Nick Cortese

Nick Cortese is a painter mostly, but I am much more familiar with his drawings.  They are wonderfully rendered collages of many quirky loose-ends, ranging from landscape studies to modernist furniture, still-life to self-doubt.

These drawings are tightly packed, visually, and yet retain an airy playfulness.  There is a wide range in the mark making as well, from the lightest shadow to graphite applied so thickly that it shines like obsidian.  The works posted above were all included in his last exhibition at Galerie Jeanroch Dard in Paris.

The titles for the drawings are (I think): Artist In Studio (Mass Production), Modern Interior, Modern Suffering, and Night Falls Softly.  It has been nice to see the return of a real draftsman to the New York artworld.

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All artworks are copyright 2009 Nick Cortese

The Brucennial 2010

The powers that be have extended the maiden exposition of the Brucennial, a DIY Salon d’ Refuses in Soho. Despite the very funny press release (there are “420 artists from 911 countries working in 666 discrete disciplines to reclaim education as part of an artist’s ongoing practice beyond the principals of any one institution or experience”) there is a great deal to see.

As with most endeavors of this size, there is a wide range in the quality of work on display. Much of the work seems to be art about art (in one way or another) and the hipster irony can be a bit thick at times. On the other hand, there is a wonderful energy that fills the space, and it is a joy to walk through and take it all in.

There is also some real talent (aside from the big names that lent work), and above are images of a few: Nick Cortese, Sophy Naess, Mark Epstein, Louis Laurita, Geoff Carter, Cisco Jimenez, and Andrew Mister.

The Brucennial, organized by the Bruce High Quality Foundation (a highlight of the recent Whitney Biennial), is now open through May 22nd. It is impossible to like all of the art in such a large exposition, but the spirit and effort should be commended. In general, I think the B.H.Q.F has added some sophistication and intelligence to the category of Art Collectives that have become so popular in the last several years.