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art reviews

 

 

Colour Before Color
Hasted-Hunt Gallery
>>
By Joel Simpson

Roswell Angier
Gitterman Gallery >>

By Joel Simpson

An Inside Look
The Paris Art Scene >>

By Laetitia Chauvin

 

              


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Colour Before Color
Hasted-Hunt Gallery

By Joel Simpson

 

Martin Parr, the well-known English photographer, author and curator, has put together this valuable show that fills in a historical gap you might not know existed. It proceeds from the notion (not entirely correct, but an accepted commonplace) that color was not considered as an artistic element in photography until William Eggleston’s groundbreaking exhibition of color photography at the Museum of Modern Art in 1976. Here Parr goes to great pains to show us that accomplished European photographers were expressing themselves in the medium since Danish photographer Keld Helmer-Peteren’s self-published 1947 book 122 Colour Photographs. The artistic momentum of “colour” in Europe grew during the late 1960s, and this is what Parr presents here through the works of six photographers: Helmer-Peterson (b. 1920), Luigi Ghirri (Italian, 1943-1992), John Hinde (British, 1916-1997), Peter Mitchell (British), Carlos Pérez Siquier (Spanish, b. 1930) and Ed van der Elsken (Dutch, 1925–1990). Parr certainly proves his point that Eggleston was a latecomer to an already healthy trend.

Having said this, and giving Parr credit for the redress, I still find it hard to see these photographs as remarkable. Many of them partake of the same aesthetic as black and white social or “street” photography—just add colorful subjects. The main exception is Siquier who offers close-cropped images of fleshy folk at the beach. These images use color in the most graphically striking way (pied bathing suits, crotches, mounds of flesh), with Helmer-Peterson’s industrial abstracts as a close, if somewhat more subdued, second. Ed van der Elsken’s scenics and people shots would have said as much or more in black and white. Their color lends them appeal, but not depth, while John Hinde’s rather oversaturated images of recreation fall just this side of publicity photographs. Am I being jaded? Or has the field advanced to the point that these historical images border on the trite?

Martin Parr has a penchant for kitsch, although I find that he often makes subtle but significant social statements in his deceptively off-hand work. However, he has neglected a very important a figure working in color at this time, and opening our view of its possibilities, namely Ernst Haas (Austrian, 1921–1986). Haas’ graphic sensibity infused his color photographs, both abstract and figurative, with a dynamism mostly lacking in the images in this show.

The power of these images is that they defy concept, yet they are so constructed in their composition as to transfix the eye, with their highly modulated geometry. Yes, the underlying geometrical simplicity makes it easy to take them in, while the heavily layered atmosphere rewards with textural nuance.

This omission notwithstanding, this is an important and informative show presenting the works of often overlooked artists, who set a standard for their day, even if this standard has long since been surpassed.

 


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Roswell Angier
Gitterman Gallery

By Joel Simpson

 

Inspired by the 1950s social realism of Robert Frank, and driven by a personal desire to answer questions raised about “cowboys and Indians” in the last conversation he had with his father, Roswell Angier headed out to Gallup, New Mexico, to capture the anguish and dislocation of Native American men of the streets, bars, and jails.

The aesthetic here is familiar; the degree of penetration in to the lives of his subjects is not, in fact, it’s exceptionally moving. Angier often employs the technique used to great advantage by William Klein in the 60s—putting a subject’s face or upper body in the close foreground occupying about a third of the frame, with the rest of the scene filling the rest of the frame. This gives the viewer both a sense of intimacy with the subject and a sense of social context. He does this to great effect in his Indian Head Bar series, which documents the drinking protocols—as in a closeup of a biceps contest—of one young man he got to know, and who dies tragically of despair, according to Angier’s journal entry, which is part of the exhibit. We also see evidence of this technique in Gallup City Jail, Johnny Waters and Jonah Joe, and in Johnny Secatero, Burger King. This last one conveys the cramped feeling of being in the front seat of a car with a rather large man, as he eats his fast food. In every case, the foreground subject is looking at the camera and thus the viewer, forcing an intimacy on us, which translates into a mute appeal for the simple recognition of their humanity and state of their soul: aimless, marginalized, and self-destructive, mostly through drink. The liveliest part of downtown Gallup at dusk is the liquor store, according to Gallup, New Mexico—seen (safely) through a car windshield.

The most ironic image in the series (and the publicity post card), American Bar, Gallup, shows a painted mural of iconic noble Indian “savages”—Plains Indians, of course, rather than the Navajos and Hopis of New Mexico and Arizona—while at the margin of the lower right corner, we barely spy the head of a sleeping Native American young man. The real conditions of his life have exhausted him in midday.

Adding to the depiction of this slice of humanity is a group of touching photographs of young people dressed up for an Inter-Tribal Ceremonial. We can pick out the same mixture of pride and anxiety on these children’s faces as on any Eastern Anglo going to her First Communion or Bat Mitzvah—except the costumes are more “exotic.”

 


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An Inside Look
The Paris Art Scene

By Laetitia Chauvin

 

With so many new galleries opening up, and enough free spirited worldly souls converging on the streets of Paris they could fill a Hemingway novella, the city of light has its contemporary edge back, and then some. For art lovers planning to visit Paris this month during the fiac (October 18-22), here are some tips about the city’s art scene, including a list of my favorite galleries du jour.
There are four districts in Paris that are particularly relavent for the art crowd; all can be reached by walking. You might want to start here...

 

“13th arrondissement”
subway stop "Quai de la gare" line 6.
These galleries started opening up on the rue Louise Weiss about ten years ago. They share a local print guide which is distributed among the galleries and a web site: http://www.louise13.fr/ After its initial rapid expansion, today this art district is somewhat laid back. Don't miss the modern Bibliotheque nationale de France, especially its garden down in the center of the four towers. Visit http://www.bnf.fr/ (for information about temporary exhibitions).
Here is a list of the galleries in this neighborhood that have caught my attention. It is not a “best of” list, but rather a snapshot of what’s happening today:

GB AGENCY
Tues-Saturday 11am-7pm. 20, rue Louise Weiss, 75013 Paris. Tél : 01 53 79 07 13 Fax : 01 53 79 07 14 www.gbagency.fr. email : gbagency@club-internet.fr

AIR DE PARIS
Tues-Saturday 11am-7pm. 32, rue Louise Weiss, 75013 Paris. Tel : 01 44 23 02 77 Fax : 01 53 61 22 84 www.airdeparis.com email: fan@airdeparis.com

JOUSSE ENTREPRISE
Tues-Saturday 11am-1pm, 2-7pm. 24/34 rue Louise Weiss, 75013 Paris. Tel : 01 45 83 62 48 Fax : 01 53 82 13 63 matthias@jousse-entreprise.com,
art@jousse-entreprise.com. www.jousse-entreprise.com

PRAZ-DELAVALLADE
Tues-Saturday 11am-7pm. 28 rue Louise Weiss F-75013 PARIS. Tel: 33 (0)1 45 86 20 00 Fax: 33 (0)1 45 86 20 10 gallery@praz-delavallade.com. www.praz-delavallade.com

IN SITU / FABIENNE LECLERC
Tues-Saturday 11am-7pm10 rue Duchefdelaville 75013 Paris. Tel : 01 53 79 06 12 Fax : 01 53 79 06 19 www.insituparis.fr - email : fabienne.leclerc@wanadoo.fr

CHRISTOPHE DAVIET-THERY
Tues-Saturday 11am-7pm10 rue Duchefdelaville 75013 Paris Tel : 01 53 79 05 95
www.daviet-thery.com

ART: CONCEPTt
Tues-Saturday 11am-7pm.16 rue Duchefdelaville F-75013 Paris. Tel: 33 (0)1 53 60 90 30 Fax: 33 (0)1 53 60 90 31 info@galerieartconcept.comwww.galerieartconcept.com

GALERIE KREO
(gallery of design which carries limited series furniture and objects by masters of contemporary designers) Tues-Saturday 11am-7pm 22 rue Duchefdelaville F-75013 Paris. Tel: 33 (0)1 53 60 18 42 Fax: 33 (0)1 53 60 17 58 kreogal@wanadoo.fr www.galeriekreo.com

GALERIE SUZANNE TARASIEVE
Tues-Saturday 11am-7pm. 171 rue du Chevaleret F-75013 Paris. Tel: 33 (0)1 45 86 02 02 Fax: 33 (0)1 45 86 02 03 info@suzanne-tarasieve.com www.suzanne-tarasieve.com

 

Le Marais
subway stop "Saint-Paul" line 1 or "Filles du Calvaire" line 8.
Very central, very hip. The openings on Saturday nights in Le Maris bring out a lot of VIPs as well as a plethora of artists and partygoers. In the same area, you can visit the Musée Picasso, www.musee-picasso.fr; la Maison Européenne de la Photographie, www.mep-fr.org; l'Hôtel de Sully, also for photography www.jeudepaume.org, and last but not least, the Centre Pompidou, musée national d'art contemporain www.centrepompidou.fr.
Here is my list of galleries in this area that would likely interest an M reader...

YVON LAMBERT PARIS
(30 years in Paris, also has a gallery in New York, their program is as solid as their reputation. Very good bookstore too.) Tuesday-Friday 10am-1pm, 2:30-7pm. Saturday 10am-7pm.108, rue Vieille du Temple 75003 Paris. Tel : 01 42 71 09 33
email: paris@yvon-lambert.com

CLAUDINE PAPILLON
Tues-Saturday 11am-7pm.13 rue Chapon, 75003 Paris. Tel : 01 40 29 07 20 Fax : 01 40 29 07 90 email : papillon.claudine@wanadoo.fr www.claudinepapillon.com

GALERIE THADDAEUS ROPAC
Tues-Saturday 11am-7pm and on appointment. 7 rue Debelleyme, 75003 Paris. Tel : 01 42 72 99 00 Fax : 01 42 72 61 66. www.ropac.net
email: galerie@ropac.net

GALERIE EMMANUEL PERROTIN
(A fast growing gallery that is already one of the biggest in Paris, with second space in Miami too) Tues-Saturday 11am-7pm . 76, rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris. Tel : 01 42 16 79 79 Fax : 01 42 16 79 74 email : info-paris@galerieperrotin.com. www.galerieperrotin.com

GALERIE FRANK ELBAZ
7 rue Saint Claude, 75003 Paris. Tuesday- Saturday 11am-7pm. Tel: 01 48 87 50 04 http://www.galeriefrankelbaz.com
email: info@galeriefrankelbaz.com

GALERIE EVA HOBER
16 rue Saint-Claude / 75003 Paris. Tel 01 48 04 78 68 / contact@evahober.com.
email: contact@evahober.com http://www.evahober.com/

GALERIE MICHEL REIN
Tues-Saturday 11am-7pm. 42 rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris. Tel : 01 42 72 68 13.
Fax : 01 42 72 81 94 www.michelrein.com

GALERIE CHEZ VALENTIN
Tues-Friday 11am-7pm , Sat 11am-1pm and 2-7 pm. 9, rue Saint-Gilles, 75003 Paris. Tel : 01 48 87 42 55 Fax : 01 48 87 44 35. www.galeriechezvalentin.com
email : galerie@galeriechezvalentin.com

GALERIE DES MULTIPLES
(This gallery edits and sells little series of multiples by artists, such as Jason Dodge, Olivier Mosset, Robert Morris, Dan Graham... A must see for visitors with small budgets). Tuesday-Saturday 2 - 7pm and by appointment. 17, rue Saint-Gilles 75003 Paris. Tel 01 48 87 21 77 www.galeriedemultiples.com/ email:galeriedemultiples@wanadoo.fr

GALERIE MAISONNEUVE
(An especially serious gallery that is devoted to its artists projects) Tuesday-Saturday 11am - 7pm and on appointment 22 rue de Poitou, 75003 Paris (1st floor) Tel/Fax: 01 43 66 23 99 www.galeriemaisonneuve.com
email: contact@galeriemaisonneuve.com

GALERIE ALMINE RECH
Tues-Saturday 11am-7pm. 19 rue de Saintonge, 75003 Paris. Tel : 01 45 83 71 90
www.galeriealminerech.com email: a.rech@galeriealminerech.com

GALERIE SCHLEICHER+LANGE
Tues-Saturday 11am-7pm12, rue de Picardie, 75003 Paris. Tel : 01 42 77 02 77
www.schleicherlange.com email: info@schleicherlange.com

FRANCE FICTION
(A very little space run by artists). By appointment or “having a look through the window”. 6 bis rue du Forez, 75003 Paris. Tel: 06 03 20 15 56 (Nicolas Nakamoto) www.france.fiction.com email: france.fiction@laposte.net

LA B A N K
Monday-Saturday / 11.00 am to 7.00 pm. 42, rue Volta 75003 PARIS, Tel: +33 1 42 72 06 90 Fax: +33 1 42 72 07 80 http://www.bankgalerie.com. email:celine@bankgalerie.com email:mc@bankgalerie.com

 

Saint-Germain
subway stop "Odeon" line 4 and 10 or "Saint-Germain" line 4
One of the most charming areas in Paris, filled with history of "avant-garde" art. You can stop by the Ecole nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts www.ensba.fr and visit the oldest school of Beaux-Arts, if there are some temporary exhibitions going on; otherwise just pretend you're one of the students!

GALERIE LOEVENBRUCK
Tuesday-Saturday 2 - 7pm and on appointment.
40 rue de Seine, 2 rue de L’Échaudé, 75006 Paris. Tel : 01 53 10 85 68 Fax : 01 53 10 89 72 www.loevenbruck.com email contact@loevenbruck.com

GALERIE G.-P. & N. VALLOIS
Monday-Saturday 10.30am-1pm, 2-7pm. 36, rue de Seine, 75006 Paris. Tel : 01 46 34 61 07 Fax : 01 43 25 18 80 www.galerie-vallois.com email: ggpnv@wanadoo.fr

GALERIE ALAIN LE GAILLARD
19 rue Mazarine 75006 Paris. Tel : 01 43 26 25 35 email: legaillard@wanadoo.fr

GALERIE KAMEL MENNOUR
60 rue Mazarine - F75006 Paris. Tel: +33 1 43 25 64 80. Web : www.galeriemennour.com

GALERIE ALINE VIDAL
Tuesday-Saturday 2 - 7pm and by appointment.
70, rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris. Tel : 01 43 26 08 68 Fax: 01 43 29 62. www.alinevidal.com. email: galerie@alinevidal.com

 

“20th arrondissement”
subway stop "Belleville" line 2 and 11 or "Pyrenées" line 11
The most "underground" of the four districts, in fact it isn’t really an art district in the conventional sense. Except for Le FRAC (see below) there are no art centers in this area; it’s just begining to attract the attention of gallery owners. But artists have been living in the area for many years. Nestled between the Chinese and Arabic districts, there are some cafes here that are well known for their Bohemian feel and loud music.
Galleries in this area that would likely interest an M reader...

GALERIE JOCELYN WOLFF
Wednesday-saturday
2 to 7 pm. 78, rue Julien Lacroix, 75020 Paris. Tel : 01 42 03 05 65 Fax : 01 42 03 05 46. www.galeriewolff.com. email: info@galeriewolff.com

LE PLATEUA / FRAC ILE-DE-FRANCE
(art center) Wednesday thru Friday 2 to 7pm. Saturday and Sunday noon to 8 pm. Place Hannah Arendt - 75019 Paris. Angle de la rue des Alouettes et de la rue Carducci. Tél: +33 1 53 19 84 10 F : +33 1 53 19 88 19. info@fracidf-laplateau.com.
www.fracidf-leplateau.com

COSMIC GALERIE
Wednesday-Saturday 2 to 7 pm. 7-9, rue de l'Équerre - 75019 Paris.
Tel : +33 1 42 71 72 73 Fax : +33 1 42 71 72 00 contact@cosmicgalerie.com. www.cosmicgalerie.com

LA GENERALE
14, rue du Général Lasalle - 75019 Paris. for opening hours check www.lagenerale.org

Also Worth Knowing About...

LA MAISON ROUGE
This is a foundation owned and run by the collector, Antoine de Galbert. It offers good a program oriented toward the art of collecting. www.lamaisonrouge.org

JEU DE PAUME
Located in le Jardin des Tuileries, this space is dedicated to photography and moving images. http://www.jeudepaume.org/

PALAIS DE TOKYO
This is a very large art space devoted to the making of art. The director, Marc-Olivier Walher, is has put together an impressive program this past year. http://www.palaisdetokyo.com/

MUSEE D'ART MODERNE DE LA VILLE DE PARIS
Check out the temporary exhibitions, or see their historic collections of modern art. A definate must see. www.mam.paris.fr

There are also numerous boutique art fairs that have been popping up in the vicinity of the fiac. Some are organized by local artists, such as a fair that launched last year called Slick. Another one called Show Off draws more foreign galleries. Then of course the fiac too has spun off its own version of an alternatve fair, which is the section that focuses on young galleries and high-end design. The smaller fiac venue is located at the Cour Carrée du Louvre, Rue de Rivoli; while the main body of the fair is held at the Grand Palais, Avenue Winston Churchill.

To be sure, this is not everything that’s going on this month, but perhaps just enough to offer a glimpse of the "art de vivre à la française".

 

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