‘The Feverish Library’ at Friedrich Petzel Gallery

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Rachel Whiteread, Untitled (Sequence III), plaster, polystyrene and steel, 2002.
Rachel Whiteread, Untitled (Sequence III), plaster, polystyrene and steel, 2002.

Books – in colorful grids on the floor, piled on a remainders table, preciously designed and placed far out of reach on high shelves and in many more guises – fill Friedrich Petzel Gallery’s biblio-centric group show, ‘The Feverish Library’ (organized in cooperation with Matthew Higgs).  Rachel Whiteread’s plaster, polystyrene and steel ‘Untitled (Sequel III)’ from 2002 lends a note of gravitas and mystery to the show by recording only the cast space around a bookshelf.  (In Chelsea’s Friedrich Petzel Gallery through Oct 20th).

Adam Cvijanovic at Postmasters Gallery

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Adam Cvijanovic, 'Discovery of America,' flash acrylic on Tyvek, 2012.
Adam Cvijanovic, ‘Discovery of America,’ flash acrylic on Tyvek, 2012.

Known for his nature-inspired, mural-sized dramas affixed to the gallery wall, Adam Cvijanovic doesn’t disappoint in his first New York solo show since ’08.  At 15 x 65 feet, the show’s centerpiece, ‘Discovery of America’ is a trompe l’oeil triumph, appearing to bring a prehistoric, Rocky Mountain scene into a wall-splintering conflict with an image of human settlers racing across the plains all of which appears to take place in a messy art studio. (at Postmasters, Chelsea through October 13th).

Leonardo Drew at Sikkema Jenkins & Co.

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Leonardo Drew, Number 155, wood, 2012.
Leonardo Drew, Number 155, wood, 2012.

The new art season officially roared to life again this week with dozens of major shows opening in the last few nights.  Leonardo Drew’s installation at Chelsea’s Sikkema Jenkins & Co is one of the outstanding offerings thanks to a huge, gallery-filling installation composed of rough lengths of burnt wood as well as more tidy but no less ambitious wall relief sculptures.  (Through October 12th.)

Anish Kapoor, ‘Untitled,’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

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Anish Kapoor, 'Untitled,' stainless steel, 2007, installation view.
Anish Kapoor, ‘Untitled,’ stainless steel, 2007, installation view.

There aren’t many artworks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that could be described primarily as ‘fun.’  Anish Kapoor’s ‘Untitled’ from 2007 falls into that category by creating a surprising visual experience as tiny, polished stainless steel tiles on a concave form reflect viewers’ images as a blurry multitude of shapes.  London-based Kapoor’s best known works in the US (Chicago’s Cloud Gate, for example) make viewers aware of their surroundings.  At the Met, Kapoor’s piece is surprisingly intimate and thoroughly amusing.  (On view in the 2nd floor Modern and Contemporary Art Galleries).

Alighiero Boetti at the Museum of Modern Art

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Alighiero Boetti, installation view at the Museum of Modern Art, Aug, 2012.
Alighiero Boetti, installation view at the Museum of Modern Art, Aug, 2012.

Alighiero Boetti’s gorgeous installation in the MoMA’s atrium defies Sol LeWitt’s oft-quoted 1967 remark about conceptual art that ‘all of the planning and decisions [for a work of art] are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair.’ In ‘Mappa’ from the 70s and 80s (on the back wall) and kilims from 1993 (in the foreground) Boetti commissioned his artwork from Afghan craftswomen, ensuring that execution shares the spotlight with conceptual content while recalling Minimalist seriality and Jasper Johns’ proto-Pop.