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| Charles LeDray Mini - Sculpture at The Whitney |
AT THE WHITNEY MUSEUM OF ART
“workworkworkworkwork”
by Charles LeDray
by Charles LeDray
One day last month I walked into the Whitney Museum on Madison Ave. in NYC, without knowing what I was going to see. I stepped off the elevator into the giant foyer of a gallery and in front of me was a line of miniature hats hung uncomfortably high on the wall. Forty-five minutes later I left the "whole floor" exhibition with my jaw on the floor. I was flabbergasted and exhausted by the amount of work that went into the "work" of New York artist Charles LeDray.
Originally from the Seattle area, the fifty-year-old artist makes small objects, mostly clothes. He constructs everything completely by himself including all of the accessories which accompany the clothes, like the hanging rack, the clothes hangers, the wall hooks, work bench, tools, etc. all perfectly recreated. Many pieces are constructions made up of multiple pieces of clothing, looking to make a statement. The artist himself is reclusive and explains nothing about his art.
Charles LeDray learned to sew at age four and the foundation of his art all started when he wanted an antique stuffed bear and just made a miniature replica for himself. So impressive are his constructions, that his break in the art world came while he worked as an art handler for a gallery, he simply showed a curator one of his pieces and she immediately put that piece in a group show and his career took off.
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| At the Whitney Bookstore http://www.shopwhitney.org/ |
It speaks volumes that what many consider a "craft" like "sewing", essentially doll's clothes, brought the very picky curators of the Whitney to mount this major exhibition. There is substance and commentary in every one of his handmade "fabric sculptures" and to fill a whole floor of this museum with so much art production of miniature objects is beyond impressive. The title of the show “workworkworkworkwork” is appropriate. In a time when many of the most important contemporary artists are acting only as conceptual directors with their studios doing the actual painting and sculpting work for them, it is refreshing to see so much precise and difficult art being done by one set of hands, especially since the essence of this work is conceptual.
Most people are impressed by this show but if you are the type of person who is fascinated by words being written on a grain of rice, this show is a must see for you! When you think about it art is often about scale, either extremely large or extremely small.
“Charles LeDray: workworkworkworkwork” is on exhibition until Feb. 13 at the Whitney Museum of American Art, 945 Madison Avenue, @ 75th Street; (212) 570-3600, www.whitney.org
“Charles LeDray: workworkworkworkwork” is on exhibition until Feb. 13 at the Whitney Museum of American Art, 945 Madison Avenue, @ 75th Street; (212) 570-3600, www.whitney.org
ARTS / MUSIC
Joy to the World!
Enjoy High Brow Classical Christmas Music this Christmas Season Anywhere in the World!
New York' s WQXR is streaming uninterrupted classical Christmas music just for you. Go to www.wqxr.org click on Pop-out audio player then click on Special in the Upper right corner of the blue box and you will arrive at WQXR's Holiday Channel - a 24-hour stream dedicated to classical Christmas favorites. You can have this playing in the background of your computer while you work, keeping your spirits bright.
I DID NOT KNOW THAT!
While researching this story, I heard an interesting little advert before the music started on WQXR, which showcased Julliard's adult music classes. I didn't realize adults could study music at Julliard (Julliard Evening Division). It is never too late to follow your passion!
Julliard, as you probably know, is considered one of the best music conservatory educations for classical music in the world. For undergraduate and masters degree students, it is one of the most selective and sought after schools for musical instruction. http://www.juilliard.edu/about/history.html
FOOD
NEED A MIRACLE?
A LAST MINUTE DINNER PARTY
for an impromptu holiday gathering.
Last night a group came to our home for a dinner / meeting. Hum, how to basically throw a small dinner party at the last minute?
Solution: a quick trip to the grocery to create a salad bar at home. To set up, get a large bowl, combine a box of spring mix salad with a box of baby arugula salad, toss and put to the side with serving tongs. Next place a stack of plates and around the edge of those plates put spoons in small bowls filled with shredded cheese, yellow cherry tomatoes, croutons, dried cranberries, ringlets of red onion, diced mushrooms, sunflower seeds and some cubed precooked chicken breasts strips. Dress up a bottled, but too thick, Asian salad dressing with some Japanese rice vinegar, olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar, mix well in a gravy boat. Buy a quality fruit tart for dessert, open a bottle of wine and you are done. People love personalizing this nutty, crunchy salad (it IS tasty) and you have a dinner party in less than 30 minutes, no cooking! Happy Holidays!
A few extra gift ideas:
Pollock No. 10 Tie
Item: 45230 Price: $48.00
Number 10, 1949
Former Title: Number 10, 1949
Jackson Pollock, American, 1912–1956
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
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