Author Archives: sidrastich

HOW EXHIBITIONS INFLUENCE OUR ASSESSMENT OF ART & ARTISTS

It is not unusual for an exhibition to appear differently when shown at multiple venues. More than changes in the checklist, caused by lender stipulations, curatorial decisions can produce unfortunate, often conflicting responses to the art and artist. This was … Continue reading

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LIFE/DEATH THEMES IN THE ART OF JAY DeFEO

Abstraction played an undeniable role in shaping Jay DeFeo’s art. The influence, largely derived from early 20th-century masters, is evident in the formalist and expressive dynamics of her work. But DeFeo was not a purist. Especially in her formative years … Continue reading

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WARHOL’S INFLUENCE ON CINDY SHERMAN

When asked which artists influenced her, Cindy Sherman responded, “Definitely Warhol, early on. . . . Definitely he was a big influence.” Among Sherman’s earliest works Untitled #479 (1975) gives evidence of the creative mode that would become her signature. It … Continue reading

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PIER 24 PHOTOGRAPHY

THE GOOD NEWS.       In the spring of 2010 a preeminent exhibition space opened in San Francisco. Exclusively devoted to photography, it displays selections from the world-class Pilara Family Collection, a repository of over 2000 prints. Considering that the … Continue reading

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JEAN-PAUL GAULTIER

Exhibitions of fashion leaders are typically ignored by art world professionals and art museum aficionados. The disregard of couturier creativity is especially unfortunate in the case of The Fashion World of Jean-Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, currently … Continue reading

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HIROSHI SUGIMOTO — FIVE ELEMENTS

Currently on display as part of Phantoms of Asia, the current exhibition at the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, is Five Elements (2011), an extraordinary installation by Hiroshi Sugimoto. In itself it is worth a special trip to the museum. … Continue reading

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FRANCESCA WOODMAN

The evocative photographs of Francesca Woodman (1958-81), on display in a retrospective exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art until February 20, 2012, explore the potency of the body as a pictorial force in disconcerting environments. The body is … Continue reading

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