Step into “Third Dimension” at new East Village show
BY BOB KRASNER
After the blockbuster Jean-Michel
Basquiat show that announced
the presence of the Brant Foundation
on East 6th St., the nonprofit
organization has taken a step back to
present a quieter show, “Third Dimension:
Works From the Brant Foundation.”
Featuring sculptural works from the
Brant collection that they have not been
previously shown, the exhibit runs the
gamut from pop artists Warhol and
Oldenburg to inventive contemporary
figures such as Urs Fischer.
One can probably imagine Warhol
looking up at Fischer’s 20-foot-high
replica of Giambologna’s “The Rape
of the Sabine Women,” looking like
marble but cast entirely in wax, saying,
“Wow.” Who knows what his reaction
would be when the realization hit that
it, along with two other wax pieces
nearby, were burning slowly down
through a system of wicks built into the
works (probably another “wow”).
Allison Brant, director of the Brant
Foundation Art Study Center who
introduced the show to a preview
group in front of the untitled Fischer
work, estimated that it will be at least
half gone when the show ends in September
2020.
Ms. Brant noted that her father, the
formidable art collector Peter Brant,
bought one of the first light sculptures
by Dan Flavin (a similar piece is in this
“Black Tow Truck Boom”(2010) by
Nate Lowman juxtaposed with the
view of the East Village, including
two crosses.
PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER
exhibit). “This show is a demonstration
of his love of sculpture,” she explained.
“Many of the pieces are works
he has lived with.”
Mr. Brant, who could not be at the
preview, later relayed his thoughts
about the show and its relevance to the
neighborhood. “With Third Dimension
we wanted to honor the history of artists
living and working in the neighborhood,
such as the great sculptor Walter
De Maria whose studio we are so fortunate
to inhabit today,” he wrote. “With
this show, we remember the past but
also look to the future in such a culturally
rich neighborhood.”
Forty pieces — not all monumental
in scale — are split between three
floors, giving the work room to breathe.
Materials range from the minimum
— Carl Andre’s work utilizes only a
galvanized steel sheet — while Jason
Rhoades’ “Chandelier” comprises (get
ready): three wagon wheels, 18 neon
phrases, 18 colored plexiglass panels,
18 transformers, 18 “S” hooks, three
steel wires, three wooden dowels, artificial
vegetables, bells, filament, twine,
lace, copper wire, a three plug extension
cord and a power strip. Dimensions
for that piece are variable, by the
way.
East Village hero Basquiat is represented
Andy Warhol, “Del Monte Peach
Halves,” “Heinz Tomato Ketchup
Box,” “Brillo Soap Pads Box,”
“Campbell’s Tomato Juice Box,”
“Kellogg’s Cornflakes Box,” (all
1964).
PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER
by two paintings that have
sculptural elements, but they are subtle
unlike the Julian Schnabel mashup
of oil paint, plates, pots, burnt wood,
plaster, styrofoam and antlers. While
the previous show – though certainly
worthwhile intellectually — sometimes
became an Instagram selfie fest, “Third
Dimension” provides a dialogue between
styles, concepts and the decades
that gives patrons something to think
about without the carnival atmosphere
that is sometimes unavoidable in a
smash hit show.
“Third Dimension: Works From the
Brant Foundation” runs through Sept.
13, 2020. Ticket info (this one’s not
free) available at brantfoundation.org/
tickets/
View from the stairwell: Statue
at left is “The Island” (2011) by
David Altmejd. Hanging sculpture
at right is “Three-Wheel Waggon-
Wheel Chandelier” (2004) by Jason
Rhoades.
PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER
On wall: “Warm Broad Glow”(2005)
by Glenn Ligon. On floor:“8 Shoeing
Smith, Australia” (1973) by Carl
Andre.
PHOTO BY BOB KRASNER
18 November 21, 2019 Schneps Media
/brantfoundation.org
