Painting dominated the art scene in September, anchored by MoMA's Willem de Kooning retrospective exhibition. As Art in America editor Lindsay Pollock noted in the September edition, the show "rallied our attention to painting." Indeed, de Kooning's work has never before been seen in such depth. The retrospective, which closes January 9, 2012, is a must-see.
Don't stop at de Kooning; go straight to Chelsea and discover a lesser-known Abstract Expressionist master, Milton Resnick. A contemporary of de Kooning, Resnick's paintings on view at Cheim & Read (through October 29th) are moving, immersive abstractions. A must-read this month is painter David Reed's remembrance of Resnick as a teacher.
As singular and transporting as the de Kooning and Resnick exhibitions are (and you really should try to see them back-to-back), superior painting exhibitions were everywhere in New York last month, from Agnes Martin and Frederick Hammersley in Chelsea to Loren Munk and Carrie Moyer on the Lower East Side. Great shows opened abroad too, such as John Martin at the Tate Britain and Rothko in Britain at the Whitechapel Art Gallery to name only two.
Given the abundance of great exhibitions it's not surprising that there were plenty of excellent painting posts in September. Ten fantastic posts are below, and you can find more daily at Painters' Table, the magazine of the painting blogosphere.
