Hello there. This is GTC signing in for an infrequent chat about art and the people who make it the visceral experience we all share.
QUESTION: Name a gallery/gallerist who helped shape what we define as 20th Century contemporary art?
ANSWER: Leo Castelli (1907-1999) and his gallery, which he opened in lower Manhattan in the mid-1950's. I strongly recommend "Leo and His Circle: The Life of Leo Castelli" by Annie Cohen-Solal. This lively account of Mr. Castelli's family's flight from Europe and his re-establishing himself in NYC is definitely a journey worth reading about. Mr. Castelli came to be respected as an "arbiter" of taste and a man with a divining rod as to which artists would be the next trend ... definitely talents worth honing in the second half of the 20th century.
QUESTION: Name a curator whose exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum in 1970 entitled New York Painting and Sculpture: 1940-1970 created a never-before-experienced impact on the art world?
ANSWER: Henry Geldzahler. The DVD aptly titled "Who Gets to Call it ART?" directed by Peter Rosen explores "a wild ride" through the 1960's New York art world as seen through Henry's eyes. I strongly recommend this DVD as well because it, too, offers the viewer an intimate glimpse of this very private world ... the legendary artists who inhabited the Cedar Bar until the wee hours of the morning [mainly because the heat had been turned off in their lofts and the good old Cedar was warm and toasty]. Artists the likes of DeKooning, Klein, Stella, Chamberlain and dozens more. A great viewing experience.
Let me know if you have questions or discussions you want to enter into concerning New York's role in the evolution of the great art we experience today in our museums and galleries.
Signing off ... GTC... and a raised paw to you too.
2 comments:
George-The-Cat wasted no time in making an appearance without any explanation as to her origins...Great information sources, especially the DVD.
Hello Stephen.
Many thanks for enquiring as to GTC's history. GTC spent a great many years on the Lower East Side of Manhattan gathering details re trends in the art world ... and, in fact, GTC is somewhat of an art snob. More details to follow concerning GTC.
J.
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