The first large-scale US retrospective of legendary German artist Sigmar Polke (1941-2010) opens this weekend at MoMA .  Sigmar Polke is one considered to be one of the most experimental artists of the 20th century and the works on view demonstrate this perfectly.  From his enormous paintings on materials as flimsy as bubble wrap or printed textiles, there is not one medium that defines his almost 50 year-long career.

Films, photography, sculpture, drawings, collage and paintings are all part of the collection on show at this vast and fascinating retrospective. Different periods of his work are clearly inspired by the times he was painting and no doubt his contemporaries, with amazing pieces of pop art and abstract expressionism.

A witty, clever and awe-inspiring show that is grounded in the artists deep skepticism of all things authoritarian, many of the pieces in the show give pause for thought.  The show debuts in…

Gallerist Alexander Iolas first met seventeen-year-old Andy Warhol in 1945, and seven years later gave him his first gallery exhibition in New York City. Their friendship lasted their entire lives until they both passed away, less than four months apart, in 1987.  Stand out Warhol works along with many of the major artists whose careers were defined by showing with Iolas are included in Alexander the Great: The Iolas Gallery 1955-1987 currently on show at Paul Kasmin Gallery in Chelsea.

Iolas played a pivotal role in the art world in America, recognized for being among the first to introduce American audiences to Surrealism. The exhibition contains incredible Surrealist pieces including iconic works by Magritte.  With Iolas having helped shape the careers of arists such as Ed Ruscha, William N. Copley, Victor Brauner, Max Ernst and of course Andy Warhol, this collection feels like a whirlwind journey through some of the twentieth century’s…

Olaf Breuning’s “clouds” installation near the 5th Avenue entrance to Central Park, is a cheerful injection of hope for the warm weather ahead.  The blue clouds, the color of a perfect sky rather than actual clouds, are placed above brown limbed trees which are still waiting for their spring foliage to arrive.

Constructed of painted polished aluminium, Breuning had the idea from one of his earlier staged photographs.  The clouds transform this hectic corner of Central Park in to a stage.  The day we visited, we chanced upon a group of people dancing beneath, with Breuning’s dramatic and childlike clouds wafting above like a carefully conceived background set for New York.

Olaf Breuning. Clouds. Central Park at 60th and 5th Avenue. NY.

Photographer Jerome Liebling (1924-2011) grew up in Brooklyn. In 1948 he became a member of the Photo League, a group of socially aware photographers who took to the urban streets to document life. This month Liebling’s daughter, filmmaker Rachel Liebling, has curated a retrospective of his work on show at Steven Kasher Gallery in Chelsea.

With many of the pieces never having been exhibited until now, there are works spanning almost 60 years.   There’s nothing posed or forced in Leibling’s work, but rather the beauty comes in the spectacular honesty of his subjects. “My sympathies have always been with the everyday people; they are the center of my photography,” Liebling said.  Whether shooting on the streets of New York City or at a summer camp in Massachusetts, Leibling manages to capture the extraordinary in the ordinary wherever he points his camera.

Jerome Liebling: Matter of Life and Death. Steven Kasher…

We sometimes wonder if art dealers are able to nab the best pieces from their artist’s work and upon seeing the exceptional collection of Reinhard Onnasch (he had legendary galleries in New York and Germany) our theory may actually be right!   Hauser & Wirth Gallery has created 10 unique rooms in their vast Chelsea space to present the extraordinary private collection of Reinhard Onnasch .

Each room sums up a movement in recent art history with the exhibition focusing on works from 1950 through to the 1970s, a time when New York’s cultural influence was unrivaled.  This thoughtfully curated show sums up  some of the most important artistic movements of the 20th century with iconic pieces from Pop Art to minimalism to Abstract Expressionism.  If you’re a lover of modern art then is exhibition is not to missed.

Re-View. Onnasch Collection. Hauser & Wirth. 511 West 18th Street. New…

 

Demeter’s Choice: A Portrait of My Grandmother as a Young Artist is the story of a young American sculptor named Mary Lawrence Tonetti who began studying under Augustus Saint-Gaudens at a very young age. She came of age in the art studios of New York and Paris in the late 19th century, and is most famous for her sculpture of Christopher Columbus for the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893.

The author is the sculptor’s own granddaughter, Mary Tonetti Dorra, who had access to wonderful personal information to make the story rich with detail and insight. There are even copies of some of Mary Lawrence’s original pen and ink sketches and travel notes.

Demeter’s Choice tells the story of one woman’s choice between art and love. Mary Lawrence led a remarkable, artistic life both before and after her big choice. It’s a life worth knowing more about. And for the…

Hey Girl, welcome to 2014. I think this time of year is the most exciting, it rustles with the whispers of new promise and dreams to chase. While I love the potential a new year holds I don’t like resolutions because most of them set us up for failure. A couple years ago I decided to adjust my perspective, ditch resolutions, and start celebrating every small victory throughout the year. Instead of defaulting to the  generic resolutions people try to stick to (you know these: eat better, lose weight, work out, drink less, stop calling/texting/Facebook stalking that one person you should have forgotten about months ago) I think smaller and more specific. I think about what is going to make me a more confident, grateful and loving human being…and then I go forth and conquer from there. So here are my 14 commitments to 2014:

1. Call People On the…

Finally!

For the past three weeks, our Hand of Buddha, Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis, was covered in buds.
This morning, joyfully, four buds bloomed.

The hand of Buddha is a thorny small citron tree  (usually less than 7 feet tall) originating from India. He bears amazing fingered fruits.

The fruit have thin skin and little to no flesh . In China and Japan, it was known to be used as a fragrance for the home or to freshen the laundry. In occidental countries, we use the zest for cooking.

The citrus family plants, especially lemon trees are prime candidates for indoor growing, perhaps  the only fruits trees. They appreciate indoor climate and their fruits have many medicinal and flavouring properties. Within the lemon, everything can be useful, juice, rind and pulp.

Be aware! Spider mites love these plants and preventive treatments should be applied. My recommandation is neem oil twice…