THE DISAPPEARING MURAL

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of Roy Lichtenstein (case in point here, here, and here), and I’ve never been one to miss a good disappearing mural.  Hence, I made it a priority to visit Lichtenstein’s Greene Street Mural at Gagosian before it is destroyed, for the second time, on October 17^th.

Lichtenstein originally painted the mural at the Castelli Gallery in 1983, and mandated that it be destroyed following a 6 week showing.  Working in accordance with the artist’s estate and his former studio assistant, Gagosian recreated the mural for a second time around.  The work features imagery found throughout Lichtenstein's career, as well as references to Picasso, Brancusi, and, of course, Pop Art.  It is the closest to a survey of Lichtenstein’s oeuvre that one work could possibly be.

The mural is on view at Gagosian Gallery on 24^th Street until October 17^th.

Shirt: Jones New York

Pants: Hussein Chalayan

Shoes: Walter Steiger

Handbag: Milly

Trench: Burberry

Photos by Hilary Pollack.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROY LICHTENSTEIN

Happy birthday to Roy Lichtenstein, who was born on this day in 1923.

Here is a throwback to my Halloween costume of yesteryear, a Lichtenstein girl.

Do you have any artistic inspiration for Halloween this year?

ART TO WEAR: Lichtenstein Brushstroke.

Roy Lichtenstein, Brushstroke, 1965
Screenprint on paper

Pop Art looks out into the world.  It doesn't look like a painting of something, it looks like the thing itself.  --Roy Lichtenstein

Feeling gestural?  I found the perfect frock to show your love of Pop's nod to Abstract Expressionism, Roy Lichtenstein's Brushstroke at the Tate. Pair with boots and a tear in the corner of your eye, and you, too, will look like the thing itself.

Paint Strokes Black Dress, $72 at Pixie Market

GRAPE ESCAPE

Last weekend, I trekked to Long Island for my first long-awaited experience of the wine country just outside New York City.  The lushness of the grounds and juiciness of the ripe grapes inspired this outfit, along with the highly saturated work of Marylyn Dintenfass.

"Dintenfass uses luscious colors, repetitive forms, and a gestural intensity that combines Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art." --Meredith Mendelsohn

Dintenfass (b. 1943) is known for her oil paintings and prints featuring sensual, gestural abstractions in "ripe, radiant, saturated hues".  Originally from Brooklyn, Dintenfass made the trek to Long Island just like I did, and I can't help but wonder whether the colors and forms of the wine country inspired her work.

Jacket: Diane von Furstenberg

Dress: Suno

Sunglasses: Suno

Boots: Frye

Dintenfass images from rauschenberggallery.com, artinfo.com, driscollbabcock.com, artslant.com, mutantspace.com.  Photos of me by Meri Feir.

INFLATABLE

It was the fall of 2008, and I was a young, questioning graduate student.  I eagerly queued outside the Museum of Modern Art on a Tuesday evening for a chance to hear Jeff Koons speak, with the hopes of asking him a two-part question I'd been dying to hear his answer to:

"Do you ever feel guilty for taking the credit, fame, and fortune for your work that is created by your studio assistants?  Could you comment on the removal of the artist's hand from the creation of work and what that means for young artists today?"

I anxiously listen to Koons speak about his work and its relation to contemporary art, and when Q & A time came round, I raised my hand, prominently waved, and loudly asked the question I'd come to hear the answer to when he called on me.  Instead of providing a response, he mumbled something about the artist's right, and moved on to the next question.  Disappointed by his response (or lack thereof), I wrote a paper about the experience and my thoughts on artists like Koons and Damien Hirst who profit from the work of their assistants.

Koons' retrospective at the Whitney Museum of American Art features work from every stage of the artists' career and oeuvre, and I couldn't help but think about the studio assistants behind the larger-than-life artwork.  Did you see the exhibition?  What did you think?

Dress: H&M

Inflatable flowers: Amazon

Shoes: Keds

Handbag: Jeff Koons for H&M

Photos by Hannah Kauffman; assistance by Maureen Nacy.

ART HISTORICAL HALLOWEEN

For Halloween this year, my friend (and faithful art lover) Kathy and I decided to go all out art historical.  She was Picasso's Woman in a Hat with Pompoms and a Printed Blouse from 1962 and I was Warhol's Turquoise Marilyn from 1964.

I even ran into an Andy at a party that night, and couldn't help being reminded of the quote by the man himself: 

"My idea of a good picture is one that's in focus and of a famous person."

I'd love to hear what you're going to be for Halloween!

Dress and Wig: Amazon.com (search "Marilyn dress" and "Marilyn wig"--easy!)

Body paint and makeup: Ricky's NYC

Picasso and Warhol images from about.com

ART TO WEAR: Self Portrait.

"I believe in low lights and trick mirrors." --Andy Warhol

I rarely discuss beauty products here, but I couldn't resist this Andy Warhol eyeshadow palette by NARS (one of my personal favorite beauty brands).  It would be ever so easy to create your own work of art by using these shades.

$55, available here.

LICHTENSTEIN GIRL

Pop Art looks out into the world.  It doesn't look like a painting of something, it looks like the thing itself.  --Roy Lichtenstein

This year's costume was inspired by the comic strip paintings of Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein (whose birthday happened to be on the day I wore this).  I painted my face with Ben-Day dots using lipliner, wore a yellow wig, and turned a wire-framed purse into a makeshift word bubble.

I'm wearing a vintage dress and earrings courtesy of Lydell NYC.

[Lichtenstein images from artsamerica.org and art-glossary.com.]

CAMPBELL'S SOUP

I'm afraid that if you look at a thing long enough, it loses all of its meaning.

This quote from Andy Warhol applies to many aspects of life, but is specifically relevant when it comes to art.

Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup cans had, unfortunately, fallen into the "familiarity breeds contempt" category for me, until I received an email from a friend last week with the photo above attached. Suddently, I was newly inspired by the familiar work and created four outfits to correspond with the color scheme of the cans' counterparts.

Synonymous with the Pop Art movement, Warhol's Campbell's Soup cans symbolized mundane commercialism, compounded by both the subject and the method of these works. Not only was Campbell's Soup marketed and distributed to mass consumers, but the method by which these works were created--silkscreen--was connected with mass production as well. These works are infinitely important art historically because they signify the move away from the idea of the artist as creative, expressive genius and simultaneously encapsulate the increasing commercialization of society in the 1950s and 1960s.

To view more photos and details of the rest of the outfits, visit my facebook page!

[Warhol image from gypsyart.yolasite.com.]