Last night, the New Museum was abuzz with guests who were invited to a very special opening celebration of five new solo exhibitions. From the lobby to the rooftop, every floor teemed with people––absorbed, perplexed, and even downright offended. (This is just slap-in-the-face offensive! said one irate elderly lady to her as elderly companion, at the sight of Klara Lidén's trash cans, straight off the streets of Europe).
But showing match-your-living-room-couch art that's easily digestible (at least, aesthetically speaking) has never been the museum's mission. This of course was apparent in the works on view last night. Some exhibits, such as Nathalie Djuberg and Hans Berg's delightfully playful menagerie of tropical-bright birds, Ellen Altfest's paintings, or Tacita Dean's touching cinematic portraits of American creatives (including Claes Oldenburg, Cy Twombly, and Merce Cunningham), were more straightforward than, say Phyllida Barrow's towering monolithic structures and dangling cylinders, or Klara Lidén's series of urban/waste-themed experiences.
But the overall tone of the evening was high-spirited, perhaps a sign of the museum's ability to encourage child-like wonder and the will to play with the pieces it puts forth. Either that or it just throws a really good art party.
THE NEW MUSEUM
235 Bowery
New York, NY 10002
MAP
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Works by Phyllida Barrow
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Works by Nathalie Djuberg and Hans Berg
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Works by Tacita Dean
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Works by Klara Lidén
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But showing match-your-living-room-couch art that's easily digestible (at least, aesthetically speaking) has never been the museum's mission. This of course was apparent in the works on view last night. Some exhibits, such as Nathalie Djuberg and Hans Berg's delightfully playful menagerie of tropical-bright birds, Ellen Altfest's paintings, or Tacita Dean's touching cinematic portraits of American creatives (including Claes Oldenburg, Cy Twombly, and Merce Cunningham), were more straightforward than, say Phyllida Barrow's towering monolithic structures and dangling cylinders, or Klara Lidén's series of urban/waste-themed experiences.
But the overall tone of the evening was high-spirited, perhaps a sign of the museum's ability to encourage child-like wonder and the will to play with the pieces it puts forth. Either that or it just throws a really good art party.
THE NEW MUSEUM
235 Bowery
New York, NY 10002
MAP
Works by Phyllida Barrow
Works by Nathalie Djuberg and Hans Berg
Works by Tacita Dean
Works by Klara Lidén
