Side shows

Art Basel Miami Beach Fair is also about all the side shows. A visit of the Wyndwood Art District is a must.
With limited time, one has to be selective. The oldest fair, Art Miami is located in the District, with Red Dot and and Pulse across in temporary tents.

For the occasion, the neighborhood is transformed into a giant parking lot and local artists are creating a festive atmosphere with music and performers. However, the decorations along the streets cannot hide the blight of the neighborhood, a conglomerate of soulless buildings surrounded by overgrown grass. The graffiti which have generated so much publicity for the area can be seen when driving by, they appear rehearsed and lack spontaneity.

The highlight of the day was the visit of the Margulies Collection. Arriving in front of the building, I thought the GPS had gone crazy...but, first surprise, the graceless warehouse with a few wood benches in front, right across a footwear and human hair/beauty supply center, on this abandonned street was it. More was to come going through the door. De Kooning's giant sculpture "Seated Woman" was standing at the entrance, tormented, loud against the white anonymous wall. Being able to measure the sculpture and feel the physical presence of such a work is an experience that no other venue could provide.

The wide space in the main area allowed the display of gigantic sculptures, giving them their full impact, like pieces from Donald Judd, George Segal, Frank Stella, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Tony Smith, which found a volume for their sizes. The second floor, like a mezzanine allowed a skyview of some of the works and more displays like "Home Sweet Home, 2004, from Ronald Moran, "To Be Titled", 2005, from Jacqueline Humphries among others. A sizable area is also reserved for works from local artists, still unknown.

A small fee was collected at the entrance to support a local women shelter.

A great collection which includes 4500 works of art...

photographs by the author:

"Seated Woman" de Kooning, 1969-1981

"Bene Come il Sale" Frank Stella, 1984-85

"Untitled" Donald Judd, 1979

From Rotterdam to America

The book about Willem de Kooning, "de Kooning, An American Master" by Mark Stevent and Annalyn Swan is thick with approximately 700 pages , including forty chapters, notes, old photographs in black and white, documentation, index and 21 color reproductions of his works from 1921 to 1987 to illustrate the different periods of his production.The life of de Kooning is so filled during its 94 years, the authors had to divide it in periods. Starting with "Holland" narrating his youth followed by "The Immigrant" with the arrival and establishment of the artist in his new country. This leads to "Recognitions" and ultimately his dream becoming true "An American Master". He then moves to the "Springs" starting a new chapter of his life ending with "Twilight".

The book is enthralling with everyday stories about de Kooning and other artists which enlighten the bigger story, the birth of abstract expressionism in New York. I can visualize the artists, understand their interactions like it happened yesterday. I can walk Downtown in NYC and find the places where it happened, the bars, galleries, hanging around artists studios. The reporting is a direct account and the sources are well recorded at the end of the book. De Kooning, rootless, trying to establish himself in America, the evolving friendships with Gorky, Franz Kline, Soutine and in the process, the history of American art told through a captivating story.

It takes an Olympian flavor, with the artist climbing to fame, his struggles, his apogee and then, the slow downfall, unavoidable from alcoholism and dementia. It brings the full dimension of the artist whose legacy takes a historical significance.
De Koooning who travelled to America as a stowaway on a British freighter would love the title "An American Master". The book won a Pulitzer Prize and The National Book Critics Award.

Till January, the MoMA presents de Kooning: a Retrospective .

photograph Wikipedia