THE WORLD OF ÉCLAT

A French word meaning “dazzling brilliance,” ÉCLAT will be a window to

the world of the finest — universal and local, popular and obscure. We will
cover fine art, past and contemporary, and design, from the classical to the
eclectic. Readers will have an opportunity to discover and learn about the
finest jewelry, art, wines, and all the markers of a refined lifestyle. Nothing
will be deemed outside of our realm, as long as its design, palette, mechan-
ics, or workmanship place it amongst the elite. Emphasis will be placed on
the optimum use of design and/or technical resources rather than price.
Not only do we intend to be a beacon to items that please the eye, we will
thoroughly address the key reasons why they also please the mind. Artists
will explain the intricacies of the creative process and give insight into the
challenges they face. Galleries, museums, auction houses, boutiques, and
the people who lead them will be profiled. In every issue, our readers will
gain new insight into the most exquisite elements of the world around them.

For collectors or curators, connoisseurs or the merely curious, ÉCLAT will

offer an inside track to time-honored classics and new twists for future de-
signs. We plan to make ÉCLAT an exciting and information magazine, and
we are pleased that you are accompanying us on our initial excursion.

Prepare to be launched into the world of ÉCLAT.

CONTENTS

Picasso at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Henry Moore at the Denver Botanic Gardens
Porsche Ice-Force: Driving on a Frozen Lake

African Contemporary Art in Los Angeles

An Encaustic Journey with Maria O’Malley
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D uring the evening of May 4, the bidding was

spirited in the overflowing salesroom at Christie’s New
York auction. After almost eight minutes, five art lovers
were still in the game at $80 million; but a few moments
later, an unidentified buyer on the phone took home
Pablo Picasso’s Nude, Green Leaves and Bust for $106.5
million, a record for the most expensive work of art ever
sold at auction. The New York Times reported, “When the
canvas last changed hands, in 1951, it sold for $19,800.”
The five-foot-by-four-foot painting depicts the re-
clining nude figure of Picasso’s mistress, Marie-Thérèse
Walter, with an image of Picasso’s profile watching over
her in the background. The painting is considered to be an
exceptional example of the artist’s work created during a
high point in his career.

A LIFE FORCE!
It is apropos that the Picasso
painting caused such a stir in the art
world at the same time a landmark
exhibition, Picasso in The Metropoli-
tan Museum of Art, provides an un-
precedented opportunity to see one
Picasso at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
of the most important collections in
the world of the artist’s work. On view through August 1,
2010, the 300 works focus exclusively on the remarkable
array of works by Picasso in the Met’s collection. The ex-
hibition reveals the Museum’s complete holdings of the
artist’s paintings, drawings, sculptures and ceramics —
never before seen in their entirety — as well as a signifi-
cant number of his prints.

Top, Head of a Woman, 1909, (Vollard edition, cast date unknown), bronze, in-
cised on reverse: Picasso, Bequest of Florence M. Schoenborn, 1995, © Estate
of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Right, Man Ray, Picasso, 1933, gelatin silver print, The Metropolitan Museum
of Art, Ford Motor Comapany Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John
C. Wadell, 1987, © 2010 Man Ray Trust/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New
York/ADAGP, Paris.

Opposite page, Woman in Profile, 1901, oil on paper board mounted on parti-
cle board, signed, lower left: Picasso, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection,
1998, © Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

24 CHRONOS • SPRING/SUMMER 2010

SPRING/SUMMER 2010 • CHRONOS 25
 riod that Picasso’s work was discovered by art collectors

A LIFE FORCE! Leo and Gertrude Stein. Gertrude Stein became Picasso’s
principal patron, purchasing his paintings and drawings

D
Picasso at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and displaying them in her Paris informal Salon.
uring the early 20th century, European galleries
were beginning to display African art. Capti-
vated by the “primitive” artifacts, especially
masks, Picasso was soon exploring forms in-
spired by African sculpture, a style that would lead to Cu-
bism. Developed by Picasso and his friend Georges
Braque, Cubism fragments three-dimensional subjects into
basic geometrical shapes and patterns of color. A later ver-
sion, synthetic cubism, creates the illusion of viewing an
object or person simultaneously from a different perspec-
tive in one picture. Artists in Europe and America were
soon exploring Cubism, and the style caused a sensation
when it was introduced at New York’s legendary Armory
Show in 1913. Picasso was also producing sets and cos-
tumes for the Ballet Russe.
Shortly after the Spanish Civil War broke out, Picasso
was asked to paint a mural for the 1937 World Exposition
in Paris. The result, the monumental Guernica, captures
the horrors of war and the grief suffered by helpless civil-

Self-Portrait “Yo,” 1900, ink and essence on paper, inscribed in ink, upper left:
Yo, Gift of Raymonde Paul, in memory of her brother C. Michael Paul, 1982, ©
Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Born in Malaga, Spain on October 25, 1881, Pablo

Picasso demonstrated an affinity for drawing as a child.
His father, a painter who also taught art, persuaded the of-
ficials at Barcelona’s School of Fine arts to admit his son
when he was thirteen. Three years later he was accepted
at Madrid’s prestigious Royal Academy or San Fernando.
Unhappy with the school’s formal instruction, he quit and
moved to Paris. When he was not painting, the young
artist could be found in the cafes frequented by fellow in-

W
tellectuals and artists.
hen he was a young man, Picasso worked
in a wide variety of styles. These included
explorations of realism and modernism, fol-
lowed by his Blue and Rose periods. Dating
between 1901 and 1904, Picasso’s Blue Period features a
predominantly blue palette and subjects we would char-
acterize today as “street people”. It was also during this pe-
riod Picasso produced his first sculptures.
In 1904, the artist replaced his blues and blue-greens
with pinks and oranges, and prostitutes and beggars with
cheerful circus performers and harlequins. Picasso was also Seated Harlequin, 1901, oil on canvas, lined and mounted to a sheet of pressed
beginning to paint figures seen head-on or in profile, a cork, signed and dated in red paint, lower left: Picasso/1901, purchase, Mr. and
style influenced by early Greek art and the work of Henri Mrs. John L. Loeb Gift, 1960, © Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Soci-
Matisse and Henry Rousseau. It was during his Rose Pe- ety (ARS), New York.

26 CHRONOS • SPRING/SUMMER 2010

 see that Picasso had already discovered neo-expressionism

A LIFE FORCE! and was, as so often before, ahead of his time.”

Pablo Picasso died in Mougins, France on April 8,
1973. It has been estimated Picasso produced 50,000
Picasso at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
pieces of artwork during his lifetime.
Picasso in The Metropolitan Museum of Art encom-
passes the key subjects for which the artist is so well
known: the pensive harlequins of his Rose Period, the
faceted figures and tabletop still lifes of his Cubist years,
the monumental heads and bathers of the 1920s, the rag-
ing bulls and dreaming nudes of the 1930s and the rakish
musketeers of his final years. On display are thirty-four
paintings, fifty-eight drawings, a dozen sculptures and ce-
ramics, an extensive selection of prints, and many works
on paper that have rarely, if ever, been exhibited before
at the Metropolitan Museum.

Gertrude Stein, 1905-1906, oil on canvas, Bequest of Gertrude Stein, 1946, ©

Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

ians caught in the middle of events they have no control

over. When asked to explain the symbolism, Picasso
stated, “It isn’t up to the painter to define the symbols.
Otherwise it would be better if he wrote them out in so
many words! The public who look at the picture must in-
terpret the symbols as they understand them.”
While World War raged, Picasso lived in Paris. Un-
able to show his work — the Nazis were not fans of mod-
ern art — his paintings turned gloomy and macabre. After Standing Nude and Seated Musketeer, 1967, oil on canvas, signed right: Pi-
casso, dated on reverse in orange paint upper left: 30.11.68, Gift of A.L. and
the war ended, he joined the Communist party and his in- Blanche Levine, 1981, © Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS),
terests turned to sculpture, pottery and print making. Pi- New York.
casso also made a series of paintings based on works by
Velazquez, Goya, Poussin, Manet, Courbet and Delacroix. In her Sponsor’s Statement, Iris Cantor, president and
Now in his eighties, Picasso continued producing an chairman of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation,
amazing deluge of paintings, ceramics and etching. One wrote, “Picasso! A life force, an artist who changed the
writer summed up the artist’s final years, “At the time world, a creator of artworks that remain endlessly fasci-
these works were dismissed by most as pornographic fan- nating.”
tasies of an impotent old man or the slapdash works of an For additional information about Picasso in The Met-
artist who was past his prime. Only later, after Picasso’s ropolitan Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art
death, when the rest of the world had moved on from ab- can be reached at 212-535-7710 or at www.metmu-
stract expressionism, did the critical community come to seum.org
28 CHRONOS • SPRING/SUMMER 2010
353 north Coast Highway Laguna Beach, cA 92651 www.adamneeley.com 949.715.0953
42 CHRONOS • SPRING/SUMMER 2010
MOORE
IN THE GARDENS
By Stuart Leuthner / Photography by William Taylor

Sculpture is an art of the open air. Daylight, sunlight,

is necessary to it, and for me its best setting and
complement is nature. I would rather have a
piece of my sculpture put in a landscape, al-
most any landscape, than in, or on, the most
beautiful building I know. — Henry Moore

Reclining Figure: Angles, 1979, bronze, edition of 9 + 1,

cast: Noack Berlin, stamped Moore 0/9, The Henry
Moore Foundation: acquired 1986.

SPRING/SUMMER 2010 • CHRONOS 43

 in wood and clay. When one of his teachers noticed his
talent, he was awarded a scholarship to Castleford Sec-
ondary School. By 1916, Moore was teaching in the same
elementary school he had attended in his boyhood. With
the outbreak of World War One, Moore joined the Civil
Service Rifles. Gassed during the Battle of Cambrai in
1917, he spent the rest of the war as a physical training
instructor.
When the war ended, Moore returned to teaching, but
soon left to attend Leeds School of Art on an ex-service-
man’s grant. While he was there, he met fellow student
Barbara Hepworth. Hepworth would also become a well-
known sculptor, and the two artists remained friends

A
Signed in steel, the signature of Henry Moore.
throughout their lives.
lthough Henry Moore did not In 1921, Moore won a scholarship to the Royal College
begin to create sculpture in- of Art in London. Arriving in London, he wrote, “I was in
tended to be displayed outdoors a dream of excitement. When I rode on the open top of a
until he was fifty years old, he bus I felt that I was travelling in Heaven almost.” Un-
had worked in the open air happy with the study of romantic Victorian sculpture,
throughout his career. During the Moore began to visit the Victoria and Albert Museum and
1930s, Moore owned a country the British Museum where he acquired an interest in
cottage near the English Chan- primitive art — particularly pre-Columbian sculpture.
nel in Kent. There, surrounded by the area’s gentle hills Moore would also often visit Paris, where he was in-
and valleys, he worked almost exclusively outdoors. It was troduced to the work of Constantin Brancusi, Jacob Ep-
shortly after the end of World War Two when Moore stein and Frank Dobson. After a six-month trip to Italy in
began his first experiments with outdoor locations in the 1925, he was offered a post as Assistant in the Sculpture
moors of Scotland. Today, sculpture parks can be found in
countless cities worldwide, thanks mainly to Moore and
his concepts.
If he were alive today, Henry Moore certainly would
enjoy a stroll through the exhibition of his work at the
Denver Botanic Gardens. Running through January 31,
2011, Moore in the Gardens presents twenty of the sculp-
tor’s works set against the background of the natural
beauty found in this twenty-three-acre oasis in the heart
of the city.
The exhibition was first shown in London’s Royal
Botanic Gardens in 2007. A year later, it moved to The
New York Botanical Garden, before journeying on to the
Atlanta Botanical Garden in 2009. Denver is the last stop
of the exhibition’s triumphant American tour. The large-
scale bronzes (and one fiberglass piece), created over a
forty-year period of the artist’s life, demonstrate how
Moore was constantly refining his vision of the way in
which his work would relate to the surrounding open
landscape.
Born in Castleford, Yorkshire, England on July 30,
1898, Henry Spencer Moore was the seventh child of
Mary and Raymond Moore. Raymond, a mining engineer
who did not want his sons to work in the mines, impressed
upon them the need for a formal education. As a child,
Henry displayed an interest in art, fashioning sculptures

Hill Arches, 1973, bronze, edition of 3 + 1, cast: Noack, Berlin, stamped

Moore 0/3, The Henry Moore Foundation: gift of the artist, 1977.

44 CHRONOS • SPRING/SUMMER 2010

Large Reclining Figure, 1984, fiberglass, cast: Edward Lawrence Studios,
Midhurst, The Henry Moore Foundation: acquired 1987.

Department at the Royal College of Art. Since he was

only required to work two days a week, Moore had ample
time to pursue his own work. He was now obsessed with
direct carving, a style in which the marks left by the tools
and imperfections of the material become part of the fin-
ished piece.
In 1926, Moore held his first one man show. Two years
later, he was commissioned to provide a sculpture for the
new headquarters of the London Underground. His work,
West Wind, carved from Portland stone, was one of eight
“winds” created by contemporary sculptors between 1928
and 1929.
Moore married Irina Radetsky, a Russian student study-
ing painting at the Royal College, in July, 1929. They
moved into a studio in Hempstead, joining a small colony
of avant-garde artists. Moore’s work came to the attention
of the art critic Herbert Read as well as many refugee Eu-
ropean architects and designers headed for America.
These connections proved to be important — Read pub-
licized Moore’s work and many of the architects and de-
signers would later commission works by Moore.
After Moore’s second one man show received scathing
reviews in a number of newspapers, he was sacked by the
Royal College. Hired as the Head of the Department of
Sculpture at the Chelsea School of Art, Moore joined The
Seven and Five Society, a group of artists, including Hep-
worth, who were moving towards more abstract work. His
work was included in the International Exhibition of Sur-
Oval with Points, 1968-70, bronze, edition of 6 + 1, cast: Morris Singer,
realist Art held in London in 1936, the same year his Basing stoke, stamped Moore 0/6, The Henry Moore Foundation: gift of the
work was first seen in the United States in a show at the artist, 1977.

SPRING/SUMMER 2010 • CHRONOS 45


Upright Motive No. 7, 1955-56, bronze, edition of 5 + 1, cast: Martyn, Chel-
tenham, The Henry Moore Foundation: gift of the artist, 1977.
Museum of Modern Art in New York.
With the outbreak of World War Two, Moore resigned
his teaching post and applied for training as a munitions
toolmaker. The course was oversubscribed so he began
making drawings of people seeking shelter in the London
Underground during the Blitz. When his drawings came
to the attention of the War Artists Advisory Committee,
he was commissioned to make larger and more finished
works. The powerful drawings, shown in 1940 and 1941,
depicting London’s citizens’ resolve during a terrifying or-
deal, helped boost his international reputation, especially
in America.
Moore’s Hempstead studio was hit by a bomb during
the Blitz, but, luckily, he and Irina were staying at their
cottage in Kent. They moved to a farm in the hamlet of
Perry Green near Much Hadham, Hertfordshire. In spite
of Moore’s later fame and wealth, the farm, relatively un-
changed, would be the artist’s final home and workshop.
The couple’s daughter, Mary, was born in March, 1946.
Mary’s arrival was the inspiration for Moore’s post-war
theme of “mother-and-child” compositions.
The sculptor now began to shift from direct carving to
modeling maquettes in clay or plaster which were then
46 CHRONOS • SPRING/SUMMER 2010
cast in bronze. Although this was a technique he origi-
nally despised, there were several reasons for this decision.
In 1960, he said, “The difference between modelling and
carving is that modelling is a quicker thing, and so it be-
comes a chance to get rid of one’s ideas.” He was also
being offered commissions for an increasing number of
massive pieces. In 1952, Moore built the first foundry on
his property and in later years the expanding outbuildings
began to resemble a small factory as the production of the
sculptures was now assigned to assistants.
At his home, Moore had a wonderful collection of ob-
jects gathered during his travels including skulls, drift-
wood, rocks and shells he would use for inspiration. For
his larger works, he would often produce a half-scale
model. These would be scaled up for the final molding and
B
casting at the foundry.
y the end of the 1970s, there
were more than forty exhibitions
a year featuring Moore’s work.
He was the recipient of numer-
ous honors, but turned down a
knighthood because “such a title
might tend to cut me off from fel-
low artists whose work has aims
similar to mine.”Although a new generation of artists was
determined to challenge Moore, now considered a mem-
ber of the “establishment,” many of these same artists ac-
knowledged the influence he had on their work. These
include Sir Anthony Caro, Phillip King and Isaac Witkin
(all assistants at Perry Green), Lynn Chadwick, Reg But-
ler, William Turnbull and Kenneth Armitage.
Henry Moore died on August 31, 1986. Before his
death, he, along with his daughter Mary, established the
Henry Moore Foundation. The Foundation holds the
largest collection of the Moore’s work and maintains the
artist’s home, grounds and studios; open to the public from
April to October.
In his introduction to the catalog for Moore in the Gar-
dens, Denver Botanic Gardens’ chief executive officer
Brian Vogt, stated, “Like all artists who have a new vision,
Henry Moore inspired conversation in his day and con-
tinues to do so today...Times have shifted and change is
now woven into our cultural consciousness...No wonder
that Moore is now mainstream, seen in almost every major
city in the world. But something is quite timeless about
his work. I recently visited a sculpture garden that featured
works by many abstract artists, including a couple by
Moore. His pieces were instantly recognizable and had
that certain something that makes the art of a genius sin-
gular and compelling. Reading about his life, I suspect it
has something to do with a sense of dignity. These pieces
evoke completion and maturity.”
If you would like more information about Moore in
the Gardens, the Denver Botanic Gardens can be reached
at 720-865-3500 or www.botanicgardens.org
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ng
PORSCHE ICE-FORCE
S ince 1974, the Porsche
Sport Driving School has been
offering automotive enthusiasts
the opportunity to hone their
driving schools both on and off
road.
The courses are held year-
round at race courses around the
world, including a number of in-
ternational circuits and the
FIA-compliant test track at the Porsche facility in
Leipzig.
Subject to availability, students can choose from a
Boxter, Cayman, Panamera or Cayenne. This not only
provides an opportunity for drivers who have always
wanted to drive a Porsche to discover what the legend is
20 CHRONOS • SPRING/SUMMER 2010
By Stuart Leuthner
all about; it allows those who already own a Porsche, or
are thinking of purchasing one, to try out a new model.
Students are assigned a personal instructor. These
Porsche specialists — expert drivers who have turned
their passion into a profession — are able to share valu-
able insider knowledge acquired over many years spent
testing and fine-tuning new models. During a session, the
instructors are sitting next to a driver in the passenger
seat, observing the student from track side or following
in a chase car. This not only guarantees the student dri-
ver’s safety, it also optimizes the learning experience.
Under the guidance of these highly trained professionals,
participants master techniques lifting their driving skills
to another level.
The Porsche Sport Driving School consists of several
training levels. The Warm-up course, lasting one day,
teaches the basics of driving safety. Students learn how
to respond correctly to situations that occur in everyday
road traffic — emergency stops, taking evasive action and
maintaining control in any situation.
The next level, Precision training, is a two-day pro-
gram designed to allow the driver to explore the potential
of the vehicle. Since students can choose this as their in-
troductory course, it covers the basics, similar to the
Warm-up training program, but also teaches students the
basics of precision steering, braking and acceleration. The
program’s climax is an unforgettable experience where
drivers complete full laps on the circuit.
Once a student has completed the two-day Precision
training program, they are ready to challenge the ad- Rudy Albers, wearing the red hat, takes a break between driving sessions on
vanced courses — Precision, Performance and Master. Finland’s Lake Pasasjarvi. Sitting next to Albers is his assigned co-driver, Dr.
Each level builds on what has already been learned, while Joachim Leineiver, who drove 3,000 from Berlin to Ivalo in his personal Porsche.

SPRING/SUMMER 2010 • CHRONOS 21

PORSCHE ICE-FORCE
Brrrrr! The temperature display on the Porsche’s dashboard reads
a frosty -31.5° C.
The drivers and instructors discussing their upcoming circuit around the frozen
lake. The aim of the Ice-Force program is to teach drivers how to optimize ve-
hicle control and find the ideal line, even on slick surfaces.
22 CHRONOS • SPRING/SUMMER 2010
also concentrating on all aspects of motorsports. These in-
clude identifying the ideal line on a circuit, performing
“standing” and “flying” starts, safely overtaking and pass-
ing other vehicles, and proper race etiquette.
For those who love winter sports, or simply want to
improve their driving on ice and snow, the Ice-Force Pre-
cision course is the answer. Offered at three facilities —
one in Austria, and two in Finland — the hands-on ses-
sions are designed to prepare a driver for the special chal-
lenges presented by driving in the winter.
The Ice-Force Pro-Driving Experience is held at
Camp 4S, a frozen lake located near Ivalo, a village in
northern Finland. Earlier this year, Rudy Albers, president
of Wempe Jewelers’ Manhattan store, headed north to
challenge the elements. “The course is not for beginners,”
Albers explains. “Porsche asked me for proof to show I
knew how to drive, so I lined up a few of my racing awards
on my Porsche’s hood and sent them a photograph.”
When Porsche discovered Albers was not only an ex-
perienced competition driver, but had a serious bias for
their automobiles, he was given the green light. After ar-
riving in Helsinki, Albers boarded another plane for the
one-hour flight to Ivalo. “It is a very small village,” Albers
says, “but there are a lot of hotel rooms because tourists
come to see the Northern Lights.”
Breakfast was served at eight o’clock. After a half-
hour bus ride, the students arrived at a huge garage located
adjacent to the lake. Inside, they discovered a line-up of
forty shiny Porsches. During the three days on the lake,
drivers could experience driving the Cayman S, the 911 S
(two-wheel drive), the 911 4S (four-wheel drive), the
Turbo, and the Panamera, (Porsche’s new 4-door sports
sedan). The car’s tires are fitted with 4-mm studs to pro-
vide additional traction, and Cayenne SUVs
are available to pull drivers who stray off the
track and end up in the snow. “You know it’s
bad,” Albers says, “when the Cayenne drivers
know you by name.”
“The point of the school is not only
learn how to drive on ice,” Albers says. “It
also allows you to experience the different
machines from four-wheel drive, rear-wheel
drive and the Turbo.” Although he describes
the Turbo as a “real animal,” Albers’ favorite
ride was the 911 S. “I own a 2009 911 S with
standard shift and it is an exciting and ex-
ceptional-handling car.”
Testing your driving limits on a frozen
lake has benefits. “You can’t get hurt or dam-
age the car,” Albers says. “You just end up
‘crashing’ into deep snow. And it’s a sport
driving school, so you’re most likely covered
under your life insurance.” When asked to
describe the experience, Albers laughs. “It
was thrilling. Maybe even better than
thrilling. I added to my driving skills, met Follow the leader. Rudy Albers describes the opportunity to drive a Porsche on
some interesting racing people from all over the world and the frozen lake as, “Thrilling. Maybe even better than thrilling.”
drove some great automobiles.” And, he adds, “The
scenery was amazing. It’s as if somebody took nature and
put it in a deep freezer.”

TIME ON ICE
M
ixing business with pleasure, Albers
decided to pack four high-end
sport watches and see how they
would perform in Finland’s punishing -31°C
temperatures. One evening, he left a stainless
steel Rolex Deepsea, a Wempe Zeitmeister
Ceramic Chronograph, a stainless steel Pan-
erai Luminor 1950 Submersible with depth
gauge, and a stainless steel Audemars Piguet
Offshore outside on his balcony. “In the
morning,” Albers says, “I brought them inside
and slowly defrosted them in the sauna in my
room.” Despite their night in the frigid snow,
the watches performed as advertised. “I was-
n’t surprised that they were running a few sec-
onds slower,” he says, smiling, “nor that they
were still there. But I surely wouldn’t have
tried this ‘stunt’ at home.”
SPRING/SUMMER 2010 • CHRONOS 23
 Christian Faur
The Land Surveyors
June 17 - July 17, 2010

.....The Land Surveyors.... 20,000 hand cast encaustic crayons..... 30 x 60 inches..... 18 panels..... 2010.....

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 MUSEUMS

(clockwise from bottom left) Lee Bon-

tecou: detail - Untitled, 1976, pencil
and colored pencil on prepared paper.
15”x11”. MoMA, the Judith Rothschild
Foundation Contemporary Drawings
Collection Gift; detail of Untitled,
1980-1998, welded steel, porce-
lain, wire mesh, canvas, and wire.
7’x8’x6’. MoMA, gift of Philip Johnson
(by exchange) and the Nina & Gordon
Bunshaft Bequest Fund; Marilyn Mint-
er: Orange Crush, 2009, enamel on
metal, 108”x180”. Courtesy of John
and Amy Phelan; Gimme, 2008, c-
print, 70” x 97.25” AP. Courtesy of
the artist & Regen Projects, Los An-
geles. All work © respective artists.

Lee Bontecou
MoMA New York
[through Aug 30]
Lee Bontecou first exhibited her steel-
and-canvas sculptures at New York’s
prominent Leo Castelli Gallery in the
1960s. Although they bear little resem-
blance to the Minimalist and Pop art
dominant at the time, these wall-mount-
ed sculptures—made in New York be-
tween 1959 and 1967—elicited both
critical acclaim and curiosity. Writing
about one of them, a reviewer asked, “Is
it apterodactyl? A spaceship? An outsize
artichoke or a monstrous whorl of gi-
ant flower corollas?” Bontecou’s imagi-
native vision encompasses all of these
possibilities. For decades she has left
her work untitled, preferring not to re-
strict the ways in which it may be un-
derstood. Bontecou’s excitement about
the Space Age and her memories of the
Second World War are fundamental to
her visual language. While her art defies
easy classification, suggestions of infinite
expanse, anxiety, and threat are perva-
sive, expressed, for example, in the black
circular forms that have been insistent
motifs in her work. The cavernous black
voids of her steel-and-canvas sculptures
and the deep black circles of her drawings
conjure associations as varied as volcanic
craters, jet engines, eye sockets, and cos-
mic black holes, invoking what the artist
has described as “the visual wonders and
horrors” of the natural and man-made
worlds. In 1971 Bontecou left New York
City. Since then she has worked primarily
in rural Pennsylvania, where her engage-
ment with the natural world has become
more pronounced. The sculpture sus-
pended at the center of this installation—
a slowly whirling galaxy of forms she
worked on for eighteen years—represents
a fulfillment of her longstanding desire to
create art that celebrates “no barriers, no
boundaries, all freedom in every sense.”
Marilyn Minter
MOCA Cleveland
[through Aug 15]
One of the most adventurous and ac-
complished artists working today, Mari-
lyn Minter uses bold, luscious colors and
glossy surfaces to depict extreme close-
ups of women – often fashion models – to
examine beauty and decadence while ex-
posing the pleasures and dangers of glam-
our. Minter’s world, though steeped in
fashion and glitz, is one in which beauty
has gone awry. She says that her art is in-
vested “in the moment when everything
goes wrong. . . when the model sweats.”
This exhibition presents a focused selec-
tion of Minter’s work centered on one of
her most recent major paintings, Orange
Crush, 2009, a 9 x 15 foot triptych. Ac-
companying the painting are five related
large scale photographs and an acclaimed
video, Green Pink Caviar, 2009, originally
featured on a billboard in Times Square.
 JOHNHOUSHMAND
(BEAVER
TABLE)

Nº 0028
GNAWED BEAVER BRANCHES WITH 3/4” GLASS TOP
72” x 48” x 13”

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 Nadine Rovner, One at a Time Archival Digital Pigment Print , 2009

hous projects
DARKmatter
march 25 - august 17 2010

Featured Artists: Narelle Autio • Jen Davis •

Scott Davis • Marian Drew • John Houshmand •
Molly Landreth • Eric Ogden • Trent Parke •
Charles Robb • Nadine Rovner • Haley Jane Samuelson •

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Phillip Toledano • Nicola Vinci

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 GALLERY NEWS
ART SCENE

Bringing Contemporary African Art to Los Angeles

by Gloria Huwiler

Contemporary African art is something

few international collectors have access
to in the States, mainly because few gal-
leries exist that carry the work. Yet both
continental and diasporic African Art-
ists abound and their rare and innovative
work is testimony to the creativity and
insight that exists. Actress and gallery co-
founder Gloria Huwiler speaks about dis-
covering her interest in the field and the
creation of Anajuwa Gallery.

In 2006 I had recently graduated from

Brown University and moved to New
York to pursue acting. I also took up a
part time job in a contemporary art gal-
lery in the Time Warner Center, Millenia
Fine Art. My mother has always been a
collector of African Art, and I grew up
with a keen appreciation and love of the
field. Coming from this background, a
part time job in a gallery was an ideal
creative day job while I immersed my-
self in New York’s acting scene. Carlene
(above) An Opening at Anajuwa with actress Sydney Tamiia Poitier, writer/director/producer
Soumas, the gallery director at Millenia Oz Scott, Anajuwa founder Gloria Huwiler; (below) Vincentio Phiri, Chibede, 48” x 36.8”.
Fine Art asked her new assistants to put
together ideas for prospective exhibitions
by researching emerging artists, offering
the possibility of an exhibition at Millenia
Fine Art, New York, if she approved of
the concept. I immediately turned to the
plethora of contemporary African Artists
I’d been exposed to at home and put to-
gether a presentation for a group exhibi-
tion of Zambian painters and sculptures
entitled “Realizing an African Renais-
sance.” With the help of Carlene Soumas
and various people on the ground in
Zambia, the exhibition took place within
the next six months and featured nine
Zambian painters and one sculptor.
The exhibition at Millenia Fine Art was
well received by collectors, and several of
the artists' work sold out quickly, show-
ing a strong demand for this new, unseen
work. In the course of preparing for the
exhibition, I realized just how underde-

Sydney Tamiia Poitier and Sir Sidney Poitier at an Anajuwa opening.
veloped and underexposed the field of
contemporary African art in the United
States was. Only one contemporary Afri-
can artist, Yinka Shonibare, has been sold
at auction in Sotheby’s Contemporary
Section. No auction at present is dedicat-
ed exclusively to the field, despite the fact
that contemporary African art of superb
quality continues to be produced, and
auctions in contemporary Chinese, Lat-
in, Indian, and European work take place
regularly. Rather, the mainstream repre-
sentation of African art that exists in New
York is dedicated solely to antiques and
tribal artifacts. Yet, with the proposed
Museum for African Art currently un-
der construction on Museum Mile on the
Upper East Side, contemporary African
art is slowly entering mainstream con-
sciousness and getting the necessary ex-
position and exposure it deserves.
Having seen the success of the work
at the Time Warner center, I was confi-
dent of the interest in contemporary Af-
rican art – if well curated and exhibited
in a central and well exposed venue – and
have been committed to continuing to
provide access and exposure to contem-
porary African Artists since.
In following my acting ambitions by
moving to Los Angeles, I met a business
partner keen on opening a contempo-
rary African art gallery. Anajuwa Gallery
was borne out of our mutual interest in
the field, and is dedicated to showcasing
emerging and established contemporary
ART SCENE
African artists in Los Angeles. In my time
here, I have found the the exposure of
contemporary African art to be lacking,
as in New York. Apart from the superbly
curated exhibits at the Fowler, few com-
mercial galleries carry contemporary Af-
rican art and none specialize in it.
While few generalizations can be made
on so broad a field, contemporary Af-
rican art is a fusion of traditional influ-
ences with modern and contemporary
styles and forms. Debate often abounds
on the nature of the work and the ques-
tion of authenticity is a commonly held
concern of intellectual art critiques. How
“African” does contemporary African Art
has to be, in order to be considered au-
thentic? The question seems utterly inane
when one considers that art is an expres-
sion of an artist’s experience, his vision
– a projection of himself on reality. Con-
temporary African art is precisely that,
an expression of modern Africa through
the eyes of its artists, and the result is the
rich, hybrid, combination of influences
that post modernism has wrought on Af-
rican itself.
Anajuwa’s inaugural exhibition, Inte-
gration, was displayed at Anajuwa Gal-
lery’s Melrose. The opening reception was
hosted by Sydney Tamiia Poitier, and at-
tended by Sir Sidney Poitier, Bernie Casey,
Gina Ravera, and various members of
the African American and entertainment
community in Los Angeles. The exhibi-
tion features the work of artists William
Bwalya Miko, Mwamba Mulangala, Geo-
phrey Phiri, Vincentio Phiri, Rikki Lungu,
Baba Jakheh, Lutanda Mwamba, the Zata
Brothers and Stary Mwaba. The work will
be on display at the 8360 Melrose Avenue
gallery till the end of May and then relo-
cated to the Fairmount Miramar Hotel in
Santa Monica.
 EXHIBITIONS
ART: IN DEPTH
An Encaustic Journey
Maria O’Malley, Cosmic Landscape, encaustic and graphite on panel, 36”x48”.
F or three consecutive nights, Maria
O’Malley, an accomplished figurative oil
painter, dreamed of bees. Her ancient
Greek ancestry taught her to be sensi-
tive to the interconnectedness of life
and that dreams can convey messages.
Because of these dreams and their re-
petitive nature, O’Malley paid attention.
Her subconscious thoughts and ensuing
research about bees led her to determine
what the dreams meant. She discovered
that beeswax, also known as encaustics,
is an ancient art form. Except for Jasper
Johns’ encaustic resurgence, the medium
was not popular at the time of O’Malley’s
dreams. With no knowledge of working
in encaustics, O’Malley learned all she
could about using beeswax in her art.
While the artist investigated and studied
new art supplies, she continued to paint
in oils. O’Malley’s figurative oils won sev-
eral first place prizes and were part of a
long list of fine exhibitions. These include
the Laguna Art Museum and Chapman
University. Working in familiar oils and
less familiar encaustics, the artist realized
she was at home using the beeswax pro-
cess. Following every lead, she sought to
know more about her life’s new direction.
Eventually, an unknown, elderly artist
in New York City graciously taught her
much of what she needed to know.
O’Malley never anticipated that her
Greek ancestry would come to her aid
in the 20th century. Almost 3,000 years
ago, Greek artists, were accomplished
in encaustic portraits and mythological
scenes on panels which still exist today.
Homer, the epic Greek poet, sited the use
of encaustics in describing the battle of
Troy. Increasingly O’Malley was drawn to
beeswax when she realized its durability
over other art materials. It has no toxic
fumes and requires no solvents. Encaus-
by Roberta Carasso
tics do not deteriorate, yellow, or darken;
and do not have to be placed under glass.
In fact, the Greeks used encaustic and
resin to weatherproof their ships. While
the process is laborious, a work of art has
a permanency rarely seen in other mate-
rials. Also important is health hazards are
reduced or eliminated making the pro-
cess environmentally sound.
Requiring a heat of 180 to 200 degrees,
molten beeswax is like scalding thick
syrup.  It does not unite with water or
many other materials and requires sig-
nificant experience to know when it is
ready to use. Like a neophyte chemist,
O’Malley made her studio into a labora-
tory, finding her way in unexplored ter-
ritory. Many experiments were disasters
and dangerous,  however, perseverance
prevailed. Not only has she gained exper-
tise, O’Malley has tailored the encaustic
process to suit the materials she loves and
her particular artistic style. Today she
blends drawing materials into wax; in-
vents her own equipment, and incorpo-
rates disparate supplies bought at lumber
yards. O’Malley’s unique process inte-
grates natural resins, and fuses drawing,
painting, and relief sculpture.
When O’Malley went from oils to en-
caustics, her style and subject matter al-
tered, yet certain key signature features
remain. Her encaustic landscapes, as her
oil-based figurative paintings, engage the
viewer with large open negative spaces
and linear configurations. A lone tree or
a few trees in a solitary open white field
are haunting images. Or, graceful trees,
with elegant branches may cover the en-
tire surface. Painted in grays and blacks
from graphite pencil shavings, or reds of
melted Conte crayons, O’Malley’s land-
scapes are painted more from imagina-
tion than observation. Their enigmatic
quality comes from a fusion of layers that
 ART: IN DEPTH

may appear deceptively flat or texturally

thick, but always painterly as O’Malley
builds layer upon layer, up to 30 layers of
encaustics and resins varying the density
of each area.

This arduous process requires continu-

ously adding and removing materials by
abrasion and application; includes vari-
ous drawing methods - thick and thin
brushstrokes and mark making; and
sculptural methods - the carving and
building up of tactile surfaces. The result
of this rich process of constructing and
deconstructing, is a luminous and matte
surface that reflects light in varying de-
grees throughout the composition. In ad-
dition, an interplay of layers, with edges
of one process meeting layers of a former
process, gives the surface an other world-
ly appearance as if one can see and feel
different time periods simultaneously.
Viewing an O’Malley painting is like be-
ing in the moment yet going back in time,
peeling through stratum of the past that Maria O’Malley: (above) Red Dune, encaustic and conte on panel, 32”x38”;
are either covered over or seem to juxta- (below) White Lake, encaustic and graphite on panel, 6”x24”.
pose past with present.
with the process as she finds sacred places try, O’Malley creates timeless and lumi-
Using thick leather welding gloves, and spaces that are intuitive and organic. nous encaustic imagery that will endure.
sculpting tools, torches, hot air wallpaper With each step, each abrasion, each over-  
guns, and working with molten materials, lay of placing natural resins and beeswax Roberta Carasso, Ph.D., is an elected
it is impossible to have preconceived no- on the panel, surprises continuously oc- member of the International Art Critics
tions or be formulaic. Rather encaustics cur. Like a symphony conductor, O’Malley Association, curator, and art writer. Her
demand discovery. Consequently, trained guides each element to fruition, keenly website is carasso.com/roberta. For more
in a representational style, O’Malley now overseeing the many dynamics simulta- information about Maria O'Malley visit
works conceptually, becoming a partner neous at play. Thus, like her Greek ances- mariaomalley.com.
EDWARD CELLA
ART + ARCHITECTURE
 SUZANNA FIELDS

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