOMA

February 1, 2016 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Campbell's Soup Cans, Andy Warhol, MOMA, Photo Romi Cortier — Campbell’s Soup Cans, Andy Warhol, MOMA, Photo Romi Cortier

Andy Warhol’s Soup Can exhibit at MOMA, recently closed in October 2015. I’d made a pit stop at MOMA on my last day in New York to see the Picasso Sculpture Exhibit and was beyond thrilled to stumble upon this show that I didn’t even know was on display. A recent article on artnet news echoed my sent sentiment by saying: Weirdly, the New York art world hasn’t much cottoned on to the epochal exhibit in its midst; there’s far less buzz about it than there should be. I’d have to agree, it caught me completely off guard.

Like many of you, I’ve seen the famous Soup Can prints over the years at auctions and galleries. And to be honest, I didn’t really know that the fine art painting ensemble existed. I’d always thought of it as a print series, and seeing all 32 of the original paintings in person was quite informative. I immediately noticed that the background of the paintings were soft gray instead of white, like the prints. The paintings were also, well, painterly. I could see the pencil marks under the paint, and the transparent nature of the paint allowed for variations in tone and coverage. Thus, in some areas, the white canvas was still visible. This tells me the the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It’s not about each painting being absolutely letter perfect, but more about the concept of them as series, like cans of soup on the grocery store shelves. To quote MOMA: The Soup Cans mark a breakthrough for Warhol, when he began to apply his seminal strategies of serial repetition and reproduction to key subjects derived from American commodity culture.

For any artist who’s strived to create a series of paintings, there’s an immediate level of respect that happens when you walk into a museum or gallery, and see such a labor of love as this. It appears simple at first, but it’s quite the contrary. It’s like seeing a chic angled Bob haircut on a woman. While it looks simple as a finished product, it’s technically one of thee most difficult haircuts to accomplish. It requires thin partings with even tension, while accurately cutting section after section. Over directing the hair while cutting can create graduation, or layering, in an area you may not want. Then you need to follow up with a superb blowout and a final cut on dry hair… all to create a simple strong cut that always falls into place after shaking your head from side to side. The Soup Cans are over 50 years old, and they still hold up, just like a good haircut.

Art

Picasso Sculpture at MoMa

December 5, 2015 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Sheet Metal Sculpture, Pablo Picasso, MOMA, NYC, Photo Romi Cortier

Pablo Picasso Sculpture, MOMA, NYC, Photo Romi Cortier

Pablo Picasso, Sheet Metal Sculpture, MOMA, NYC, Photo Romi Cortier

Pablo Picasso Sculpture, MOMA, NYC, Photo Romi Cortier

I’m not usually into sculpture, but I knew that I didn’t dare miss the Picasso Sculpture exhibit at MoMa while visiting New York this last October. My instincts were right, the show was beyond extraordinary. Over 150 pieces filled room after room after room at MoMa. This is only the second time that this large of an exhibition has ever been assembled to celebrate this lesser known side of Picasso’s unending talent. Hommage a Picasso was a large Paris retrospective in 1966 that introduced the sculptures to the public. Until then, his experimental pieces had been kept in his private collection throughout his lifetime. In 1967 The Museum of Modern Art organized The Sculptures of Picasso, which until now was the first and only exhibition on this continent to display a large number of the artist’s sculptures.

As I walked from room to room it was easy to associate specific works with his paintings. The Guitar sheet metal sculpture nearly stopped me in my tracks. I could have spent an hour studying it. The shadows created by the lighting were sublime. I felt like I was participating in a cubist painting in the making, seeing the object from multiple points of view. The experience was luxurious. I have to give huge props to the curatorial staff and the lighting designers. The shadows cast by the sculptures were equally as interesting. The bronze goat with all of its texture, the smooth bronze woman in the bustle dress that made me think of the Victorian Era, the woman pushing the stroller who felt like someone out of the 1940’s. Such richness in detail. So personal. So beautifully crafted. Why have these been kept out of the public view for so long? The curators say that this will probably be the only time in our lifetime that these precious objects will all be brought together on such a grand scale. So if you’re anywhere near New York City, you must make time to see this show.

The exhibit closes February 7, 2016.

Picasso Sculpture at MoMa

Art

Feeling Blue at LAMA

October 9, 2015 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Lot 446, Laddie John Dill, Untitled, $1,500 - $2,000, Image Courtesy LAMA — Lot 446, Laddie John Dill, Untitled, $1,500 – $2,000, Image Courtesy LAMA

Lot 440, Ettore Sottsass, Spool Vase, $1,200 - $1500, Image Courtesy LAMA — Lot 440, Ettore Sottsass, Spool Vase, $1,200 – $1500, Image Courtesy LAMA

Lot 355, David LaChapelle, 1000 B.B., D&G, New York, $5,000 - $7,000, Image Courtesy LAMA — Lot 355, David LaChapelle, 1000 B.B., D&G, New York, $5,000 – $7,000, Image Courtesy LAMA

Lot 338, Yunhee Min, Events in Dense Fog #3, $8,000 - $12,000, Image Courtesy LAMA — Lot 338, Yunhee Min, Events in Dense Fog #3, $8,000 – $12,000, Image Courtesy LAMA

Lot 311, Roy Lichtenstein, Modern Head #4, (From Modern Head Series) $15,000 - $20,000, Image Courtesy LAMA — Lot 311, Roy Lichtenstein, Modern Head #4, (From Modern Head Series) $15,000 – $20,000, Image Courtesy LAMA

Lot 305, Robert Dowd, Untitled (Dollar Bill) $2,000 - $3,000, Image Courtesy LAMA — Lot 305, Robert Dowd, Untitled (Dollar Bill) $2,000 – $3,000, Image Courtesy LAMA

Lot 255, Gertrud & Otto Natzler, Green Crystalline Glazed Bowl, $3,000 - $5,000, Image Courtesy LAMA — Lot 255, Gertrud & Otto Natzler, Green Crystalline Glazed Bowl, $3,000 – $5,000, Image Courtesy LAMA

Lot 231, Jeff Koons, Ballon Dog (Blue), $15,000 - $20,000, Image Courtesy LAMA — Lot 231, Jeff Koons, Ballon Dog (Blue), $15,000 – $20,000, Image Courtesy LAMA

Lot 202, David Hockney, Celia with Green Hat (From Moving Focus Series) $15,000 - $20,000, Image Courtesy LAMA — Lot 202, David Hockney, Celia with Green Hat (From Moving Focus Series) $15,000 – $20,000, Image Courtesy LAMA

Lot 177, Ken Price, Big Wave II, $17,000 - $20,000, Image Courtesy LAMA — Lot 177, Ken Price, Big Wave II, $17,000 – $20,000, Image Courtesy LAMA

Lot 111, Roland Petersen, Fall Cloud Shadow and Fields, $15,000 - $20,000, Image Courtesy LAMA — Lot 111, Roland Petersen, Fall Cloud Shadow and Fields, $15,000 – $20,000, Image Courtesy LAMA

Lot 89, Pedro Friedeberg, Three Leg Table Clock, $3,000 - $5,000, Image Courtesy LAMA — Lot 89, Pedro Friedeberg, Three Leg Table Clock, $3,000 – $5,000, Image Courtesy LAMA

Lot 50, Herbert Bayer, Owl People, $4,000 - $6,000, Image Courtesy LAMA — Lot 50, Herbert Bayer, Owl People, $4,000 – $6,000, Image Courtesy LAMA

Lot 45, Oskar Fischinger, Stippled Cosmic, $5,000 - $7,000, Image Courtesy LAMA — Lot 45, Oskar Fischinger, Stippled Cosmic, $5,000 – $7,000, Image Courtesy LAMA

One of my favorite auctions of the year is coming up at LAMA (Los Angeles Modern Auctions). The Modern Art & Design auction will be happening this Sunday, October 11, 2015, at 12 pm.

I would give nothing more than to preview this auction and see these gorgeous works in person, however, I’ll be in New York for the weekend, celebrating my sisters 50th birthday. We have tickets to see Wicked as well as reservations at The Boathouse on Central Park. I know I’m jumping ahead of myself here, but I’m hoping to have lots of great things to share on future Design Diary entries.

Back to feeling Blue. It’s always been one of my favorite colors, and apparently I’m not the only one. It also appears to be the worlds most popular color, from denim jeans to corporate logos. Dark blue signifies trust, dignity, intelligence and authority. Bright blue indicates cleanliness, strength, dependability and coolness. Light blue suggests peace, serenity and infinity. Did you know that 53 percent of the flags in the world contain blue? And aristocracy is blue-blooded in all European languages. It seems that blue is sharply refracted by the eyes, causing the lens to flatten and push the blue image back, therefore, we perceive that blue areas are receding and smaller.

If I could have any of the works above, I would choose Roy Lichtenstein’s Modern Head. The contrasting shades of blue, separated by solid black lines and black dots, are striking and strong. I’d love to see it hanging in a room with a black chair by Viennese secessionist Joseph Hoffman. They’re certainly from different era’s, but unexpected pairings make for great interior design.

Sitzmaschine Armchair in Black, Joseph Hoffmann, Image Courtesy Wikipedia

I hope everyone has an amazing week, and I’ll look forward to sharing whatever crosses my path in Manhattan very soon.

Check out Los Angeles Modern Auctions to see the full catalogue of items up for auction this weekend… and by the way, they’re not all blue.

Art

Art at the Seattle Tacoma Airport

July 27, 2015 romicortier@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Airplane, Seattle Tacoma Airport, Photo Romi Cortier

York Factory A, 1972, By Frank Stella, Photo Romi Cortier — York Factory A, 1972, Frank Stella, Photo Romi Cortier

Journey Home, 1992, By Larry Kirkland, Seattle Tacoma Airport, Photo Romi Cortier — Journey Home, 1992, Larry Kirkland, Seattle Tacoma Airport, Photo Romi Cortier

For A. W., 1988, By Dick Weiss, Seattle Tacoma Airport, Photo Romi Cortier — For A. W., 1988, Dick Weiss, Seattle Tacoma Airport, Photo Romi Cortier

Corridor, Seattle Tacoma Airport, Photo Romi Cortier — Traveling Light, Linda Beaumont, Seattle Tacoma Airport, Photo Romi Cortier

Cloudsandclunkers, 2006, Peter Shelton, Photo Romi Cortier — Cloudsandclunkers, 2006, Peter Shelton, Seattle Tacoma Airport, Photo Romi Cortier

Northwest Garnering, 1992, William Morris, Seattle Tacoma Airport, Photo Romi Cortier

The Seattle Tacoma Airport has an extraordinary art collection. Even if you’re not into art, these remarkable installations are hard to miss. I’ve traveled through a lot of airports over the years, but I don’t recall any so heavily anointed with public art as SeaTac. As a resident of Seattle in the 1980’s, I recall the early building boom of high rises in downtown. If memory serves me correctly, 1% of the construction cost had to be reserved for public art. Therefore, art was everywhere. From hand painted tiles, to lavish blown glass displays in high rise lobbies, art was common place. It’s a such a brilliant way to give back to the community. Happily the trend has continued at the airport.

Imagine dashing through Sea Tac as the sunlight comes streaming through a three story high stained glass piece by Dick Weiss, with blue refracted light streaming everywhere. I’d hope you’d put down your cell phone for just a few moments and take in it’s beauty. Previously reserved for those visiting Cathedrals such as Notre Dames South Rose Window, circa 1260, these experiences are not common place. During that era, your only opportunity to see such things might be the result of a religious pilgrimage, taking weeks or even months to achieve. Now, we casually hop on planes from continent to continent, barely thinking twice about our experience… unless something goes horribly wrong, but lets not go there.

Having grown up in the northwest, I immediately recognize many of the cultural practices being celebrated or referenced. Vintage planes suspended from the ceiling must certainly be an homage to Boeing, which helped create a strong middle glass for a major portion of the 20th century. Canoeing dates back to native american times, and is still practiced by many locals on the numerous waterways of Puget Sound. Cloudsandclunkers makes me think of native american basket weavers, Traveling Light makes me think of the logging industry, with it’s overlapping rings of sliced tree trunks, and Northwest Garnering looks like something you might see on the ocean floor. And as I suspected, its artist William Morris began his career at the Pilchuck Glass School and was head gaffer for Dale Chihuly, before studying in Italy with Venetian Masters. Seattleites are notoriously proud of their city, and their artisans. Even though I’ve been in LA for over 20 years, I still enjoy the blown glass pieces I purchased from Seattle glass artist Phil O’Reilly in the late 80’s.

Next time you’re lucky enough to travel through the Seattle Tacoma airport, I hope you’ll take a little extra time to stroll down corridors that might be out of your way. You never know what hidden gem might be waiting for you.

Where Art Inspires Beauty