Union Square - The Andy Monument

Today (and for the next six months or so), Andy Warhol finds himself immortalized in Union Square Park among some pretty impressive company. Grab lunch at the Greenmarket (on Mon., Wed., Fri. and Sat. only), and gaze upon The Andy Monument. Created by Rob Pruitt, it’s a 10-foot-tall chrome Warhol, and it’s great. I mean, it’s chrome! It’s Warhol circa 1977 in his Levi’s and sport coat, carrying a Polaroid camera and a Bloomingdale’s “medium brown bag.” It is also seeped in allusions, like how he toted around paper bags full of Interview Magazine issues and how the walls of his Factory (which at one point occupied 33 Union Square West) were lined in tin foil. Even if you’re not in the know, The Andy Monument will just make you smile. 

As you cross the northern side of the park, look up among the towering trees and you’ll find a bronze Abraham Lincoln, sporting a similar hairstyle to Mr. Warhol’s and standing high on a massive granite pedestal. The Union League commissioned this monument after Lincoln’s assassination, and it’s a very cool example of how American artists like Henry Kirke Brown (the sculptor here) took their classical training and layered on some American realism.

Continuing clockwise around the park there is the Marquis De Lafayette. He was a gift from the French government as a “thank you” to New York for helping Paris during the Franco-Prussian War, and he was fashioned by Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi (of Lady Liberty fame).

Probably the most recognizable monument in Union Square is George Washington on horseback. Also by Henry Kirke Brown, this statue is the oldest in the New York City Parks’ collection. Maybe that’s why they keep it featured so prominently on the southern edge of this

always-crowded park. There’s a pretty fantastic view from the 2^nd floor café in the Whole Foods across the street, which, by the way, is another good lunch option if it’s not a Greenmarket day.

Thanks to the Square’s long tradition of public protest, the Gandhi Memorial International Foundation dedicated a statue of the man himself (by Kantilal B. Patel). Just like Washington, Lafayette and Lincoln, Gandhi was devoted to defending freedom and civil rights. Thanks to a 2002 renovation, he is forever walking peacefully through Gandhi Gardens on the park’s southwest corner.

Given this rich history, (and there are even a few more monuments sprinkled in!) Mr. Warhol (and Mr. Pruitt) aught to be pretty flattered to be joining the club, if only temporarily. Plus, it’s only day one and there are already calls for the statue to be made permanent. Not bad at all!

Ingredients:

Venues: Union Square Park

Artists: Rob Pruitt; Henry Kirke Brown; Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi; Kantilal B. Patel

Streets: 14^th – 17^th Sts, Broadway/University Pl – 4^th Ave/Park Ave South

Eats: Greenmarket; Whole Foods

Map:

 

Citywide - NYC is Obsessed with Textiles

Perhaps you never thought of yourself as someone interested in textiles, but, right now, New York City is campaigning to change your mind. (After all, we are the center of the nation’s garment industry.)

At the Park Avenue Armory, the quick (5-day) exhibition, Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts, is a mind-blowing glimpse at Joanna S. Rose’s extraordinary assortment of meticulously crafted coverlets. It is the largest exhibition of quilts this city has ever seen, and it is quite a sight to behold. Don’t miss it!

For something less Colonial Plantation and more Monsieur Picasso, the Cooper-Hewitt presents fashion designs by the abstract painter, Sonia Delaunay. Delaunay worked in a variety of media including theater, film and interiors, but for Color Moves: Art and Fashion by Sonia Delaunay, the Cooper-Hewitt emphatically focused on her fashion designs from the 1920’s and 30’s. Her woven bathing suits, graphic tunics and ombre caps are fantastic, and her whimsical designs and impeccable use of color will just make you smile.

While you’re on a fashion kick, check out His & Hers at the Museum at FIT. This show explores the ever-changing perceptions of “masculine” and “feminine” dress, from ornately embroidered men's suits to the introduction of trousers for women. Throughout, the textiles are incredible.

If you’re less into wearable, usable art and more into wall art, head to MAD for Judy Chicago Tapestries: Woven by Audrey Cowan. The show imparts the super-interesting longtime collaboration of these two women. Basically, Chicago conceives of these artworks, and Cowan interprets them into thread. The entire process from sketch to finished tapestry in on view.

If NYC has successfully converted you to a textile person and you like to do it yourself, sign up for some classes: Quilting, Knitting, or Dyeing.

Ingredients:

Venues: Park Avenue Armory; Cooper-Hewitt; FIT; MAD

Artists: Various

Streets: Various

Eats: Starving (textile) artist

Map:

BRUNCH - W 25th St

Weeks later, you will find yourself daydreaming about your brunch experience at Tipsy Parson. It’s just that good. The interior is sleek-yet-warm “vintage” New York. The vibe is stylish comfort. The “Mushroom Toast” is grilled potato bread, herb ricotta, sautéed wild mushrooms and scrambled eggs. If you haven’t been yet, go now because the exciting art on W 25^th St is the perfect cure for your inevitable post-meal food coma. 

Head over to Nancy Margolis Gallery for Kim Simonsson’s Ponytail. (Travel by way of W 21^st between 9^th & 10^th Aves.  It is one of the most beautiful blocks in the city.) Simonsson’s sculptures will rock your world, while submerging you deeply in his. His, by the way, is an incredible sculptural mash-up of Disney and Anime. My favorite is the ceramic girl jumping into the puddle of gold, but I want to give a major shout out to Jean D Arc, the girl on the pedestal blowing a metallic silver bubble. Super cool. 

Presenting a more realistic look at our world, Sze Tsung Leong gives us Cities at Yossi Milo Gallery. The exhibition is full of somewhat elevated, removed panoramic views of cities, towns, villages, and landscapes. You’ll be immediately drawn in, looking for the details and nuances, wondering about the huge variety of human activity contained within these ingeniously simplified worlds. It’s hard to tear your eyes away.

For one final jolt of stimulating art, stop in Pace Gallery and let yourself get sucked in to James Sienna’s paintings. If you don’t know anything about Sienna’s technique, you’ll find comfort and order in the precise patterns of his work. If you pick up the press release and learn a bit more about him, you’ll be wowed by his self-imposed rules and dedication to the variable quality of repetition. Sienna’s paintings are surprisingly small, and you can totally understand why they would be. One would go absolutely mad working too long on such complex sequences. Then again, there’s Sienna’s 17-foot-long Sequence I, a double-sided linear, geometric, hand-printed work, which can only make you wonder…  

Ingredients:

Venues: Nancy Margolis Gallery; Yossi Milo Gallery; Pace Gallery

Artists: Kim Simonsson; Sze Tsung Leong; James Sienna

Streets: W 25th

Eats:  Tipsy Parson

Map:

E 67th St

East 67^thStreet is obsessed with textiles. McCaffrey Fine Arts presents a group show of work by Hitoshi Nomaure, Sigmar Polke and Yukinori Yanagi, which includes this incredible, massive piece by Polke, called Roter Fisch (Red Fish), made of acrylic on woven fabric. The gallery is full of exciting photography, paintings and works on paper, and the vibe throughout is surprisingly relaxed for the Upper East Side. I mean, the show is called, Works in Progress, as if the gallerists are saying, “Stop in and see what our artists have been up to!” Don’t mind if I do.

Just a few doors down, fashion labels MARNI and Isaac Mizrahi New York are presenting a whole different kind of art on textile with their Spring collections. Take a minute to browse the stunning clothes in these gorgeous shops and dream of what you might buy if you hit that $300+ Mega Millions jackpot.  (If your thoughts are drifting back to that Polke, we are so on the same page.)

Stop in the Nespresso Boutique on Madison Ave for a smaller-scale splurge and a delicious Espresso Macchiato. (Or head to their store next door for a free sample.) Only in New York... 

Now that you’re wired, zip over to Graham Gallery for Joe Fyfe’s incredible show, Wood / Cloth / Color. Fyfe collects fabrics like burlap, felt and muslin as he travels the world, and then he makes beautiful compositions with them. (You can only image what a crazy, secret hoarder he must be.) He may be best known for these textile constructions, but, I have to say, the sculptures, paintings and photos in this show are pretty fantastic, too.

Ingredients:

Venues: McCaffrey Fine Arts; MARNI; Isaac Mizrahi New York; Graham Gallery

Artists: Hitoshi Nomaure, Sigmar Polke and Yukinori Yanagi

Streets: E 67^th St; Madison Ave

Eats:  Nespresso Boutique

Map:

W 24th St

Walking into Andrea Rosen Gallery is a bit like entering the lab of a mad scientist. You are immediately struck by David Altmejd’s beautiful/grotesque sculptures. Not only are they standing freely throughout the gallery, but they are dug into and built out of its walls. Still, these haunting sculptures take a back seat to Altmejd’s vast Plexiglas works in the center of the room. Their detail is awesome. You could spend a very long time peering into them, and the longer you do the more you will find. Hand-painted strings have been painstakingly threaded through tiny holes, suggesting the complex nervous systems of the behemoth structures. In some cases they form gorgeous flowers. Honestly, I can't even begin to describe half of the things going on here. You've got to see this for yourself. Beyond these two showstoppers, Altmejd placed smaller works all around the gallery (even 2 spools of thread way up on the rafters), making you feel like you might very well be one tiny part of a much larger Plexiglas cube. 

 

As if you needed further reminding of the vastness of our universe, photographer Michael Benson presents the cosmos at Hasted Kraeutler through the end of this week. Benson has gleaned an insane amount of footage from 40+ years of NASA spaceflight and processed it into large-scale digital c-prints depicting the ultraviolet Sun, global dust storms on Mars, Saturn and its rings, Jupiter’s volcanic moon, a crescent of the Earth, and so much more. The resulting exhibition is absolutely mind blowing.

   

On a more local level, José Parlá presents a kind of “history of our neighborhoods” down the block at Bryce Wolkowitz. Having just seen Abstract Expressionists at MoMa, it's pretty clear how strong an influence those artists had on Parlá. His graffiti roots are heavily exposed, as he culls from his memory of alleyways and ‘hoods across the world (Tokyo to Havana, Istanbul to NYC). The movement of brushstrokes is frenetic, like the energy of the city itself, and the layering of collage and paint reflects the rich history of each community. It will make you appreciate your own storied town that much more.

Now that your thoughts are safely scaled back to the local level, stop by the recently opened W 23rd St & 10th Ave locations of New York Burger Co. for some American grub. 

Ingredients:

Venues: Andrea Rosen; Hasted Kraeutler; Bryce Wolkowitz

Artists: David Altmejd; Michael Benson; José Parlá

Streets: W 24^th St, 10^th & 11^th Aves

Eats: New York Burger Co

Map:

W 53rd St; W 54th St - MoMA

Generally it’s best to visit the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) on sunny days when the sculpture garden is open, but on this gloomy Monday amid the random and entirely unwelcome snowflakes, MoMA is a warm, dry place to duck in to on your way from 5^th Ave to 6th. Plus, unless you make a point of stopping in, you’ll miss the incredible Abstract Expressionist New York exhibition, and that would be tragic.

MoMA is giant. It’s easy to get sucked in for hours and hours of enrichment and pleasure. The winding galleries, the long hallways, the open view from the atrium luring you up to the higher floors…it’s designed for you to stay for a while. Don’t lose focus! You’re on your lunch break. You have one hour or less. Plus, there’s a ridiculous amount of incredible things to see on the fourth floor alone. (By now you’ve missed the auxiliary shows on the 2^nd and 3^rd floors, which closed February 28th, so you only have to tackle floor 4.) There are paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs, and archival materials.  There are de Kooning, Krasner, Newman, Pollock, Rothko and Smith. There’s so much to see! 

Also, there’s this remarkable work by Ad Reinhardt titled Abstract Painting. Years ago my dad and I were visiting the MoMA, standing in front of this very painting, and a complete stranger approached. He leaned in and said to us, “You know the story behind this painting? The model showed up and said, ‘I’m feeling a little shy. Do you mind if we turn off the lights?’”

If you have the time, enjoy the lunch and the view from Terrace 5. If not, head over to 6^thPret A Manger. Ave and grab a delicious, fresh sandwich from

 

Ingredients:

Venues: Museum of Modern Art

Artists: Abstract Expressionists

Streets: 53^rd St; 54^th St; 5^th & 6^th Aves

Eats: Terrace 5; Pret A Manger

Map:

BRUNCH - Time Warner Center

Wipe that incredulous look off your face! I’m telling you, there is inspiration to be found at the Time Warner Center. First of all, there are always the views of Columbus Circle and Central Park from the higher floors. Then there’s the ginormous (and tempting!) Fernando Botero sculptures. And now, thanks to a collaboration with Galerie Elysees, there is an extraordinary exhibition throughout the mall of rare original artwork by Salvador Dalí. These 18 sculptures and 40+ drawings, watercolors, collages and studies of paintings have never been seen in New York before, and they are seriously worth a look. Those famous melting clocks have an entirely novel effect in 3-D.

 While you’re here at the ol’ TWC, treat yourself to brunch at Bouchon Bakery. Chef Thomas Keller is a master of French cuisine, so you can’t go wrong with the quiche du jour or tartine au thon. My fave, though, is the tomato soup & grilled cheese sandwich (san marzano tomato soup with grilled fontina & gruyère cheese on pain au lait. YUM!). Don’t have the time to sit down for a leisurely meal? Swing by their take-away window, and make sure you throw in a Nutter Butter cookie for dessert. It’s two peanut butter cookies sandwiching creamy peanut butter filling, and it’s beyond good. 

Ingredients:

Venues: Time Warner Center

Artists: Salvador Dalí

Streets: Broadway, 58^th – 60^th Sts

Eats: Bouchon Bakery

Map:

Wooster St; Greene St

If you think about photography as it’s own unique language, then you can imagine that translating that language into another, say drawing, inevitably results in an interpretation rather than a direct conversion. This, to me, it what makes the group show at The Drawing Center right now so riveting. Drawn from Photography gives you snapshots and news media photography repurposed as intricate, beautiful, haunting drawings. Most of the subject matter has a sociopolitical bent (like Frank Shelby’s exquisite Light Blue Riot), and somehow taking us as viewers one degree further from the original allows us a newfound freedom to think about it. Not to mention the amount of patience and precision this work must take!

Ewan Gibbs works with pencil on graph paper and uses the familiar imagery of tourist attractions to lure you in. Then, once you’re hooked, take a close look at how he builds the image. From afar, you would have never guessed.

Where the draftsmen at The Drawing Center sort of remove you from their source content, Mark Morrisroe’s intimate, raw work puts you right in the heart of his vibrant, dramatic existence. His extraordinary photography, at Artists Space until May, is interesting both for its diary-like revelation and its manipulated form. Morrisroe captured his friends and lovers in such a casual, natural way, yet he often colored, painted and wrote on his prints and tinkered with his negatives.  I’m felt feeling like he’s presenting the truth he wants me to believe, not the whole true. Plus, I’m dying to know more about his tragically short life. Thank goodness for smartphones and Wikipedia! 

For a whole different kind of lunch stop in Café Café for a latte and a delicious sandwich or Ruben’s Empanadas for some truly inspired take-out. Ruben’s has been doing them up right since 1975, and now you can even choose whole-wheat dough!

Ingredients:

Venues: The Drawing Center; Artists Space

Artists: D-L Alvarez, Andrea Bowers, Fernando Bryce, Sam Durant, Ewan Gibbs, Karl Haendel, Richard Forster, Serkan Ozkaya, Emily Prince, Frank Selby, Paul Sietsema, Mary Temple, and Christian Tomaszewski; Mark Morristoe

Streets: Wooster St; Greene St; Broome St

Eats: Café Café; Ruben’s Empanadas 

Map:

W 21st St

Nick van Woert’s show at Yvon Lambert is full of super cool things. A sculptor with a clear passion for architecture and history, van Woert’s treatment of found sculptures will set your mind reeling in a new and wholly unique way. I am obsessed with this series of busts tucked in the back room of the gallery. The way he pours colored polyurethane over upturned plaster busts and then presents them upright in a proud display of their mutilation is just awesome…and the way the plastic is varying degrees of transparent… and the way the original sculpture is still visible through the drips from the side…wow. Plus, that’s just one portion of the show. There is much more to see.

Across the street at 571 Projects, Dorothy Simpson Krause has a more metaphysical approach to architecture. She infuses empty doorways and windows with layers and layers of images (using monoprint and emulsion transfers) leaving an almost eerie feeling. It’s that feeling of walking into an abandoned house, like, “there was so much life lived in this place.” I have to say, emulsion transfers in general are so interesting to me. The way the artist can trap solid particles in liquid and transfers that combo onto a surface to make an image. The science of that is just incredible.

 While on W 21^st, stop for a coffee and nosh at Three Tarts (I adore their savory sea salt and black pepper biscotti), and on your way there, poke your head into Anna Kustera Gallery for some greasers. The guys featured in Karlheinz Weinberger’s Halbstarke to Bikers in Color exude total commitment to their rebel culture, which is presented here as a kind of time capsule. As Ponyboy says in The Outsiders (quoting Robert Frost, of course), “Nothing gold can stay.” Hopefully, though, someone is taking pictures.  

Ingredients:

Venues: Yvon Lambert; 571 Projects; Anna Kustera

Artists: Nick van Woert; Dorothy Simpson Krause; Karlheinz Weinberger

Streets: W 21sth St, 10th & 11th Aves

Eats: Three Tarts

Map:

 

E 92nd St - The Jewish Museum

Thank you, Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World), for bucking this chilly, stuporous “spring forward” Monday with your vibrant colors and whimsical style. Ms. Kalman is, in a way, living the ultimate Inspirational Lunch by taking the time every day for observation, creativity, reflection and joy. Her drawings reflect a somehow fanciful reality, optimistic and melancholic all at once. It’s as if she wants to remember every single happy, sad, significant, commonplace detail of her life before it’s lost. This exhibition, at The Jewish Museum through July, is a fascinating glimpse into an extraordinary mind, and it hits especially close to home right now. I mean the world is CRAZY right now. And, as if the drawings aren’t enough of a hook, the show includes incredible photography, textiles, collected objects and more.

On your way out, stop by the Houdini exhibit, which is closing this month. Since you’re there, might as well…

Given the neighborhood, you’d expect your lunch money to be stretched pretty thin, but don’t worry, your savior is right down the block. Yura on Madison is the perfect stop for quick nourishment whether you favor healthy salads or hearty meatloves.  Plus, it’s totally reasonable. Since I can’t stop thinking about the perfect loaf of pumpernickel in Ms. Kalman’s Herring and Philosphy Club, I will be having that. 

Ingredients:
Venue: The Jewish Museum
Artists: Maira Kalman; Houdini
Streets: E 92nd St; 5th Ave; Madison Ave
Eats: Yura on Madison
Map:

BRUNCH - Bowery

Hooray for weekend brunch, my absolute favorite meal! Indulge in the Continental Pastry Basket and Frittata Caprese at Gemma. The atmosphere is so refreshingly unrushed, you’ll unabashedly stay to have an extra refill of their delicious coffee. Then head down the Bowery to the New Museum. If you have an extra minute, stop in John Derian, the enchanting home-décor shop on E 2^nd St., and have a look at the decoupage and ephemera. 

Finally, Lynda Benglis’ retrospective at the New Museum! The show spans four decades and gives you nearly every media you could imagine, from polyurethane to paper to video. I have to say I always feel a bit strange entering a retrospective of an artist I haven’t heard of (should I also feel embarrassed to admit I hadn’t heard of her?). Well, her sculptures are remarkable at creating life and movement and volume. They really are a “must see.” The highlight for me is Phantom, a series of oozing glow-in-the-dark sculptures that seem to float in mid air.  I found myself whistling the theme song to Ghostbusters and wondering if the guy who designed Slimer was influenced by this work. Hmmm. 

 

  Personally, I can’t spend too much time in museums, so I’m ready to move on, but, if you’re game, stay to see George Condo: Mental States and stop by the museum shop for some unique New York swag. Then be sure to stop by Salon 94. There’s a small collection of fountains by Ms. Benglis, a bit of extra credit for the gold star you earned at the museum. These speak directly to and still offer a great contrast to the museum’s homework.  

 These are great but not the reason I’ve been desperate to stop in Salon 94. That reason is Laurie Simmons The Love Doll: Days 1-30. Ms. Simmons, who usually works on a much smaller scale with Barbies and miniatures, this time photographed life-size, ridiculously realistic looking love dolls fresh from Japan. The results are mesmerizing. These photographs play tricks on you. There’s a rich life surrounding the woman who is their subject, but there is no life in her eyes. It’s kind of creepy and completely amazing.  

Ingredients:
Venues: New Museum; Salon 94
Artists: Lynda Benglis; Laurie Simmons
Streets: Bowery
Eats: Gemma
Map: