First Person
New York, Inside Out

Story and Photos by Irene Sperber

Spring in Central Park

Very few things can rival a beautiful spring day in New York City.  I have had a black cloud over my head for more New York jaunts than the law of averages allow.  It’s been worth every soggy step in exchange for the glorious time I spent two weeks ago at the height of blossoming season.

The mission of my trip was this year’s Whitney Biennial.  I think you must go just to be knowledgably cranky about the offerings.  This year the Whitney outdid themselves. The first titled Biennial, Day for Night, takes its title from the 1973 film by François Truffaut, a film whose original French name, La Nuit Américaine, denotes the cinematic technique of shooting night scenes artificially during the day, using a special filter.

Exhibition comments I have heard range from “boring” to  “It makes the previous years look interesting.”  Hmm… I thought the most creative part was the curatorial and artists’ statements. There, I’ve said it and I’m glad. It closes May 28.

I was taken with Troy Brauntuch’s work, however.  He draws shades of gray on cotton with Conte pencils, depicting shop windows around the World Trade Center after September 11.  It evokes the ash-covered world with a fine understanding of subtleness of shadows and shading.  Rudolf Stingels large black and white oil painting seen through a broken out wall is another worthwhile moment.

For fun, an amended version of Gore Vidal’s Caligula was a video piece peppered with the famous.  I believe I spotted Courtney Love in there somewhere.

The Met has several must-see exhibitions.  I stumbled upon Kara Walker’s powerful paper cutout antebellum silhouettes in Chelsea many years ago and was instantly a fan.  She now has an exhibition at the Met until July 30, contrasting objects from the Met collection with her work in order to explore the meaning of the sea, in reference to Hurricane Katrina. 

Cherry Blossom Festival at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens

Another important exhibition is “The Art of Betty Woodman”, a ceramic retrospective, also until July 30, which reconstructs the vase and brilliantly brings a lively and remarkable twist to an old medium.  Her sense of color and form creates illusion in its complexity.  

Paul Waldman at the Lennon, Weinberg, Inc Gallery in Chelsea caught my eye.   That exhibit runs through June 3.

Without a doubt the winner in all categories was the gallery of the New York landscape—parks and streets awash in cherry blossoms, tulips and gobs of color. (I am fobbing off my lack of botanical knowledge here). The Brooklyn Botanical Garden had its annual Cherry Blossom Festival, raining magical pink petals, which should be better known as the Allergy Extravaganza.  Well, any art should evoke a reaction—and it did. 

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