Chelsea Gallerista

Watch the video "Sometimes I think Yayoi Kusama might be the greatest artist to come out of the 1960s and one of the few, thanks in part to her long life, still making work that feels of the moment. Other times I think she’s a bit of a charlatan who produces more Kusama paintings than the world needs and stoops to conquer with mirrored “Infinity” rooms that attract hordes of selfie-seekers oblivious to her efforts on canvas."   Roberta Smith I had to open with this pithy POV re the World's Most Expensive Living Female Artist (as of last week; this week it might be  Jenny Saville ) - by New York Times art critic Roberta Smith. She's not the only one who vacillates... "Kusama is like Lion King," yawned a friend. "So much hype."  I admit to concurring, especially after witnessing first hand what some diehard purists would consider sacrilege: the iconic Phillip Johnson Glasshouse bedecked with Kusama's signature measles: That's...

Were you a Britannica kid, or a World Book kid? Who didn't love "Return of the Hunters" by Peter Breughel the Elder (lower right)?  I was definitely a WBK. With its glossy paper, very readable text and lots of images, World Book Encyclopedia was my school outside of school. Now and then I'd open a volume of Encyclopedia Britannica in the school library, but quickly close it;  its dense, scholarly text on bible-thin paper, law-book leathery binding and scant illustrations seemed to be talking to a different kid - one who was a lot smarter and didn't need coloredpictures. This is the World Book volume I pulled off the shelf most often - the P volume: I can safely say my obsession with art comes from the PAINTING section in this volume, pages 26 to 77. I'd flip back and forth through this section for hours, poring over the images, reveling in the captions. Years later, on visiting MOMA, there they were, these iconic paintings hanging larger-than-li...

My Cousin Heidi In Her Renaissance Fair Dress, 2006 [VIDEO] ChelseaGallerista meets Chris Verene at Postmasters Gallery, 2010 All photos from ChrisVerene.com except where noted IF you live in a Manhattan studio, one thing you can't collect too much of is books - especially the giant, panoramic, coffee table kind (unless you plan to use them as a coffee table). But I do own a handful: one fifth  Milton Glaser , one fifth a Picasso catalog from the Paris leg of my Damien Hirst Spot Challenge , one fifth Jan Kempenaers' Spomenik  (because you just have to). And two-fifths American documentary photographer, Chris Verene . Chris signing my treasured copies of  "Chris Verene" (2000) and "Family" (2010),  beautifully produced by Twin Palms Publishers. Photo by a friendly bystander.  I met Chris at his show at Postmasters Gallery on the auspicious date of 10/10/10. I already owned two of his books: Chris Verene (2000) and Family (2010). On op...