Image via Complex Original
intro
Two things come out of the art scene of 2011. First, people still love the blockbuster show. Willingly, folks lined up for hours to catch Alexander McQueen at the MET. And, similarly, people crowded further up Museum Mile to see All of Maurizio Cattelan's work hung spectacularly at the Guggenheim.
Then, of course, there was Art In The Streets.
The exhibition, pioneering in scale, brings us (via the blockbuster) to the second noticeable trend of 2011.
Second, but perhaps most important, street art in 2011 became an undeniable force. Major museum's from coast to coast mounted exhibitions celebrating graffiti artists and muralists. Galleries in LA and NYC showed the cream of the crop. Auction gavels still struck at high prices. And, most of all, we ate it up. If 2011 was something, it was the year of street art.
Still, charming exhibitions of historical nature pleased us. As did retrospective exhibitions highlighting the work of artists we'd previously ignored. We even learned that Ice Cube is a bit of an architectural genius.
This all makes for a good, varied year in art. Busy, yes. Boring, never.
The 10 Best Art Exhibitions of 2011.
10
10. Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters: The Cone Sisters of Baltimore
Location: The Jewish Museum New York
Date: May 6 to September 25, 2011
With a collection built from the spoils of a denim empire, the Cone Sisters of Baltimore are largely responsible for introducing Matisse and Picasso to America. The exhibition, which celebrated their collection and relationship with the artists, included some stunning art… and even more staggering ephemera. We'd not seen a cool business card until we caught a glimpse of Matisse's personal calling card.
haze
9. Eric Haze: New Mathematics
Location: Known Gallery
Dates: September 17 to October 8, 2011
New Mathematics hit hard when it opened in September. It was awesome to see Haze working through explorations of his own personal vocabulary and showcasing the evolution of his brilliant handstyle. 35 paintings and 15 drawings filled Known Gallery, each functioning to share Haze's interest in the organic form and serving as a reminder of the artist's rich history in graffiti and graphic design.
cred
8. Street Cred
Location: Pasadena Museum of California Art
Dates: May 15 to September 4, 2011
Art in the Streets at MoCA was a triumph of international breadth. In contrast, Stred Cred — at nearby Pasadena Museum of California Art — succeeded by narrowing scope and celebrating the Los Angeles area's unique contributions to street art. RETNA painted the ENTIRE museum. And, well, that was just plain awesome.
quilts
7. Infinite Variety: Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts
Location: Park Avenue Armory
Dates: March 25 to 30, 2011.
For most, the idea of a quilt exhibition doesn't scream excitement. However, the stunning installation of 650 red and white quilts (all from the Joanna S. Rose collection), which dominated the Park Avenue Armory for an all too brief 5 day stretch, was an extraordinary experience.
6
6. Glenn Ligon: America
Location: Whitney
Dates: March 10 to June 5, 2011
Ligon, a New York-based artist, has explored American history, literature and society throughout his career. Glen Ligon: America, the first comprehensive survey of the artist's work, featured a staggering assemblage of roughly 100 works that share Ligon's skill in a variety of media. His landmark text-based paintings were the highlight. If you missed the show in NYC, don't worry… Ligon is rocking at LACMA now.
cattelet
5. Maurizio Cattelan: All
Location: Guggenheim
Dates: November 4, 2011 to January 22, 2012
Known as a prankster, Maurizio Cattelan doesn't disappoint with his career retrospective at the Guggenheim. More spectacle than anything else, All finds each of the assembled works hung miraculously in the building's famed rotunda. Lines have sprung around the block. Simply put, in a year of long art lines, this is the one most worth waiting in.
tattoo
4. Skin & Bones: Tattoos In The Life of the American Sailor
Location: Mystic Seaport
Dates: March 18 to September 5, 2011
Skin & Bones illuminated 200 years of tattoo history through the unique perspective of the American sailor. Smartly conceived, and full of enough captivating material to excite the inked and simply curious alike, the exhibition functioned neatly to share a wealth of tattoo tales.
parla
3. Jose Parla "Walls, Diaries, and Paintings"
Location: Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery
Dates: March 4 to April 16, 2011
Parla's a firm favorite. The 15 paintings shared at Bryce Wolkowitz served to hammer that down. Plus, the impressive site-specific installation, which included a telephone and poster shreds from Supreme's Lady Gaga campaign, brought to life the full range of Parla's influences.
pacific
2. Pacific Standard Time
Location: Various locations around Los Angeles
Dates: Ongoing through Spring 2012.
Perhaps listing Pacific Standard Time as a single exhibition is cheating. It is more an initiative, spurred by the Getty, forming an unprecedented collaboration between institutions in the greater Los Angeles area. Thanks to the collected exhibitions, we've seen Ice Cube talk about his love of the Eames. We can see Raymond Pettibon's work in full, terrifying glory. And, we can remember the craftsmanship of the great Sam Maloof.
In short, Pacific Standard Time brilliantly celebrates the artistic legacy of Southern California.
streets
1. Art in the Streets
Location: MoCA
Dates: April 17 to August 8, 2011.
Jeffery Deitch's landmark exhibition, Art in the Streets, celebrates the diversity of graffiti and street art. With aid from Roger Gastman, rich archival material balances a staggering array of large scale installation from a who's who of the street art scene—Banksy, Invader, ESPO, Mr. Cartoon, and many more. Art in the Streets both cham the achievement of and validated the latest major wave of outsider arts.
Few other exhibitions have ever received the level of buzz in our world, and for that we've got to give Deitch and crew their due respect.
