Cary Leibowitz in New York

Andy Warhol Cy Twombly Joseph Mallord William Turner Frank Stella Mitch Epstein Larry Sultan Kiki Smith Takashi Murakami

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“I am not a good party person and definitely not a pool party person. This show is like going to one of those sorts of social events, maybe at a friend or colleague of your spouse’s, so you don’t even know anyone. I walk in and see tan people tanning in bathing suits and having a good time, and I freak. ‘Uh, gotta get going — yeah, sorry, can’t stay... wish I could... lots of work to do.’ I gravitated toward the Arbuses and then to the Mitch Epstein and the one of Larry Sultan’s parents — the Jewish corner.”

4. I Won't Grow Up at Cheim & Read, through August 29

“First of all, I am very happy to see Steve Gianakos in anything! The show is a lot more mature than it probably wants to be. You can’t go wrong with naïve elegance. Rob Wynne is cool and silly. Jon Pylypchuk is very Turner-esque (I am using this reference a lot). And god bless Kiki Smith... she is the mother of us all. I think of her as like the Dalai Lama, and very grown-up (in a good way). And the early Louise Bourgeois gives all us 'mid-career' artists hope (ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha).”

5. Totally Rad: New York in the '80s at Paul Kasmin, through 9/6

“I'm still not sure what I think about ‘Totally Rad.’ Ahhh, the ’80s… I was young and wanted more more more. I didn’t have the confidence to be content with my 'unimportantness'; I wanted to make important art like important artists make art: BIG BIGGER BEST. It’s fun to see how classic and smart the Annette Lemieux looks and how banal (in a good way) Allan McCollum’s 'Perfect Vehicles' are. Haim Steinbach feels so much like ‘our’ mystic sage... come light a candle (lamp) for Mister Duchamp. It makes me feel good (and alive) to see the David Wojnarowicz — it’s not soooo big and not soooo perfect... but it feels perfect in all its homemade glory. It’s funny that the Frank Stella feels so out of place — not sure if it’s too early or too late — but it’s just not a part of the ’80s. I guess I can say that about the Warhol too, but I won’t.”