Diane Simpson at Mitchell-Innes & Nash

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Though it looks like an earthquake-destroyed parking garage or an uprooted step-pyramid, the preppy green and soothing beige color of this sculpture by Chicago-based artist Diane Simpson suggests unblinking calm. The title, Underskirt, gives the game away, bringing to mind a crinoline for a ‘Cubie’ from the Cubist-inspired 1913 alphabet book. (At Mitchell-Innes and Nash in Chelsea through Jan 24th).

Diane Simpson, Underskirt, oil stain and acrylic on MDF with cotton mesh, 44 x 69 x 7 inches, 1986.

Thomas Houseago at Hauser & Wirth

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LA-based artist Thomas Houseago’s latest solo show marks a seismic shift from his signature, large-scale sculptures of human bodies to a huge structure that accommodates human bodies. Titled ‘Moun Room,’ a reference to his girlfriend’s first name, the piece’s geometric shapes evoke celestial bodies and art deco design while the entire structure resembles a sturdy shipping container and, paradoxically, a delicate paper lantern. (At Hauser & Wirth in Chelsea through January 17th).

Thomas Houseago, Moun Room (detail), Tuf-Cal, hemp, iron rebar, 1098.6 x 1388.1 x 365.8 cm, 2013-2014.

Angelo Filomeno at Galerie Lelong

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Italian artist Angelo Filomeno is known for making the macabre gorgeous. Here, a detail from a bright yellow silk support shows a pretty assortment of embroidered tropical fish; but decay is never far away, as evidenced by scuttling black beetles and a ravaged angelfish. (At Chelsea’s Galerie Lelong through Jan 31st).

Angelo Filomeno, detail from ‘Tropical Still Life in Yellow,’ embroidery and crystals on silk shantung stretched over linen, 78 x 39 inches, 2014.

Hilary Berseth at 11 Rivington

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How to create a universal art? Pennsylvania-based artist Hilary Berseth drew seven faces contorted by common human emotions (surprise and fear seen here) on the inside of five Platonic solids, shapes that Plato felt were key to constructing all around us. Slowly spinning in the gallery, the shapes intensify each emotion and invite a viewer to compare each to his/her own emotional state. (At Lower East Side gallery 11 Rivington through Jan 17th). 

Hilary Berseth, Installation view at 11 Rivington, December 2014.

Tullio Lombardo’s ‘Adam’ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

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In 2002, the pedestal under a rare early Renaissance sculpture by Tullio Lombardo at the Metropolitan Museum of Art buckled and the piece fell to the floor, smashing into several large pieces and hundreds of fragments. Conservators set to work on a twelve-year mission to restore Adam to his former glory as he contemplates the fruit that leads to mankind’s fall. (Through July 2015).

Tullio Lombardo, Adam, marble, c. 1490-95.