Roxy Paine at the Met

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Roxy Paine is a) an awesome name, and b) a creator of a hell of a museum topper. Maelstorm, pictured above and below, is a steel thing that totally captivated me on this grey day when I made it up to the roof of the Met before it started raining.

It’s quite a tangle, and the silver surface reflects the sky and some of the green of Central Park. For such a large, invase, twisted sculpture, it is remarkable harmonious in its setting. The intertwined limbs sprawling out might seem chaotic, and they did, but in fact they suited the space and setting marvelously. This is the most recent in a series of Dendroid tree-like sculptures. He tries to merge varying sizes of piping together in a replication of natural growth patterns. The repetition of organic patterns in monochramatic and abstract forms reminds me of what I like best in Tara Donovan’s work (like her 2007 wall installation at the Met).

Maelstorm will be up through November 29, 2009, so you still have a chance to see it before it gets taken down. I have to say, it fills the space a hundred times better than previous works that have been up (Jeff Koon’s comes to mind.)

Shake Up at the Louvre

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There are quite a few changes astir at the Louvre, and not just the McDonald’s everyone is going on about. The New York Times has an in-depth article about changes that Henri Loyrette’s management have instilled. To me, most of the changes seem to be about making the art accessible, making the museum commercially viable, and trying to get people to come for something beside the Mona Lisa.

You would think these would be good things. I don’t mind a nice, staid high-quality art museum myself, but looking at those grey stone walls I understand the urge to put a big glass pyramid in. Loyrette is creating an Islamic wing, as well as trying to include more American artists. I love the idea of having Cy Twombley do a big ceiling for the Salle des Bronzes, pictured below. Loyrette has also created a membership program and made the museum free on Friday nights to those under 26. Some might say he is running it like an American institution.

He is also critiqued for making big loans in exchange for big bucks. (The High Museum in Atlanta is one example of an institution with more cash than art.) Loyrette is first and foremost an arts administrator, and he is trying to make his ‘business’ a success. That’s not a very Romantic notion for an art museum, but for one of its size and prestige it’s a very useful one.
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To do: Slow Art

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Life can be frenetic in the city. Even when you go to one of the museums, it’s easy to rush around, especially as crowded as some exhibitions are (ahem, Vermeer). How long do you think you stand in front of a picture, on average? How about one you really like? Slow Art is a event happening this Saturday at MoMA that challenges you to smell the roses. Each person picks one or two pieces on view and just looks at them for a set period of time, from 10 minutes to an hour. Afterwards the group will have lunch at the museum cafe and talk about their reactions.

I love this concept. Even when I look at something I like, I probably stare at it for 2 or 3 minutes–especially when I’m surrounded by a slew of other beautiful things. My mom is in town, so I’m not sure what we have on the agenda for the weekend, but this one is up there on my list.
Of course, you could just challenge yourself next time you feel you are rushing things.