TheHamptons.com

From a week or so before Thanksgiving through the 1st of the new year, no matter how you feel about THE HOLIDAYS, one way to look at this time of year is, well…to look at it. For those of us fortunate enough to live on the East End with close proximity to the city we are literally deluged by beautiful spectacles.

Starting my saunter along to the museums I walked up Fifth to the Met to find two glorious shows. The first, a survey of the Met’s highly extensive Dutch collection ” The Age of Rembrandt”. What makes this show so special is that rather than featuring the work of only the big guns, it includes lesser known artists of the same time, such as Pieter de Hooch, Hals and Van Ruisdaael. One of my favorites was the “interior of the old church in Delft” by Emanuel de Witte. This experience should hot you up some for the beginning of the season.

Next, I have to admit I was a bit forced to my next stop, by an old friend and an ex pat of the Warhol crowd. I’ve never had the slightest bit of interest in tapestries. Naively thinking unicorns, tapestries of the Baroque came as one big shock. These things are more Stephen Speilberg than King Arthur’s court. They really are as near to special effects as you could shoot in the 17th century. SEE THEM - they’ll be there through Jan 6th.

Grazing down Madison buying Nothing, I shuttled into the Whitney for 2 award winners. First I went to Lawrence Weiner: AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE. Well I wouldn’t say that exactly…as far as I could see, this comes under the heading of poetry on a wall and could be more aptly described as AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN READ but what do I know?…which is probably what you say to yourself a lot when in galleries and museums nowadays - not to in any way denigrate this guy’s intention…listen he was one of the founders of conceptual art in the 60s and for those of you not up on your Foucalt, these guys were way ahead of every little installational thought. Oh I don’t know, I’m still getting over the Xmas pudding! There’s a lot of good existentialist thinking in there but let’s go down a floor or 2 to see a girl who REALLY HAS SOME OPINIONS.

I was thrilled touched and dare I say downright moved to tears by the work of Kara Walker. Somehow this time in this setting, after having come in from sub-zero land on the 3rd floor, it was inspiring to see work by someone where you don’t leave thinking, “whatever”. For Kara Walker everything is not beautiful in its own way…and she does not treat you to a compendium of bodily fluids or modern day shenanigans thrown all over the floor to prove her point. With no trickery at all, effortlessly, you will find yourself sickened and horrified and in love with the art she employs to make you feel that way. Both these retrospectives, back to back, give an overall view of the complicated state this world is in. On a lighter note though they’d probably hate this quick thumbs up to those two Tobias twins at the Modern. Love that room.

My last Christmas NYC wish is that anybody who hasn’t seen the homage to Tony Duquette in the Bergdorf Goodman’s Christmas windows is missing a total visual high. See these at dusk and you won’t need presents. Well not as many at any rate.

The week after Christmas I went to the Parrish and saw Alan Shields [1944-2005] “stirring up the waters”. This is work that will be familiar to you if you live out here as Mr. Shields was a resident of Shelter Island who formed a type of painting/sculpture with a big nod to textiles and beading. That’s a poor description but I’m pleased to say that these large statements defy explanation. Gosh I guess they were meant to be seen and just have the viewer get what she or he gets. Lastly, Sara Nightingale will continue to be open with shows thru the winter. The one up now, Chick Flicks is a winner group show, but the stuff she chooses almost always is.

Happy New Year, don’t believe anything but your own eyes. DF