Queue-sama
You’re never more than six feet into the world of a work by Yayoi Kusama, apparently. We’re kidding, but Kusama fans will enjoy dealer David Zwirner’s display of new sculptures and paintings on display at his 19th Street gallery in New York City. Everyone is clamoring, of course, to find out the dazzling news Infinity Mirror Room piece Dreaming of the sphericity of the Earth, I would offer my love (2023). However, don’t despair if you haven’t purchased a ticket yet. “We will have a second ‘skip the line’ opportunity at the end of June when 200 randomly selected people – via email registrations – will be invited to a private viewing of the exhibition,” a gallery spokesperson said. So, no queue for Kusama for a handful of luck.
Mark Handforth’s new public sculpture celebrates Barnett Newman
© Mark Handforth, Courtesy the artist and Luhring Augustine, New York, Photo: Farzad Owrang
Tribute to four midable
Gallery-goers in Tribeca this week will be struck by a neon-colored addition to the Barnett Newman Triangle, the traffic corner at the intersection of Church and White streets, which Newman’s studio overlooked. Sculptor Mark Handforth’s new work on the site, Franklin Street Four (2023), is a large metal cylinder twisted to form the number four. It’s finished in bright pink, an allusion to the hue of Dan Flavin’s 1971 portrait of Newman in fluorescent lights (now in the SFMoMA’s permanent collection). Handforth’s tribute runs until November; his solo exhibition across the street at Luhring Augustine continues through July 28.
Dealer Larry Gagosian failed in a paddle duel on this Basquiat
Courtesy of Christie’s Images Ltd.
Basquiat bidding war – take two?
At Christie’s 21st Century Art Evening Sale on Monday evening (May 15), the featured lot was the monumental by Jean-Michel Basquiat El Gran Espectaculo (The Nile) (1983), which sold for $58 million ($67.1 million including fees) after a five-minute bidding war between several potential buyers. The underbidder was later revealed to be mega-dealer Larry Gagosian, who worked with Basquiat before the artist’s tragic death in 1988. The eight-figure price makes The Big Show the fourth most valuable work by Basquiat ever sold at auction. Rival auction house Sotheby’s will offer its own large-scale Basquiat when It is time (1985) goes on sale Thursday (May 18), estimated at $30 million.
