Denzil Forrester at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Denzil Forrester’s vibrant club painting – one of his 1980s depictions of London’s reggae and dub scene – stands out at the entrance to the Met Museum’s newly rehung contemporary art galleries for its color and movement.  Featuring a DJ on the left and a dancer moving so energetically (s)he’s a blur on the right, the painting captures the way music and people have turned a place into a state of mind.

Dezil Forrester, Dub, oil on canvas, 1985.

Elizabeth Murray in ‘Reinventing Abstraction’ at Cheim and Read Gallery

A dark geometric shape appears to do battle with two biomorphic entities in Elizabeth Murray’s 1982 canvas at Chelsea’s Cheim & Read Gallery.  Part of an exhibition showcasing abstract painting in the 80s, its attention-grabbing drama and size (over ten feet tall) excite the imagination.  (Through Aug 30th).  

Elizabeth Murray, Sentimental Education, oil on canvas, 127 x 96 inches, 1982.