On Demand
The Abstract Expressionist Movement in Postwar America
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
A new exhibit at the Jewish Museum (1109 Fifth Ave. at 92nd St.), "Action/Abstraction: Pollock, de Kooning, and American Art, 1940-1976," is the first major U.S. exhibit in 20 years to rethink the Abstract Expressionist movement and its influence on art in postwar America. It's on view through September 21; Norman Kleeblatt is curator.
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Is Mr. Kleeblatt aware of the scandolous deaccession fight at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, where many of the significant pieces in this show originate. The cultural heritage of that city was sold off last spring, and it was supported by the curator who worked on this show, Douglas Dreishpoon, from the Buffalo institution. They actually violated the mission statement of the museum to sell off works going back to 13th Century BC.
I just looked through the nine paintings in your slideshow; I wouldn't want any of these hanging on my wall. It points out the somewhat arbitrary decision as to what constitutes "art".
i was wowed a few years back by the Guggenheim retrospective of early abstract painting.
i was blown away by the Whitney's Pollock retrospective.
i was sadly disappointed by the mishmash of works and themes in the current show at the Jewish Museum.
including Warhol's brilliant synthesis of abstraction and representation was a particularly embarrassing choice, because it demonstrated the degree to which abstract expressionism has turned out to be much ado about not very much.
as a commissioned work, Warhol worked with (mainly) quotidian photos of 10 Jewish greats, including Bernhardt, Einstein, Gershwin, Buber, Meir, and Freud and turned them into unforgetable images.
by contrast, the work of the abstract expressionists, though it retains a kind of quirky interest, is largely easily forgetable.
TJM and Norman L. Kleeblatt deserve almost the highest compliments, for "Action/Abstraction" exhibition! Unfortunately one artist/artwork example, is missing, which would have secured this exhibits place in art history---->MOSHE KUPFERMAN !
I recommend Curator NLK reference "MOSHE KUPFERMAN Works from 1962 to 2000--Retrospective by The Israel Museum, Jerusalem 2002", (Yona Fischer), and specifically pg.179 "UNTITLED 1969". I trust NLK would then agree, that if Moshe Kupferman were infused into this albeit ongoing exhibition---present + future viewers, would infact have been exposed to The Masters of Abstraction and Action during this period. Respectfully ---ACE 14 July 08.
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