I'm back in New York for a whirlwind weekend of art and catching up with old friends. Highlights thus far:
The art highlight of the trip so far was a visit to the place where my friend Brian works. Brian somehow got a job as a personal assistant for an uber-rich art collector. So Brian works in a large, unassuming three-story building in Brooklyn that houses an insane art collection. It's like walking around a museum except that the work is much more crowded in the space. Brian's boss has a thing for Russian artists, especially Ilya Kabakov, whom I really like. Here's some other stuff I likeed:
This is Brian in his office. There's a painting by the same artist on each wall. I don't remember the artist's name.
A bench by Jenny Holzer. Brian pointed out that she made it several years before September 11. Seems prophetic now.
A Kabakov installation. I felt a little left out because I don't read Russian.
James Rosenquist and Gene Davis. Reeeeally nice.
This half-eaten burger is from an amazing restaurant called Brgr. Seemed at first like a typical burger and fries joint, then I spotted the chalk board on the wall that explained where all the locally raised turkey and grass-fed beef and dairy came from. And to top it all off, they served a great local brew, Brooklyn Lager.
Tonight was also a reception for a small show of my work, which is the main reason I'm here. It was cool, but a little weird. More on that later, I don't have a way to upload the pictures at the moment. So I'll write about that soon along with tomorrow's main event: The Armory Show.
That's a very cool thing for a food joint to do.
Are these types of art collections open to the public, or are they only for private consumption?
jeff - interesting that you ask that question. Last sunday the NY Times ran article about just this topic, private collections acting like museums, collectors like curators: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/18/arts/design/18kino.html
You may have heard about Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art somewhere in Arkansas, but they just bought a Thomas Eakins painting from NYC - and then tried to buy Eakin's "Gross Clinic" from Philadelphia.
Crystal Bridges is run by the heiress to the Wal-Mart fortune.
Yo, just went to Brgr the other night! So good. Next time you're in town you should check out The New Prospect Cafe, another amazing burger joint just down the street. Get the carrot burger.