I Wish

Wow, five days of posts! Art or Idiocy? is doing well. Tomorrow (Sat 10/28/6) is the Museum of Contemporary Art's Benefit Auction. The marvelous affair is being held at the MCA's warehouse. A novel mixture of high society and industrial ambience. Art or Idiocy? was fortunate enough to be at the preview last week. Of course we took photos, and they are up in a special Flikr slide show. HERE

But the real treat is our wish list. Modestly gleaned from the auction catalog is a small selection of artworks that, if we had tons of cash here at the Art or Idiocy HQ, instead of just loads, we would snap up. So enjoy, and any savvy collectors out there can take it as free art consulting. Again, you'll find it HERE

It was most interesting to see such a wide range of art in this setting. As you'll see, it was quite austere. Almost shabby. The work was hung salon style on portable pegboard walls. And yet it was the greatest group of art we’ve come across in Chicago in a while. Chicago artists of various stripes of notoriety hung alongside artists from the US and abroad of various levels of fame. No judgment or hierarchy, really. It was all pretty straightforward. Up on the walls and out there, equal. There was also a good cross section of donors, galleries from Chicago, California, NYC and Europe. It was also a lot like going through a BFA or MFA show. Tons of work all next to eachother, some good some bad. But actually kind of inspiring and heartening. If only more shows like this took place. If only this was actually an exhibition, and was open to the public. If only the MCA took more risks and put together experimental shows in this location. Hmm, if only.

Robert Gober Untitled

We have another YouTubing! This past Saturday Art or Idiocy? was on the beat in the blustery North for the Milwaukee International Art Fair. Naturally a stop at the Art Museum was part of the trip.

Happy BirthdayPablo Diego José Santiago Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Crispín Crispiniano de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad..

...Ruiz Blasco y Picasso López
Or you can just call him Pablo Picasso. And today is the 125th anniversary of his birthday.

Everyone is talking about him, particularly his damaged dream painting. It is the conversation being overheard on the street, literally. At the drugstore two guys were talking about the now infamous incident of the casino mogul elbowing the priceless (well, not really, but pretty close [$139M until recently]) post cubist masterpiece. One man acted out how he thought it went down, elbowing a line of Halloween candy. Then the conversation steered towards degenerative eye conditions. But it still doesn’t make sense. How does gesturing towards something involve elbowing? Unless you are doing the Monty Python “wink wink, nudge nudge” skit.

RIGHT: The Dream, 1932

Whenever I see the painting, I think of what Marie Therese’s daughter Maia said about it on his A&E Biography. She hates Picasso, particularly for how he treated her mother and the other women in his life. The Dream is a painting of Marie Therese, and of the composition Maia says something to the effect of “there is a male organ on my mother’s head!”

Eph You, Nora Ephron
In her blog she gets a little more in to detail of how it happened, but mechanically, the account still doesn’t make sense:

he was standing in front of the painting at this point, facing us. He raised his hand to show us something about the painting -- and at that moment, his elbow crashed backwards right through the canvas.

Earlier in the entry she describes the painting:

Steve Wynn launched into a long story about the painting -- he told us that it was a painting of Picasso's mistress, Marie-Therese Walter, that it was extremely erotic, and that if you looked at it carefully (which I did, for the first time, although I'd seen it before at the Bellagio) you could see that the head of Marie-Therese was divided in two sections and that one of them was a penis. This was not a good moment for me vis a vis the painting. In fact, I would have to say that it made me pretty much think I wouldn't pay five dollars for it.

Well, I wouldn't pay a cent for any of her books let alone read one. How depressing, a rich twit gets to hang out with rich people at rich casinos and, gasp, doesn’t approve of a possible weewee in a Picasso. There is more talent in that prick than in her entire body of work. Sorry for the rant, but such prudish dismissiveness of her ilk pisses me off. Especially coming from the writer of the "I'll have what she's having" scene in When Harry Met Sally.

LINKS
There is a nice little piece on him at History.com
And Answer.com

Thieves in the Temple

A work of art was recently stolen from gescheidle gallery. (pictured above) the full story, via a press release of sorts from Susan Gescheidle, is up on Iconoduel. Perhaps we should ask “I Will Answer All Questions Telepathically” who posted the longest crazy off topic comment in the history of the internet. It covers the Holocaust, evolution, artificial intelligence, freeways, real estate, gods and much much more.

Round 2

OK, so now we have some more photos for you. Round two of the art season openers. There's 65GRAND, duchess, Shane Campbell Gallery, Lisa Boyle Gallery, Western Exhibitions and COMA 6 (at the California Occidental Museum of Art). So pull out some cigarettes and beer or wine, sit back, enjoy the show and rememeber how nice the weather was a month ago in Chicago.

Art Openings - Season 2! on Flickr

Claes Oldenburg's Ice Bag

This was one of the many quality works on view last night at the MCA's Benefit Auction Preview at their warehouse on the west side. The piece was put up for the live auction by Paul and Dedrea Gray. The benefit gala with a silent & live auction takes place next Satuday (10/28) @ 6P. More on all this later. For now, check out our first YouTubing! The video shows the sculpture in action. Sort of. It inflates and deflates.



Claes Oldenburg • Ice Bag - Scale B • 1971 • Mixed media • Edition 16/25 • Estimate: $30 - 40K

At Last!

The photo-essay of our journey through the orgy of the Fall Art Openings is up and running on Flickr. The first Friday of September saw just about every gallery in Chicago opening their doors, bringing out their finest cheap wines, and staking their claim with many ambitious shows. You can read our witty comments, and see our lushly colored images. And what a better time as this weekend marks you last chance to see these shows that kicked of the o6/o7 art season in Chicago?

Some insiders have commented that this season marks the city turning a corner of sorts. Not only were students and poor artists out, but collectors and curators, museum people and visitors from out of town. In more than one instance, we heard how many collectors were out for fear of missing out. There was almost a feel of need to be out on the town if you wanted to be in on what is happening. This in a city were many collectors and curators don't seem to make the rounds. Certainly not to the openings. Many collectors and curators from Chicago institutions are known to look elsewhere for art. Even if they see work here first, or an artist is from here, they seem to wait for a nod of approval from the coasts or Europe. For the first time people here in Chicago, and more importantly, people from outside of Chicago, seemed to take notice, and pay attention. This at least was what people on the street in the galleries and at the parties were saying.

SEE WHAT ALL THE FUSS IS ABOUT - Our FLICKR Photo Set

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Oh, and if you are wondering about Art or Idiocy?s 2nd Anniversary, you missed it. We silently turned 2 this past September 23rd with the ultra secret invite-only White Wiener Salon. Of course this was modeled on the famous parties of the late Jason Rhoades, but the guests we had were much cooler and less pretentious, and our cocaine was, well. MMM. We also had a visit from the Enlightend Cat Buddha who blessed the event.

Well wishers included our friend Andy. He was unable to celebrate with us, but Warhol sent us this nice greeting:

"Ohhhh, wow. . .Happy birthday today!
Are you going to have someone pop out of a cake? That would be so great. . .Get a picture of it if you do."

Who knows, maybe one day we will actually have a real party at a real bar with real fun.

Art Things to do in Chicago This Weekend

If it’s not on the list, it isn’t art, it hasn’t been christened by the arbiters and the initiates have not runneth their cups to overflow upon them.
What?!

Mel Bochner • Measurement: 12" x 12" x 12" (detail) • 1999 • Oil on shellac-prepared Arches watercolor paper • 30 x 22 inches

All day tomorrow at the Art Institute is a post structuralist dorkfest that we couldn’t be more excited about!

Mel Bochner’s Focus exhibition opens tonight (Thursday) and is followed up by a FULL DAY of panel discussions. His Highness Yve-Alain Bois delivers the keynote address at 9A and is followed by a morning panel discussion with Chrissie Iles of the Whitney, Scott Rothkopf of Artforum, Eric de Bruyn from the U. of Groningen and Jeffrey Thompson of Western Michigan U. from 10A - 12NOON. The afternoon panel has Carroll Dunham, once a studio assistant of Bochner’s, the ‘tute’s own James Rondeau, Judith Russi Kirshner of UIC, Christophe Cherix from the Art and History museum in Geneva and Johanna Burton of Bard at Columbia.

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Then head up to a humble show drawings and works on paper featuring some Art or Idiocy? cohorts and curated by Elke Claus in conjunction with the esteemed Ruprecht Dogheit & Associates. Artists include:
Carl Baratta , Mariano Chavez, Kevin Chow, Christina Corfield, Tracy Kostenbader, Rebecca Kautz, Thomas Lucas, Tish Noel, Shana Hampton, Michael Pollard, Bruce Riley, Erik Wenzel & Anthony Whittaker


From Sex & Death by Christina Corfield

Morpho Gallery (5216 N Damen)
Opening Friday 6TH from 6 - 11P
Saturday 7TH & Sunday 8TH 12NOON - 5P

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Finally, on Saturday the 6TH hit up Butcher Shop Dogmatic for the closing of The Longest Piss exhibition (EC Brown & Renee Gory)

Butcher Shop Dogmatic (1319 W Lake)
Open Saturday 7TH 12NOON - 6P
Closing Partay 6 - 9P

Art Institute Acquires Sexually Dependency from Nan Golden

In a press release Monday, The Art Institute of Chicago announced that the notorious Ballad of Sexual Dependency by photographer Nan Golden was acquired through a joint purchase of the Photography and Contemporary departments. The slideshow piece created from 1981 - 1987 but also dated 1979-2001 was made in an edition of 10, with AIC acquiring #7. The other two museums which own it are MoMA and the Whitney, making Chicago the only non-Manhattan site to view it. The Ballad of Sexual Dependency is currently on view as part of the Art Institute’s current photo exhibition titled So The Story Goes.

Nan Goldin • Heart-shaped bruise, NYC, 1980 • color slide • From The Ballad of Sexual Dependency SOURCE: Artforum.com

The Ballad... is perhaps one of the most challenging and emotionally raw works of art I have ever scene. In addition to being a slide show, it has been published as a book, which is how I have viewed it. It details Nan’s personal life in a way that art happens. It does not set out to exploit or ride the waves of shock. The series merely captures what was happening in her life. A time that has since been romanticized and demonized in equal portions: the 80s East Village scene in New York. Sex, Drugs and New Wave. While someone like Cindy Sherman stages her grotesqueries and supplies artificial beauty and horror, Golden has found real beauty in real horror.

The Ballad... details the pitfalls of humanity, all essentially brought about by the most horrible addiction of all: our need of other people. Golden’s work frankly depicts the rejected, forgotten underbelly of society, just by being there and bearing witness. The abused, the addicted, the sexually different, the sick, the dying and the dead are all hear. But not for pity or for expose, for honor. These were the people she knew and loved. Perhaps summing it up best is her quote, "I used to think I couldn't lose anyone if I photographed them enough...In fact, they show me how much I've lost."

Check Out >> So The Story Goes