On view until November 21, Double Play presents all new work by pioneering American artist John Baldessari. Combing art historical icons, Baldessari has created a series o paintings on canvas that aim "to make the unimportant important." Song titles from the likes of Tom Waits mingle with the visual fragments Baldessari pulls from sources ranging from the 18th to the 20th century, prompting exploration of the objects double life. This is about, as much as anything, an art historical test…and, making work that appears similar to, but functions apart from, the average Hallmark Card.
As such, the show is both wildly entertaining and intellectually challenging. In short, a double win.
Marian Goodman Gallery, 24 West 57th Street, New York
