When there’s an opening reception at any of PaceWildenstein Gallery – I make sure that I’d be there…In fact, let me give you an advice that worth following: “Go to the Pace Galleries anytime you can…RUN for the reception night!” Not only the art will be intriguing, but you’ll learn something that night…About Art, about people, you might even learn something new about your own self.
Last Thursday (February 5th 2009) – was Opening reception at Pace Prints Chelsea, I was excited to be there, besides that - it might seem weird, but I made an effort NOT to know what show will be all about – I wanted to be surprised and inspired.
When I walked in the gallery (and the space is sophisticatedly unpretentious-that rare combination of twisted simplicity with sweet smell of huge money in the air)-there was light…and the light was filled with colors. It was mesmerizing! The show: Al Held: Prints (1983-1999).
Born Alvin Jacob Held, October 12, 1928, in Brooklyn New York-Al Held had long life filled with experienced enough for 20 lifetimes…at least. His humble upbringing in Depression Era, horrors of Second World War and then pinch of socialism/communism among his beliefs sharpened his inner ability to process world around him and create great art. Even though his paintings went through different periods during his life, somehow that process makes sense of un-fluid continuity.
He went on to study at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris in the early 1950s.
The first solo exhibition of his work was staged there, in 1952 at the Galerie Huit. Then was New York-the center of new development in art- In the 1950s, Abstract Expressionism was the dominant new style among New York-based artists.
He straggled for awhile, then he switched from oil to acrylic paints in 1959, and he had his first solo show in New York City that same year - he succeed.
"Finessing the gap between Minimalism and Color Field painting," wrote New York Times journalist Ken Johnson of the next decade of Held's career.
Lifetime story in a nutshell: married 3 times, became a father, was a professor at Yale for almost 20 years, then Tuscany became his residence and that where he died-strangely enough by drowning in swimming pool aged 76... But he never stopped his journey as an artist…And he’ll live in his art through our eyes forever…
How smart was I NOT to learn in advance about whose show will be there-it paid me big time!
Actually this peace contains two long panels (each row of 10 separate but joined tableau) with reversed coloration: white on black versus black on white.
You don’t even realize at first that it is the same graphic composition-somehow they look different –and each panel could have had rights to be an individual art piece! And then I got it: those panels need each other to become one piece of art! That unity of black and white creates an effect of universal desire of being unique on one hand, but needed an opposite to become the ONE WHOLE PIECE!
The beauty of it has an existential philosophy written all over…Or at least it’s one persons’ impression-a Manhattanite who took trip outside of her village to see the World…
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