From its invention, artists manipulated photographs to show what the camera couldn’t capture – from moving clouds to group portraits – and to produce a more interesting composition. This unknown British artist’s photo from the 1910s in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s ‘Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop’ exhibition shows true love, if not a true image. (Through Jan 27th).
Kevin Zucker’s new paintings of resort hotels in the rain might make us feel bad for the terrible weather on his travels…if he’d actually travelled. Drawn together from various digital photos, imaginary scenes like ‘Rain (Paradise Cove Towers)’ resonate with recent work by other artists who have created ‘street photography’ from Google Street View. However, as paintings, they seem to have more gravitas, regardless of how his dot technique emphasizes digital origins. (At Eleven Rivington on the Lower East Side through Dec 22nd).
Martha Rosler’s ‘Meta-Monumental Garage Sale’ officially opens tomorrow at MoMA, allowing visitors to browse and buy second-hand clothes, furniture, home décor and more collected by the artist. Though MoMA’s major art acquisitions make headlines, buying and selling is strictly behind the scenes; here, Rosler puts consumption – the kind involving money AND aesthetics – center stage. (Though Nov 30th, opens at 12pm).
Constructed of layers of cardboard, plywood, foam and felt, Phyllida Barlow’s untitled column sculptures at Hauser & Wirth are monumental without being macho. Bright, enticing colors and soft materials humanize these minimalist stacks. (At Hauser & Wirth, 32 East 69th Street through 12/22).
Eberhard Havekost’s painting ‘Ocean’ is once again on display as Chelsea’s Anton Kern Gallery reopened today, post-Sandy. It’s a standout in a show about Havekost as artist and consumer, who transforms an enviable body (sourced from a German ad) into a mottled obstacle to the paradisiacal scene behind. (Through Dec 15th).