Home
Museums
Back Issues
Membership
Local and Global Media Praise International
By Ellen S. Wilson
“A feast for the eyes”
Dave Crawley, KDKA
“Water, sand and even spices are being used to reach all the viewers
senses at this International.”
Nina Pineda, WTAE
“What ties this exhibition together so well . . . is Grynsztejns
particular state-of-the-arts vision.”
Mary Thomas, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“Coolly elegant, a quiet revelation”
Graham Shearing, Pittsburgh Tribune Review
“One of its pleasures is in how the Carnegie seems the perfect place
for artists who have sometimes come from half a world away.”
Chris Potter, Pittsburgh City Paper
The local media approached the Carnegie
International with a slew of thoughtful, and thought-provoking, reviews.
It is revealing, however, to see what the out-of-towners had to say about
our cultural treasure. Londons Art Newspaper describes the International
in glowing terms: “It rewards even the most casual visitor with a series
of rich, revelatory pleasures which create a tonic argument for the continued
relevance of contemporary art.” The article singles out the paintings of
Alex Katz, the Sculpture Court installation by Olafur Eliasson, Ernesto
Netos fabric structure, and says, “This show demonstrates that installation
art must be impeccably installed if it is to be effective. And the hanging,
spacing and detailed presentation is indeed exemplary.”
Many other critics praised the installation decisions made by Madeleine
Grynsztejn and the museum staff. Roberta Smith, in The New York Times,
noted the juxtaposition of Netos structure with the paintings of nudes
by John Currin, “smiling, teasing, refusing to be deciphered.” Writing
in Time Out: New York, Bill Arning cited Eliassons “wonderfully contemplative
piece made all the more profound by its proximity to Katzs paintings,”
and concludes that “Grynsztejns International is a good example of how
to do a megashow right.”
The placement of Martin Kippenbergers The Happy End of Franz Kafkas
“Amerika” in the grand setting of the Hall of Sculpture also drew praise,
as did Kara Walkers stark silhouettes of ante-bellum race relations in
that same hall, which was originally inspired by the ideals of Western
culture.
Torontos Globe and Mail pronounced the exhibition “a must-see for contemporary
art lovers,” and the show played especially well in Cleveland, where both
the Plain Dealer and the Free Times gave it a rave. To quote critic Steven
Litt of the Plain Dealer: “The show is big, energetic, and optimistic.
It sends you away feeling elated about the creative possibilities of the
new century. And its not afraid of beauty.”
Get ready for “the metal of the future”
Aluminum by Design: Jewelry to Jets opens October 28, 2000
Get ready for “the metal of the future: aluminum” Desk Lamp, 1930.
When aluminum was first produced in the mid-19th
century, it was crafted into jewelry and more highly prized than diamonds
and gold. Towards the end of the 19th century, an electrolytic
process for obtaining this new metal enabled the first truly industrial
and commercial production of aluminum, dropping its price dramatically
and leading to many new uses.
Organized by Carnegie Museum of Art, this major international loan exhibition
demonstrates the history of aluminum through a wide range of objects including
cars, furniture, household objects, clothing, jewelry, and more. Aluminum
revolutionized the home, transportation, and modernist design, and is inextricably
linked to Pittsburghs own history, although an aluminum industry did develop
simultaneously in Europe. An early advocate was Emperor Napoleon III of
France, who recognized its potential for military use. Designers, artists,
and architects who appreciated its qualities include Charles Christofle,
René Lalique, Buckminster Fuller, Marcel Breuer, and Philippe Starck.
“Visitors to the show will be astounded by how widely aluminum has been
used,” says Sarah Nichols, chief curator and curator of decorative arts.
“It was the metal of the future in the 1850s, and it still is today.”
After closing in Pittsburgh in February 2001, the exhibition will travel
to the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York as well as other
centers of innovative design in the United States, Montreal, and London.
Aluminum by Design: Jewelry to Jets is made possible by the generous
sponsorship of Alcoa Foundation.
Take an Aluminum Pen in Hand
In anticipation of Aluminum by Design: Jewlery to Jets, the Carnegie
Museum of Pittsburgh Art store is offering a modernistic aluminum pen for
$85. The Ergo pen was invented by California architect Charles Debbas
for maximum writing comfort; the pen is also available in plastic
for $18.
Charles Meryon, Le Stryge (The Vampire), 1855
Charles Meryon and Jean-François Millet: Etchings of Urban and Rural
19th-Century France
February 6 April 23, Scaife Galleries
Meryon wrote in a letter to his father that
he saw in this figure the personification of Lust. Known primarily
for his views of Paris, which lies in the background, Meryon drew on a
gargoyle on the north tower of Notre Dame as inspiration for this print.
Home
Museums
Back Issues
Membership
Copyright (c) 2000 CARNEGIE magazine
All rights reserved.
E-mail: carnegiemag@carnegiemuseums.org
