Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Review of Xanadu, er, Venice

May 21, 2009 by Marion Maneker

Punta della DoganaStefano Tonchi reviews Francois Pinault’s two-space show in Venice:

All the usual suspects are in attendance — Takashi Murakami, Cindy Sherman, Richard Prince, Marlene Dumas, Luc Tuymans, Rachel Whiteread, David Hammons, Mike Kelley, Cy Twombly, Thomas Schütte — joined now and then by a young or lesser-known artist. But unlike at Palazzo Grassi, the younger artists rarely leave a strong impression here. A room by Matthew Day Jackson strangely makes you feel the absence of any works by Damien Hirst; Richard Hughes’s “Broken Circle” graffiti monoliths pale in front of Twombly’s complex painting; Marc Grotjahn’s dark oil canvases fail to catch the Venetian light, while Huang Yong Ping’s gigantic meteor crashing down on a football field lands with a political thud; and Mark Handforth’s “Drunken Moon” sculpture, with its red laser beam eye, feels gimmicky installed in the Dogana tower, where it functions as a contemporary and dysfunctional lighthouse.

Occasionally you feel like you are walking through a show of the greatest hits from the best galleries in the world, the faint echo of the art market reverberating through the rooms. But the sublime location, the curators’ taste and the city of Venice itself combine to make the Dogana a unique and special experience. The show continues at Palazzo Grassi where a few rooms hold great surprises from the Pinault vaults (Erro next to Gelain, Pistoletto next to Adel Abdessemed). All in all, the Pinault Foundation is an incredible gift to Venice, a counterpoint to the official Art Biennale, that is expected this year to travel far from established territories and away from the coasts favored by rich collectors.

The Other Biennale (The Moment/New York Times)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • Peter Beard’s Montauk MillstonePeter Beard’s Montauk Millstone
  • The Pinkest of Pink Diamonds Comes to Christie’s at $30mThe Pinkest of Pink Diamonds Comes to Christie’s at $30m
  • Indonesia Invests in ArtIndonesia Invests in Art
  • Christie’s Goes After the Pop DollarChristie’s Goes After the Pop Dollar
  • Last Last ArtBasel SalesLast Last ArtBasel Sales
  • Bloomberg's Glass Is Half-Empty on Southeast Asian ArtBloomberg's Glass Is Half-Empty on Southeast Asian Art

Filed Under: Collectors

About Marion Maneker

LiveArt

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor
 

Loading Comments...