Tag: tony matelli

Tony Matelli in ‘Friends of the Pod’ at Broadway Gallery

‘Friends of the Pod,’ an enjoyable group exhibition at Broadway Gallery in Tribeca featuring artists linked to a podcast hosted by advisor Benjamin Godsill and Vanity Fair art columnist Nate Freeman opens with this wonderfully weird assemblage by Tony Matelli.  Anyone who knows Matelli’s sculpture knows to mistrust what they see; the master of trompe l’oeil has produced realistic human bodies and floral arrangements that appear to float upside down as well as pieces of what look to be classical statuary that include pieces of fruit and vegetables.  Traditionally understood in European painting as a warning of mortality, perfect fruits and flowers point to the inevitability of what will come next.  Matelli’s veg avoids this fate while triumphing over a human head that no longer stands upright.  (On view through Feb 3rd).

Tony Matelli, Bust (Eggplant and Celery), concrete, painted bronze, 13 x 18 x 12 inches, 2022.

Tony Matelli in ‘Wanderlust’ on the High Line

Tony Matelli pioneered his hyper-realistic sculptures before the social media era, yet they seem made for photographing and sharing. This bronze sleepwalker is a major traffic-stopper on the High Line not just as an art object in its own right but as a catalyst for audience interaction. (In ‘Wanderlust’ on the High Line through March 2017).

Tony Matelli, Sleepwalker, bronze, acrylic, paint, 69 x 21 x 34 inches, 2014. In ‘Wanderlust’ on the High Line through March 2017.
Tony Matelli, Sleepwalker, bronze, acrylic, paint, 69 x 21 x 34 inches, 2014. In ‘Wanderlust’ on the High Line through March 2017.

Tony Matelli at Marlborough Gallery

A sandblasted garden sculpture decorated with bronze sausage is a gratifying opener at Marlborough Gallery for fans of Tony Matelli’s offbeat humor and meticulous craft. But it’s the inverted, nude Adam and Eve sculptures in the back gallery that make the show unmissable. (In Chelsea through June 20th).

Tony Matelli, Warrior (detail), concrete and painted bronze, 55 x 21 x 17 inches, 2015.

Tony Matelli in ‘Another Look at Detroit’ at Marlborough Gallery

‘Another Look at Detroit’ is one of the summer’s major exhibitions, showing at powerhouse galleries Marlborough Chelsea and Marianne Boesky Gallery, but it starts off with this initially underwhelming weed by New York sculptor Tony Matelli located near the entrance of Marlborough. Look closer, however, and this meticulously crafted, painted bronze plant becomes an object of wonder. (Through August 8th).

Tony Matelli, Weed #293, painted bronze, 11 x 9 x 13 inches, 2014.

Tony Matelli in ‘Double Hamburger Deluxe’ at Marlborough Gallery

Inspired by a giant hamburger painting by Andy Warhol, the group show ‘Double Hamburger Deluxe’ at Chelsea’s Marlborough Gallery explores Warhol’s approach through comparison to pieces like Tony Matelli’s bronze lilies, a meticulously hand-crafted, editioned sculpture that never fails to astound.  (Through Dec 21st.)  

Tony Matelli, Arrangement, painted bronze, 2012.