Category Archives: Art

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection – Venice, Italy

Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy, Photo Romi Cortier
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy, Photo Romi Cortier
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy, Photo Romi Cortier
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy, Photo Romi Cortier
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy, Photo Romi Cortier
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy, Photo Romi Cortier
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy, Photo Romi Cortier
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy, Photo Romi Cortier
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy, Photo Romi Cortier
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy, Photo Romi Cortier
Romi Cortier, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy, Photo Recio Young
Romi Cortier, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy, Photo Recio Young

I recently visited the Peggy Guggenheim Collection while on holiday in Venice, Italy. I had no knowledge of the storied past of the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni,  who’s story began in about 1750, long before Ms. Guggenheim became its final occupant.

Peggy Guggenheim’s collection is a must see for fans of Modern Art, and is also one of Venice’s most visited attractions. Situated on the Grand Canal near the Lagoon, the  former residence features amazing views of the canal and other palazzos. And most important, is the collection itself. It’s noted as ‘one of the most important museums in Italy for European and American art of the first half of the 20th Century’. Pieces in her collection embrace Cubism, Surrealism and Abstract Expressionism, and are born out of personal connections from the artists themselves.

As a champion of artists, she created an American outpost for the European avant-gard, with a  gallery in New York  called Art of This Century, in 1942. Prior to that she had a short lived gallery in London  during the lates 1930’s, Guggenheim Jeune. Her initial collection, acquired at a rate of one painting per day on frenzied trips to Paris during World War II, cost her only $40,000 for a group of works by Brancusi, Geroges Braque, Salvador Dali, Ernst, Fernand Leger and Pable Picasso, among others. That collection ultimately settled in Venice in 1948, with its initial exhibition at the biennale.

With the acquisition of Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Ms. Guggenheim set up shop as one of the city’s most celebrated patrons and eccentrics. That said, she was actually the third woman to own the Palazzo, preceded by the Marchesa Luisa Casati and Doris Castlerosse. Christies has a fantastic article titled: Ghosts of the unfinished palazzo, which you can read HERE. A little FYI, the palazzo might be named for the yawning lion heads seen below…  at least that’s one of the theories.

Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy, Photo Romi Cortier
Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy, Photo Romi Cortier

Takashi Murakami 2019 Oscars Show

Murakami, Opening Night, Gagosian Art Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca. Photo Romi Cortier
Takashi Murakami, 2019 Oscars Show,  Gagosian Art Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca. Photo Romi Cortier
Murakami, Painting Detail, Opening Night, Gagosian Art Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Takashi Murakami, Painting Detail, 2019 Oscars Show,  Gagosian Art Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Murakami, Opening Night, Gagosian Art Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Takashi Murakami, Pom &  Me,  2019 Oscars Show, Gagosian Art Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Murakami, Opening Night, Gagosian Art Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Takashi Murakami, 2019 Oscars Show,  Gagosian Art Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Murakami, Opening Night, Gagosian Art Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Takashi Murakami, 2019 Oscars Show, Gagosian Art Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Murakami, Opening Night, Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Takashi Murakami, 2019 Oscars Show,  Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Takashi Murakami, Sculpture, Opening Night, Gagosian Art Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Takashi Murakami, Sculpture, 2019 Oscars Show, Gagosian Art Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Murakami, Opening night, Gagosian Art Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Takashi Murakami, 2019 Oscars Show, Gagosian Art Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca., Photo Romi Cortier
Romi Cortier, Murakami Exhibit Opening Night, Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca., Photographer unknown
Romi Cortier, Takashi Murakami, 2019 Oscars Show, Gagosian Gallery, Beverly Hills, Ca., Photographer unknown

Takashi Murakami. His work speaks for itself. It’s big. It’s bold. It’s beautiful. And it won’t be ignored.

On February  21st, Gagosian presented ‘GYATEI 2new works by Takashi Murakami, as the 2019 “Oscars show”, a much anticipated annual fixture on the Los Angeles cultural calendar. And anticipated it was… I stood in line for over 40 minutes to get into the gallery on this particular 49 degree night, hoping they wouldn’t close the doors before myself,  all of the other clamoring devotees of Murakami’s  work could enter.

If you understand Angelenos, then you know any temperature below 60 degrees might as well be considered a major snow storm, because we don’t do cold.  But we were committed. We huddled together en masse outside the sleek  gallery space on 456 North Camden Drive, watching  the cameras flash through the slotted window of this very crowded exhibition. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who saw the sponsored ad on Facebook, so yes, those things do pay off sometimes.

This wasn’t my first time seeing Murakami’s work. My first exposure to Murakami was at his MOCA retrospective in 2007. Room after room of larger than life works, left me spellbound.  Last week I attended  FRIEZE LA opening night at Paramount Studios, and was drawn to a massive circular piece that I didn’t realize was his, until I read the placard. And once I’d looked closer at some of the details I thought, of course it’s his.

Takashi Murakami, 'Red Kraken, Blue Kraken' 2018, Acrylic on canvas, mounted on wood panel, Perrotin Gallery
Takashi Murakami, ‘Red Kraken, Blue Kraken’ 2018, Acrylic on canvas, mounted on wood panel, 59 1/16 inches, Perrotin Gallery

Once you learn the visual vocabulary of an artist, it’s hard to miss their work. The ethereal brush strokes of Renoir, the crayon like short strokes of Cezanne,  the bold thick raised paint of Van Gogh,  Warhol‘s screen prints… every successful artist has to find their voice. That’s what makes them stand out in a crowd, and it’s how you’re able to  spot their work from across the room. This is why it’s so important to spend as much time as possible at art galleries and art museums. Your eyes begin to learn a new language  that your mouth  may not have words for, yet. Murakami clearly has found his voice, so go see this show. At the very least, it’s a happy show  with bright primary and secondary colors, paying homage to emoji’s and the highly coveted gold Oscar statue.

Show closes April 13, 2019

GAGOSIAN

The Art of Go Woon Choi

Romi Cortier, Go Woon Choi, The Art of Go Wood Choi, TAG Art Gallery, November 2018
Romi Cortier, Go Woon Choi, The Art of Go Wood Choi, TAG Art Gallery, November 2018
Art of Go Woon Choi, Oil on Canvas, TAG Art Gallery, November 2018, Photo Romi Cortier
Art of Go Woon Choi, Oil on Canvas, TAG Art Gallery, November 2018, Photo Romi Cortier
Untitled, Oil on Canvas, Go Woon Choi, TAG Art Gallery, November 2018, Photo Romi Cortier
Untitled, Oil on Canvas, Go Woon Choi, TAG Art Gallery, November 2018, Photo Romi Cortier
Untitled, Oil on Canvas, 30 x 40, Go Woon Choi, TAG Art Gallery, November 2018, Photo Romi Cortier
Untitled, Oil on Canvas, 30 x 40, Go Woon Choi, TAG Art Gallery, November 2018, Photo Romi Cortier
Untitled, Oil on Canvas, 30 x 40, Go Woon Choi, TAG Art Gallery, Photo Romi Cortier
Untitled, Oil on Canvas, 30 x 40, Go Woon Choi, TAG Art Gallery, Photo Romi Cortier
The Art of Go Woon Choi, TAG Art Gallery, November 2018, Photo Romi Cortier
The Art of Go Woon Choi, TAG Art Gallery, November 2018, Photo Romi Cortier
Untitled 02, Acrylic on Canvas, 30 x 40, Go Woon Choi, TAG Art Gallery, Photo Romi Cortier
Untitled 02, Acrylic on Canvas, 30 x 40, Go Woon Choi, TAG Art Gallery, Photo Romi Cortier
Untitled, Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20, Go Woon Choi, TAG Art Gallery, November 2018, Photo Romi Cortier
Untitled, Oil on Canvas, 16 x 20, Go Woon Choi, TAG Art Gallery, November 2018, Photo Romi Cortier
Go Woon Choi, Opening Night, TAG Art Gallery, November 2018, Photo Romi Cortier
Go Woon Choi, Opening Night, TAG Art Gallery, November 2018, Photo Romi Cortier

I first discovered the Art of Korean born artist Go Woon Choi, at the LA Art Show in January of 2018. I loved her work so much, that I snapped a few photos of it and  sort of tucked it away in the back of my mind. Then, this fall I got an email from Visual Art Source and low and behold, there was one of her paintings front and center. I made sure to go to her opening night at TAG Gallery in LA’s miracle mile, so that I could see more of her work in person, which is where I had the pleasure of meeting her.

Hyperrealism is one of my favorite painting techniques, and Miss Choi has it in spades. Take a look at a these  paintings from her web site. They’re beyond extraordinary, in fact, they look like photographs. I’m also fascinated by the fact that a woman is painting tools and toys, a subject traditionally associated with young men or boys.

Yellow Prop Composition, Oil on Canvas, Go Woon Choi
Yellow Prop Composition, Oil on Canvas, Go Woon Choi
Glass Bead Composition, Oil on Canvas,  Go Woon Choi
Glass Bead Composition, Oil on Canvas, Go Woon Choi

She spent over a decade working as a digital artist in the film industry, including Fast & Furious, The Mummy, Aliens vs. Predator, and the video game God of War II.  She also has a background in sculpture and welding. Her interest in common objects is rooted in her idea that “even common objects can appear strong and fantastic under different light conditions and environments”. Whatever it is that motivates and inspires her, I’m just so thrilled that she’s making art. I believe in her work so much that I even purchase a piece from her last show.

If you’d like to see more of her work, check her out at this years LA Art Show January 23 – 27, 2019, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

TICKETS

www.gowoonchoi.com 

 

Favorite Faces at the 2018 Beverly Hills Art Show

Flower Queen, Oil onLinen, Alla Tsank, Beverly Hills Art Show, Photo Romi Cortier
Flower Queen, Oil on Linen, Alla Tsank,  2018 Beverly Hills Art Show,  Photo Romi Cortier
Chuck Close, Lego Art, Andy Bauch, Beverly Hills Art Show, Photo Romi Cortier
Chuck Close, Lego Art, Andy Bauch,  2018 Beverly Hills Art Show, Photo Romi Cortier
Butterfly #2, Oil, Textile, Mixed Media on Panel, Minas Hilaj, Beverly Hills Art Show, Photo Romi Cortier
Butterfly #2, Oil, Textile, Mixed Media on Panel, Minas Halaj,  2018 Beverly Hills Art Show,  Photo Romi Cortier
Clifford Wilton, Oil on Panel, Gabriel Mark Lipper, Beverly Hills Art Show, Photo Romi Cortier
Clifford Wilton, Oil on Panel, Gabriel Mark Lipper,  2018 Beverly Hills Art Show,  Photo Romi Cortier
Bloom, Drawing,Anna Michele, Beverly Hills Art Show, Photo Romi Cortier
Bloom, Drawing, Anna Michele,  2018 Beverly Hills Art Show, Photo Romi Cortier
Mixed Media, Ernie Steiner, Beverly Hills Art Show, Photo Romi Cortier
Mixed Media, Ernie Steiner,  2018 Beverly Hills Art Show,  Photo Romi Cortier
Swarosky Crystal Sculpture, Richard Lee (Blink Group), Beverly Hills Art Show, Photo Romi Cortier
Swarovski  Crystal Sculpture, Richard Lee (Blink Group),  2018 Beverly Hills Art Show,  Photo Romi Cortier

Faces were the theme for the 2018 Beverly Hills Art Show which took place on the weekend of October 20th. I love attending this twice yearly event, usually in the spring and fall of each year. The weather is fantastic, and Angelenos come out in full force to support this chic art exhibition in the heart of Beverly Hills. Personally I’ve been attending this event off and on for nearly 20 years, snapping up works for my personal art collection.

This show is a juried show, which means that applicants need to apply to be accepted. Each season a theme is chosen, and this year the theme was Faces. Overall I find the quality of the work presented to be pretty amazing. The snapshots above are a few of my favorite finds from the exhibition.  I love seeing the variations on the figurative works, such as the image created with Lego’s or the skull  made from Swarovski Crystals. And of course you can never go wrong with traditional techniques like oil or acrylic paintings on canvas.

If you’d like to sign up for future events, click here: BeverlyHills.org 

I’m also listing links to the artist web sites in their respective order, in case you’d like to learn more about their work or make inquiries.

Alla Tsank

Andy Bauch

Minas Halaj

Gabriel Mark Lipper

Anna Michele

Ernie Steiner

Richard Lee

The America Windows by Marc Chagall

America Windows, Marc Chagall, The Art Institute of Chicago, Photo Romi Cortier
The America Windows, 1977,  Marc Chagall, The Art Institute of Chicago, Photo Romi Cortier
Detail ofAmerica Windows, Marc Chagall, The Art Institute of Chicago, Photo Romi Cortier
Detail of The America Windows, 1977, Marc Chagall, The Art Institute of Chicago, Photo Romi Cortier
America Windows, Marc Chagall, The Art Institute of Chicago, Photo Romi Cortier
The America Windows, 1977, Marc Chagall, The Art Institute of Chicago, Photo Romi Cortier
Detail ofAmerica Windows, Marc Chagall, The Art Institute of Chicago, Photo Romi Cortier
Detail of The America Windows, 1977, Marc Chagall, The Art Institute of Chicago, Photo Romi Cortier
America Windows, Marc Chagall, The Art Institute of Chicago, Photo Romi Cortier
The America Windows, 1977, Marc Chagall, The Art Institute of Chicago, Photo Romi Cortier
Detail ofAmerica Windows, Marc Chagall, The Art Institute of Chicago, Photo Romi Cortier
Detail of The America Windows, 1977, Marc Chagall, The Art Institute of Chicago, Photo Romi Cortier

The America Windows by Marc Chagall commemorate the American Bicentennial, and were a gift to The Art Institute of Chicago in 1977. Gifted by the artist in memory of Mayor Richard J. Daley, the three window installation is frequently referred to as the Chagall Windows, and were made forever famous by their appearance in the film Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. 

The first panel dives into Chicago’s rich history as a hub for rhythm & blues. People playing instruments as well as floating guitars and fiddles are depicted in the blue glowing panes of the first window. The radiant history of the city warms the heart, reminding Chicagoans of their rich background of soulful melodies in the homeland of the blues.

The second panel illustrates the unity and peace found within the multiple neighborhoods of the city. A giant dove surrounded by olive branches watches over the city day and night. The panel also serves as a prayer for the city. After the passing of Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley in 1976, many people in the city were left in a state of mourning. The figure on the left side of the pane lights a candle in remembrance of the late, great Chicago mayor.

Finally, the third panel symbolizes the importance of religious freedom in America. An angel-like figure, menorah and rose window are shown along with immigrants of different backgrounds celebrating as they are literally thrown into “the great American melting pot.” References to Christianity and Judaism are important to note because of Chagall’s Jewish faith and his extensive work in cathedral windows.  (Columbia College Chicago)

The America Windows, 1977, Marc Chagall, The Art Institute of Chicago, Photo Romi Cortier
The America Windows, 1977, Marc Chagall, The Art Institute of Chicago, Photo Romi Cortier

Here’s a superb video that delves deeper into the restoration of the windows in 2010.

 

Learn more about the Art Institute of Chicago