8 Sept - Eric Tillinghast in Art in America

LAUNCHPROJECTS - Eric Tillinghast received a fantastic review in this month's Art in America, written by Jan Adlmann. In the review he discussed Tillinghast's solo exhibition Water at LAUNCHPROJECTS and his site-specific installation Rain Machine at the Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe (pictured right).

Adlmann references David Hockney's L.A. pool paintings when describing Tillinghast's works on paper, a flattering reference that we heard frequently in addition to comparisons of the work to Ed Ruscha's swimming pools. Connections to past artists places Tillinghast within a significant art historical trajectory, while his explorations and works remain innovative and unique.

When discussing Eric's Rain Machine installation Adlmann recalls an installation by the same title that neither Eric nor I had known, Andy Warhol's Rain Machine (pictured left) created in 1969 for a LACMA exhibition Art and Technology. "Reminiscent of Andy Warhol’s 1971 installation Rain Machine (Daisy Waterfall), the concept here might well be seen as a present day rethinking of the impluvia (court- yard rainwater catchments) in the villas of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Crucial to the viewer’s apprehension of the work was the faintly audible plashing of the piece, which lulled us to the verge of reverie" (Adlmann).

This parallel represents a remarkable confluence of art ideas and eras. Without prior awareness of Warhol's installation, Eric Tillinghast draws a close parallel between the past and the present - a fusion of art and technology in the form of making rain.

To read the full review, click here: TILLINGHAST REVIEW - ART IN AMERICA

5 Sept - The Art of the Everyday

LAUNCHPROJECTS - Ben and I were at the post office buying stamps and found out that in March the USPS hired Jonathan Fineberg, professor and author of Art Since 1940, to select 10 seminal Modernist paintings to be reproduced as the "Abstract Expressionist" stamp collection. The stamps included in the collection are: The Golden Wall by Hans Hofmann, Romanesque Façade by Adolph Gottlieb, Orange and Yellow by Mark Rothko, The Liver Is the Cock’s Comb by Arshile Gorky, 1948-C by Clyfford Still, Asheville by Willem de Kooning, Achilles by Barnett Newman, Convergence by Jackson Pollock, La Grande Vallée 0 by Joan Mitchell and Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 34 by Robert Motherwell. They are "curated" onto the page in a format to represent a museum exhibition. And I thought it couldn't get better than the Simpsons collection.

The Motherwell selected also happens to be one of the paintings that will be featured in Patrick McFarlin's upcoming exhibition "Obituaries and (mini) Masterpieces at LAUNCHPROJECTS opening September 16. More information on that show is on our website: http://www.launchprojects.com/

Pictured above: Stamps, McFarlin's (mini) Motherwell.

26 August - Jennifer Joseph at Margaret Thatcher Projects

LAUNCHPROJECTS - At Jennifer Joseph's studio last week with art collector and curator Bobbie Foshay. Foshay made her final selections for Appropriate Associations, an exhibition she is curating in New York at Margaret Thatcher Projects. She selected three fabulous acupuncture pieces for the show. The show opens Thursday, September 16th in Chelsea. That same night in Santa Fe, LAUNCHPROJECTS will be opening Patrick McFarlin's solo exhibition Obits and (mini) Masterpieces.

Pictured above with Jennifer Joseph are Bobbie Foshay and Louis Grachos, Director of the Albright Knox Art Gallery. While in Santa Fe, we had the opportunity to show Louis Grachos the gallery and bring him to Patrick McFarlin's studio. We are very pleased to report that he acquired a series from McFarlin's Obits and (mini) Masterpieces and a portfolio by Eric Tillinghast for the permanent collection of the Albright Knox Art Gallery (McFarlin's deKoonings from the series pictured above). Great news for both artists!

10 August - SFMOMA + Francis Bacon

LAUNCHPROJECTS - We spent 10 days traveling through Northern California - Sea Ranch, Napa Valley, and San Francisco. Ben will blog later about our culinary and oneological experiences. While Ben was reading of food, wine, and other sundry activities in Hemingway's Garden of Eden, I was consumed with Michael Peppiatt's biography of Francis Bacon, Anatomy of an Enigma. Fully aware of Bacon's penchant for drink and intense periods of masochistic

debauchery, this biography gave me new insight into why he painted the subjects he did and how his painting style paralleled his own carefully-guarded personal life. Peppiatt was a close friend of Bacon's and traveled with him for decades as both biographer and confidante. This book is not only a page-turning and well written tale, it also offers and tremendous details of one of the most guarded, enigmatic, and powerful artists of the 20th century.

While in San Francisco we toured the Fischer collection at SFMOMA. Doris and Donald Fisher, founders of the The Gap, built a stunning collection of over 1,000 works of art by the most iconic artists of the 20th Century including Louise Bourgeois, Chuck Close, Anselm Kiefer, Roy Lichtenstein, Agnes Martin, Gerhard Richter, Richard Serra, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, and many more. Many of these works had never been previously exhibited and it is truly inspiring to see them all housed in such a lovely museum setting. On loan to the SFMOMA for the next 99 years, it is a mini-course in the history of modern and contemporary art and absolutely worth a visit.

22 July - Patrick McFarlin's Art in America

LAUNCHPROJECTS - Studio visit today with Patrick McFarlin. Patrick is such an incredible painter and it is always a treat to see his latest projects. This trip blew our minds and prompted us to schedule a solo show for McFarlin this September, 2010.

Two years ago he began creating drawings based on Art in America's annual obituary section. The "all-stars" of the recently deceased, the practice was a sobering homage to the artists who had passed away that year. Patrick recently folded the project into something he had long wanted to do - painting covers of some of the most notable painters and paintings in modern history. As a musician covers timeless standards, this series "covers" such iconic artists as Francis Bacon (pictured above, Joan Mitchell, Robert Motherwell, Allan Kaprow, Theodoros Stamos, and Larry Rivers. This new body of work is such a testament to his skill, and these little paintings are unquestionably masterpieces in their own right.

18 July - Stephan Stoyanov and the larger art world

LAUNCHPROJECTS - This weekend we met with Stephan Stoyanov of Stephan Stoyanov Gallery (formerly Gallery Luxe) located on Orchard Street on the Lower East Side. He was in Santa Fe for the weekend and immediately connected with Clayton Porter's work both in the gallery and in the studio. Predominantly interested in video art, he was immediately taken with the video installation "Mouths Have no Gender" (video still pictured above). It is a provocative and luscious video that I debuted as the Curator of the Center for Contemporary Arts. Stoyanov will introduce this video and Porter's works on paper at his gallery in the coming months - a critical step for Porter's career. We are in discussions with Stoyanov about accompanying his gallery to Art-o-rama in Marseilles in September, co-curating a show in New York in October, visiting NADA art fair in December (in conjunction with Art Basel Miami Beach) and attending Art Brussels in April. This man has an interminable amount of energy and it looks like we are coming along for the ride...so stay tuned.

11 July - Dave Hickey in Albuquerque & Air Guitar

LAUNCHPROJECTS - Today I was re-reading Dave Hickey's book of essays, Air Guitar, in celebration of his move with wife Libby Lumpkins to Albuquerque, New Mexico as professors in the Department of Art & Art History at the University of New Mexico. Air Guitar is a must-read for anyone interested in art, Liberace, Flaubert, Las Vegas, Chet Baker, Lady Godiva, Luis Jimenez, and Perry Mason (to name but a few divergent topics). One of the essays, Dealing, gives one of the most articulate and unique descriptions of how art, money, and the relativity of the value of art function in the contemporary market. And the importance of risk.

"So you pay a grand for a painting from an unknown artist's studio. If you are a serious collector, taking a risk, you increase the value of the work just by buying it. If you are a cheap serious collector, you try to get a discount on account of this, but this is really bad form, because if you wait until that artist has a dealer, you are going to pay more. If you wait until she has good reviews, you are going to pay more still. If you wait until Paul Schimmel down at MOCA notices her work you are going to pay even more than that, if you wait until everybody wants one, of course, you are going to pay a whole hell of a lot more, since as demand approaches "one" and supply approaches "zero," price approaches infinity. But you are not paying for art. You are paying for assurance, for social confirmation of your investment, and the consequent mitigation of risk. You are paying to be sure, and assurance (or insurance, if you will) is very expensive, because risk is everything, for everybody, in the domain of art...

The greater your risk, the less you pay and the more you receive. This is or should be an incentive to participate, to take extravagant chances, to execute daring acts of faith of your beliefs and in advocacy of your particular marriage of desire and esteem. Try to think of it as a dynamic system, a chaotic flow generated by the perpetually negotiated interplay of two simultaneous but totally distinct domains of value. Or forget all that and remember that art is cheap but priceless--and blessed assurance very dear."

8 July - Clayton Porter Opening at LAUNCHPROJECTS

LAUNCHPROJECTS - The reception for Clayton Porter's exhibition Deer Hart, Dog Dick was packed with friends, collectors, and peers to see his latest body of work. Porter's focus and dedication, in combination with extraordinary skill, culminated in four breathtaking paintings. Working for Bruce Nauman has furthered Porter's conviction not to cater to audience expectations, a fickle market, or external trends. The show received previews and mentions in Art in America, the Santa Fean Magazine, and Adobe Airstream and we look forward to more press to come. It is inspiring to witness Porter's evolution as he continues to challenge himself, his audience, and surpass all of our expectations.

7 July - SOFA West and Madame Butterfly

LAUNCHPROJECTS - Attended the opening preview for SOFA - the International Exposition of Sculpture Objects and Functional Art. Works at the fair ranged from incredible glass pieces Italian artist Silvia Levenson at Bullseye Gallery to Beth Cavener Sticher's goat at Garth Clark Gallery. Having followed Sticher's career for years I regret not buying her work earlier. She is truly a remarkable and luscious talent. (Sticher goat pictured above, along with friends Yon Hudson, New Mexico Museum of Arts Director Mary Kershaw, Ben Lincoln, Alex Hanna, and Mihail Lari).

Following the SOFA reception, we stopped into the Compound Restaurant for a quick bite and then on to the Santa Fe Opera to see Puccini's Madame Butterfly. A stunning performance by soprano Kelly Kaduce.

6 July - CUBA IN SANTA FE

LAUNCHPROJECTS - Kicking off the 2010 Santa Fe International Folk Art Market, John and Iris Vasquez hosted an extraordinary Cuban dinner and concert at their home. The Havana-based band TradiSon flew in specifically for the party and weekend of Folk Art events, their US debut. The night proceeded with incredible music, mojitos, cigars, and dinner prepared by no less than our Cuban-born Cabinet Secretary for the Department of Cultural Affairs, Stuart Ashman (pictured in John's kitchen frying plantains).

John and Iris first encountered TradiSon while on a cultural tour of Cuba earlier this year led by Ashman in preparation for the 2011 Havana Biennial. TradiSon is the house band at La Bodeguita del Medio, a restaurant in Havana famous for mojitos, music, and a legendary clientele including Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Neruda. The Havana Biennial is high on LAUNCHPROJECTS list for 2011.

5 July - James Franco in Los Angeles

LAUNCHPROJECTS - I am not in the habit of blogging events we do not attend, but following my interaction with James Franco last week I had to mention his latest performance on Thursday at LA MOCA.

SOAP MOCA was the live taping of a special episode of ABC’s General Hospital on the occasion of the return of character Franco the artist, played by artist and actor James Franco. From MOCA's press release: In this special episode, Franco, James Franco’s character from General Hospital, will be having an exhibition at MOCA Pacific Design Center, during which time Jeffrey Deitch, the new director of MOCA, and the characters from Port Charles from General Hospital wil be making their West Coast debut. “Soap at MOCA is an attempt to both blur and define the lines between different disciplines, between life and art, between art and popular culture, and between representations of the self as both performative character and as non-performative self,” commented James Franco.

As the event was described by Sarah Lehrer-Graiwer and Jeff Hassay on the ArtForum Diary "The art crowd's barely concealed confusion and skepticism were palpable in the frequency of raised eyebrows, worried looks, and sarcastic offhand remarks mumbled through sighs. Since the LA art community has been anticipating Deitch's arrival at the helm of the city's preeminent contemporary art institution with a fair dose of apprehension, "Soap at MoCA" was watched closely and cautiously as his first act in office. (Several invitees purportedly chose not to come in protest of spectacle.)

Trepidations aside, the exhilarating highlight of the night was the stunningly simple but gasp-worthy stunt in which first-time stuntman and Franco body double Brad Standley threw himself over the side of the three-story building to his presumptive death below. For one climactic moment, the three divergent spectator groups merged, boundaries dissolved, and suspicions relaxed; extras, artists, and soapies all looked up together as one seriously captivated audience. "Don't kill me! I know where the baby is!" Franco exclaimed dramatically at one point during the shooting. Interrupting the hushed silence that followed, someone near the fifty-foot projection of his laughing face could be heard asking, "Is this art?" The moment was so perfect and perfectly ridiculous that it didn't even matter whether it was or wasn't, but if we had to answer, we'd say yes, because who could say no to that face?"

1 July - Clayton Porter Studio Visit

LAUNCHPROJECTS - Art critic Kathryn M Davis joined us today at Clayton Porter's studio for a sneak preview of his upcoming exhibition Deer Hart, Dog Dick. In four new paintings, Porter explores the contemporary grotesque through influences including Gruenwald’s Temptation of Saint Anthony, the stag hunts of Paul de Vos (pictured above), the Baroque allegories of Peter Paul Rubens, and the surrealist imaginings of Max Ernst.

Porter's paintings are grotesque by the original definition of the word (as explored in detail in Robert Storr's 2004 SITE Biennial, Disparities and Deformations: Our Grotesque). Coined in 1490's Renaissance Rome upon the discovery of Emperor Nero's "grotto" paintings, the grotesque described the excessive and titillating imagery of Nero's cave paintings, "florid caricatures of unnatural man / beast combinations that decorated the long-hidden walls of the grottoes " (Peter Eleey for Frieze Magazine).

Porter's solo exhibition Deer Hart, Dog Dick opens at LAUNCHPROJECTS on Thursday, July 8th from 6:30 - 8:00. Previews of this exhibition have been published in Art in America, the Santa Fean Magazine, and Adobe Airstream.

Special Thanks to James Bristol for his great shot of Clayton's paint palatte (pictured above).

29 June - Phil Binaco Studio Visit

LAUNCHPROJECTS - had a great studio visit this morning with Phil Binaco. He is such an incredible and meticulous artist, it is no wonder the New York Times described his work as "slightly intoxicating - animated by a hint of spiritual luminosity." A former friend and student of Agnes Martin, Binaco's works are included in permanent collections including the Albright Knox Art Gallery and the Neuberger Museum of Art. His show at LAUNCHPROJECTS in May was a fantastic success, and we are excited to also begin planning his summer exhibition in Venice, Italy.

24 June - Lunch with Alanna Heiss

LAUNCHPROJECTS - met Alanna Heiss at the Clocktower. Went to a fabulous restaurant in Chelsea recommended by Paula Cooper (of Paula Cooper Gallery) called Cookshop. Alanna had us in stitches relaying story upon story of her sorority life at Lawrence University, meeting Bruce Nauman, and trying to hide her former sorority-girl identity...

We wrapped up lunch and headed to Paula Cooper Gallery to see a newly installed Mark di Suvero sculpture (stunning) and Christian Marclay's new work (underwhelming). We wrapped up the evening with openings in Chelsea and dinner with friends at a fantastic restaurant on 10th called Bottino.

23 June - MoMA and Chelsea

LAUNCHPROJECTS - A morning cappuccino at Via Quadronno to catch the US vs. Algeria match in the World Cup (Landon Donovan and goal keeper Tim Howard pictured above). We then headed to MoMA to see the newly installed Bruce Nauman exhibition Days, created for the 2009 Venice Biennale. A "sound sculpture" of voices reciting the days of week in random order, it is brutal and fascinating, we couldn't help but wonder at the sanity of the guards after hours on end of the relentless words. It is described on MoMA's website as a "sonic cocoon." More like day of the week clown torture. I love the way Roberta Smith described his work in her 2009 NYT review when it was in Philadelphia.

They don’t “present” as art, yet they lodge in the mind and won’t let go, disorienting, irritating, inundating and exhilarating the senses. And with time, the best Naumans make clear their art-ness, laying bare life’s basic experiences, distilled and compressed. They do this profoundly yet, it seems, inadvertently, as if Mr. Nauman were simply providing raw material that we absorb and fashion into art in our heads.

Exactly, Roberta.

22 June - James Franco exhibition at Art on Air

LAUNCHPROJECTS - the James Franco opening of The Dangerous Book Four Boys at Art on Air. An exhibition packed with New York's art and film scene - everyone from Marina Abramovic to Kirsten Dunst to Dennis Oppenheim. Franco's exhibition included short films, drawings, and photographs in addition to two wooden house-like structures and one wooden rocket-ship. Dangerous? There were a lot of films of him busting stuff, and a lot of videos of things burning. And a goat boy, Richard Prior, and a taxidermied house cat (not all in the same room). We haven't figured out the really dangerous part yet, but he was supposed to do a performance that was cancelled at the last minute. Maybe that was meant to be the dangerous part.

Following the opening was a private dinner at Alanna Heiss' home a block away. There we had an opportunity to spend time with the evening's stars and hosts, including Alanna and her assistant Beatrice (pictured above) and, of course, the artist. We also firmed up a date with Alanna for lunch on Thursday to talk in more detail about LAUNCHPROJECTS and the Heiss biography project.

21 June - en route to New York

LAUNCHPROJECTS - en route to New York, I was calmly reading the Leo and His Circle, the recently released English translation of Leo Castelli's biography. About twenty minutes into the flight, our pilot announces that we are doing an emergency landing in Charlotte, North Carolina due to engine failure. After twenty minutes of sheer terror we touched down in Charlotte surrounded by fire trucks and emergency vehicles.

We arrived in New York at midnight and checked into the Surrey Hotel, our new favorite in New York. Greeted at check-in by large-scale Jenny Holzer photographs, Chuck Close tapestries, and an entire hotel filled with art from the Whitney Museum across the street; it was a great ending to an extraordinarily stressful travel day.

20 June - Contemporary Architecture in Galisteo

LAUNCHPROJECTS - Last I had dinner in Galisteo, New Mexico with John and Tanya Young. Just past the ranch and home of Bruce Nauman and Susan Rothenberg we arrived at an enormous and elaborate architectural construction site - John and Tanya's home.

John is a British architect best known for his architectural collaboration with Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers for the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Last night was an opportunity to tour his construction site and listen first-hand to a brilliant and animated architect building his personal opus, now over a decade in construction. With stunning views (interrupted only by Tom Ford's ranch) and perfectly appointed interior spaces, it was a night spent in the mind and vision of a truly world-class architect.

18 June - Ward Shelley opening

LAUNCHPROJECTS - last night's opening for new-york based artist Ward Shelley and his collaborating partner Douglas Paulson met with intrigued and engaged audiences. With exhibitions at LAUNCHPROJECTS and the CCA Warehouse we were able to fully present the scope of Shelley's conceptual and esthetic genius.

15 June - Jolene the film

LAUNCHPROJECTS - I was a guest at a small dinner party and screening of the film Jolene on Tuesday night at the home of Dennis Yares, co-owner of Riva Yares Gallery Dennis wrote the screenplay for the film and his mother Riva Yares produced it - really a stunning film with a great cast. The film is about a teenage orphan who spends ten years traveling cross-country experiencing life, love and heartbreak. Based on E.L. Doctorow's story, "Jolene: A Life." Definitely recommend it when it is released in theaters.