Known for hyper-detailed renderings of the male body (among other natural subjects), Ellen Altfest’s ‘Leg’ ponders the facts on a section of a man’s leg. Veins, hair, and tiny blemishes are the ostensible subjects of the painting, but the limb gives off a vital glow, contrasting its grey surroundings and suggesting that even a fractional view of her subject bears close scrutiny. (At Cheim & Read Gallery in ‘The Female Gaze, Part Two: Women Look at Men’ through Sept 2nd).
Copenhagen-based painter Tal R’s latest solo show at Chelsea’s Cheim & Read features lounging female acquaintances rendered in his characteristic toned-down vibrant palette. Abstract sculpture, multiple patterned rugs, and a purple-haired model in this picture suggest an update on Matisse’s exoticism. (Through Feb 14th).
Tal R, Jacobe Smoking, pigment and rabbit skin glue on canvas, 48 x 34 5/8 inches, 2013.
Late sculptor Louise Bourgeois harnessed the discomfort inherent in the idea of hanging for many sculptures over the decades of her long career. Cheim & Read Gallery gathers a stunning selection, including this polished bronze, titled ‘Arch of Hysteria.’ Conferring hysteria on a male figure and distorting the body into an impossibly uncomfortable arch creates odd tensions that give the piece its disarming impact. (In Chelsea through Jan 10th).
Louise Bourgeois, Arch of Hysteria, polished bronze, 33 x 40 x 23 inches, 1993.
Abstract Expressionist fans won’t want to miss Cheim & Read Gallery’s summer exhibition of work by the late painter Joan Mitchell. It includes this thirteen-foot wide interpretation of trees, which pits aggressive forms against an elegantly cream-colored, muted background. (In Chelsea through August 29th).
Joan Mitchell, Trees, oil on canvas diptych, 94 ½ x 157 ½ inches, 1990-91.
Phrases like, ‘One is not born but rather becomes a woman,’ from feminist pioneer Simone de Beauvoir or actor Roseann Barr’s to-the-point observation that ‘Nobody gives you power you just take it,’ appear in Egyptian-born, Harlem-based artist Ghada Amer’s latest show at Chelsea’s Cheim and Read Gallery. Here, a bronze sculpture with text in Arabic extends the conversation to women in the Arab world. (Through May 10th).
Ghada Amer, foreground sculpture: The Words I Love the Most, bronze with black patina, 60 x 60 x 60 inches, 2012. Background painting on the right: The Big Black Bang – RFGA, acrylic, embroidery and gel medium on canvas, 102 x 132 inches, 2013.
