Are New York art galleries turning into Museums?

Peter Alexander, Green Wedge, 1969

Walking around Chelsea last week,
one could see at least 3 museums shows in as many galleries.
at David Zwirner, a fantastic exhibition of 60's California Minimalism
with works I'd never seen before, like Craig Kaufmann's Untitled (sic)
seminal pieces by James Turrell

in spaces that totally blur the line between museum and commercial gallery

at Gladstone, never seen so many of Alighiero e Boetti's maps in a single room

even though the over-precious guard did not really allow for photos
meanwhile uptown at Hauser & Wirth, Ida Applebroog
follows equally museum level exhibitions of Alan Kaprow and Paul McCarthy

Daytrippin

So many Vitrines, so little Time

Everywhere we went last week in NY, there were vitrines with archival stuff in them.
Here some fanzines at the newly directed Artists' Space
Behind a wall, a giant photomural of William Burroughts Bowery Bunkerand some classic Ray Johnson


At White Columns, more vitrines with underground poetry fanzines

and very collectible posters


in one of the other rooms, "hitch hikers" curated by Bob Nickas
more great posters

at a gallery on 27th street, I took these for buildings
they could easily be
at Mary Boone, even more vitrines, this time from the total master
though the show was weirdly installed and quite frankly too packed



over at X Initiative many more vitrines with more underground artists publication
(I guess we just have to take their word that all these are interesting,
because they are behind glass and we cant see)upstairs, in arguable one of the finest ever exhibition rooms,
an ephemerally political show by the absolutely great Hans Haacke
and on another floor a really political show that wants Ru Paul for president (who doesnt?)
at Drawing Center a promising Ianis Xenakis show with kind of chic vitrines
though the most promising content was again behind glass
at Mathew Marks, more vitrines by Fischly & Weiss
and finally no vitrines but very cute chair-like objects
by the very cute Bruce High Quality Foundation

Vue Lumiere No 765 - Danse Serpentine, 1896

Just saw this masterpiece at MOMA's Architecture and Design gallery.

JUDD

On an entirely different note, we visited the incredible Donald Judd house in SOHO, which remains closed to the public, and starting June will go through an extensive renovation. The house includes Judd pieces, furniture mixed with everyday objects, and art from his friends. The art from his friends means a fantastic Carl Andre on the ground floor, mesmerizing Dan Flavin drawings and "icons" on the dining room floor, Frank Stella, Claes Oldenburg and much more. No photography allowed whatsoever.

The Tremendous Archive of Cesar Padilla (and Radford Brown!)

Just came back from Mr Cesar Padilla's
incredible archive warehouse in Long Island City


where we witness pastoral scenesand fashion explosions
the archive includes a set of very rare gay bar t-shirts

with familiar namesand unexpected graphics (Dick Monster!)

so we hid behind semi-transparent maks (Jeremy)
(Felix)
(me)

(Angelo)and then we found books on the look of men
which was an entirely different story

we prayed to a broken St Jackie

before venturing into the endless Maze of Shoes

Amazing bridge that I didnt know about

Ponte sul Basento by Sergio Musmeci,
bumbed into this in a weird and seminal Paolo Portoghesi book
Nature and Architecture
some images via this flickr account

and a randomly cute person happily posing from here