TBT: Morris Louis

I spent last weekend in Washington, DC, and visited the Hirshhorn Museum and the Phillips Collection, which both reminded me of my love for the work of Morris Louis.  The most well known Washington area Abstract Epressionist, Louis' Color Field work has always been very soothing to me.  See my post from 2011 here, wearing one of my favorite dresses (that needs to come back into rotation for spring).

JOYCE KOZLOFF: Maps + Patterns

On a recent most springlike day, I strolled from my office in Silicon Alley over to 22nd Street in Chelsea to see Joyce Kozloff's Maps + Patterns exhibition at DC Moore Gallery.

Described as "a cross between coloring books and illuminated manuscripts", the works on view are based on motifs that Kozloff encountered throughout her travels on the Silk Route.  The central image in these works is the Islamic Star, which Kozloff has returned to as a motif throughout her 40 year artistic career.

The pieces in the exhibition are mixed media collage, and include elements of previous works, studies, and ephemera Kozloff has collected along the way.

The exhibition closes on April 25, so make your way to the gallery ASAP if you'd like to experience these exuberant works of art.

Dress: Vintage silk, found at Lulu's in Chicago

Boots: Pour la Victoire (also worn in this post)

Photos by Kathy Paciello.

KEHINDE WILEY | BROOKLYN MUSEUM

Through the exhibition Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic, which just opened at the Brooklyn Museum, New York based artist Wiley proves that it is possible to create a place for African Americans within the canon of Art History, and that it can be done beautifully and poignantly, while still eliciting questions and inciting change.

The exhibition highlights various series of Wiley's works, including many paintings as well as a grouping of stained glass pieces.  For much of his work, Wiley appropriates poses from heroic portraiture, but replaces the subjects with African American youth, usually male (though he branched out into female subjects with the series An Economy of Grace).  Generally, the subjects themselves choose the portrait they would like to be fashioned after, which gives them a sense of control over the outcome. 

Viewing Wiley's body of work as a whole, he continues to challenge the role of the black individual within Art History, combining hip hop culture with high brow, traditionally white, male portraiture.  It is a thought-provoking commentary on the way that art, and society, have been and continue to be further democratized.

Dress: Tracy Reese

Blouse: Vintage

Tights: H&M

Shoes: United Nude

Necklace: Vintage

Kehinde Wiley: A New Republic is on view at the Brooklyn Museum through May 24, 2015.

Photos of me by Kathy Paciello; other photos by me.

CLOUDS IN PARIS

#fbf to my last trip to Paris, when I floated through the Latifa Echakhch installation at the Centre Pompidou.  I'd take a cloudy day in Paris anytime, especially if the clouds are reminiscent of Rene Magritte.

Dress: Diane von Furstenberg (see the last time I wore it here)

Boots: Theyskens' Theory

Photo by Kathy Paciello.

CHRIS OFILI | NEW MUSEUM

If you're in New York City this weekend looking for something to do, I highly recommend that you check out the Chris Ofili exhibition at the New Museum before it closes on February 1st.

Ofili made a name for himself with his controversial work in the Sensation exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum in 1999.  His work is imbued with cultural references, from his heritage to Hip Hop music to the Bible, and his work spans across media including painting, drawing, and sculpture.  In some ways reminiscent of cave painting, the works also have a decorative aspect and an arts and crafts feel brought on through the use of materials such as glitter, studs, and even elephant dung.  The exhibition fills the entire museum and is a surprising journey through Ofili's career; proof that he has covered a lot of ground in his twenty years as an artist.

Dress: Givenchy (SIMILAR HERE)

Belt: Vintage

Shoes: Hussein Chalayan (exact shoes in patent leather HERE)

Photos of me by Kathy Paciello; other photos by me.

DAMIEN HIRST | OLAF BREUNING

On a recent weekend, I pulled out my Olaf Breuning x Damien Hirst dress for a Panda Bear concert at MoMA PS1.  Combining Hirst's LSD painting with Olaf Breuning's photo of a nude (entitled Damien), the dress combines the work of two artists and was executed by designer Cynthia Rowley.  I love it when art and fashion collide.

Dress: Damien Hirst x Olaf Breuning by Cynthia Rowley for Colette 

Coat: Tracy Reese (same style in a different print here)

Tights: Joe Fresh

Boots: United Nude (similar here)

Breuning image from jeremyriad.com; photos by Kathy Paciello.

PHILIP TAAFFE

On Friday night I made the familiar trek to Bushwick for the Philip Taaffe (b. 1955) opening at Luhring Augustine.  I've long been a fan of Taaffe's work (peep my ancient blog post inspired by his work), and the way he is able to combine so many elements into a large canvas.  His canvases feature a myriad of processes, including silkscreen, collage, stain, and paint, and imagery drawn from broad sources such as religion, popular culture, and media.  According to his gallery, "Taffe strives for an optical vibrancy and visual energy that integrate the decorative with the narrative, the natural with the man-made, the ancient with the modern - entwining cultural lineages and histories to create something authentically new from these interwoven sources."

The exhibition continues through April 26th at 25 Knickerbocker Avenue in Brooklyn.

Vintage Dress: No Relation, NYC

Leather Boots: Goodwill, VA

Poncho: Brooklyn Flea

Photos by Kathy Paciello.