Contemporary Art: Richard Taittinger - A New Gallery On Lower East Side, New York

(Drivebycuriosity) - New York`s Lower East Side was once the slum of the metropolis, filled with sweat shops; now the neighborhood is one of the fanciest districts of the metropolis and a symbol for gentrification. A legion of bars, pubs & restaurants and flocks of drunk college kids gave LES the image of a party mile.

But the LES also has an artsy and attractive side: More than one hundred art galleries choose to be in ths area thanks to more affordable rents - and their number is growing fast. In the recent years LES became a contender to Chelsea where usually the big classy art dealers reside. On LES you can find a lot of tiny galleries, often specializing  in experimental works from newcomers. But the situation is changing.

This week the LES art scene got a newcomer: Richard Taittinger Gallery, owned and founded by a heir of the French Champagne empire Taittinger (at 154 Ludlow St. taittinger). The new gallery, which specializes in the works of mid-career artists, occupies 5,000-square-foot 154 in a space formerly used by the music venue the Living Room (bloomberg). The Wall Street Journal praises the 20-foot-high ceilings which allow Taittinger to present large-scale museum-quality works (wsj). One "veteran art reporter" called the place "perhaps the best-lit gallery" he ever had seen (observer).

Yesterday my wife and I attended their Taittinger`s opening reception. Unfortunately that evening New York´s weather showed her naughty side. Snow, sleet & icy rain made the streets slippery which seemed to reduce the number of visitors. As we arrived shortly after 6pm the crowd was much thinner than usual. But we enjoyed the event anyway.

The show is called "Sinthome" (through March 29). I like the mixture of paintings & sculptures and the blend of different styles and ideas. I think the combination is well done and reflects the exquisite taste of the owner. It also wakes the appetite for the coming exhibitions.

Above this paragraph you can see "Antaktopia" by the Ukrainian artist Alexander Ponomarev, who lives and works in Moscow (2011, Graphite on navigational maps  40.15 x 31.49 in (102 x 80 cm)(ponomarev).




                                                      Sewing Course For Elephants

This work is called "I'm as close to you as your eyelashes" by Haluk Akakce (2015, Acrylic on wood panel, 95.27 x 59.45 in (242 x 151 cm) (haluk).   

Here another painting by Haluk Akakce, named "Sewing course for Elephants" (2015, Acrylic on wood panel    30.32 x 24.01 in (77 x 61 cm).   

The French artist Théo Mercier named this sculpture "Oeufs de Paques" (2015, Ceramic, concrete    30.71 x 19.68 in (78 x 50 cm)   (theo-mercier).

The Chinese artist Wang Du created the sculpture above this paragraph, called "Weather Report (2007, Resin, acrylic   47.24 x 72.83 x 57.09 in (120 x 185 x 145 cm) (wang-du).  

Théo Mercier, the creator of these masks,  called his collection "Damoiseaux d'Avignon" (2015, Wood, PVC   88.19 x 150 x 24.01 in (224 x 381 x 61 cm).   


I am looking forward to the coming exhibitions.



PS. The pictures are taken with a point-and-shoot camera (Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7) which doesn`t get the images perfectly. If you go to the gallery you will get a much better impression.