Eric Doeringer in Philadelphia

Sol LeWitt Andy Warhol Gerhard Richter Matthew Barney John Baldessari Peter Saul Kenny Scharf Jeremy Deller

Send a letter to the Editor

Save to Del.icio.us Digg this

“Peter Saul is an underrated member of the Pop Art generation. While his work shares Pop’s affinity for bright (some might say garish) color, his style and subject matter suggest a kind of Mad magazine written for left-leaning adults. This exhibition brings together 50 of Saul’s paintings and drawings from 1958 to the present, luridly depicting subjects from Columbus’s discovery of America to Abu Ghraib Prison.”

4. Project Room at Cereal Art, through January 10, 2009.

“Cereal Art produces a wide range of inexpensive multiples by contemporary artists. They’re sort of like the 'officially licensed' versions of my Bootlegs. Cereal Art’s space on North 3rd Street includes a showroom for their editions (they currently have some super-cool Taylor McKimens houseplants in the window), the company’s offices, and a project room (exhibiting prints by Kenny Scharf, Laurie Simmons, Jeremy Deller, Mickalene Thomas, and others through January 10).”

5. Public Murals, various locations throughout Philadelphia.

“The city of Philadelphia is filled with public murals — most of them sponsored by Mural Arts, a nonprofit organization that has produced more than 2,800 murals in Philly since 1984. The Mural Arts program was founded to combat graffiti in the inner city, but some of the more controversial murals (like the one of former mayor Frank Rizzo) seem to actually attract vandalism. My personal favorites are the small murals often seen on fire stations (like the one at 4th and Arch Streets) that warn, “Check the batteries in your smoke detectors!,” while depicting the dire consequences for those who fail to heed the mural’s advice. Mural Arts conducts bus tours of the murals on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, spotlighting a different neighborhood each week. Or, you can download a self-guided tour map (which includes both walking and driving tours).”