Friedrich Petzel Gallery

A pretty space located in a cool area. And they seem to get some exhibits totally worth checking out! (The recent «Cast Away» for example). But their staff is a bit stuffy.

Love their current exhibit! One of my favorite galleries in Chelsea! Great place to check out some awesome artwork and find inspiration :)

Most impressive gallery space and exhibits that I have seen in a very long time. The roster of artists that they represent and the caliber of shows that they put out are second to none. Comprised heavily of European artists that work mainly on canvas and sculpture. You will however also discover the works of the renowned Americans: Guyton, Brauntuch, Hoey, Pensato and Longo.
But don’t just take my word for it…

I believe the gallery is closed now, but is set to reopen July 2^nd.
Open gallery space that brings in interesting artwork from time to time. I came here to see the Jorge Pardo exhibit back in March. Worth checking out if you’re in the area.

Sometimes I think that putting a group of paintings of the same size at the same height on a gallery’s wall is a boring way to hang an exhibition. But shows like Charline von Heyl’s are a good reminder that this is only the case when the art is boring! (and complicated installation techniques are often only compensating for the art.) She is my favorite living painter and this new work at Petzel Gallery is truly remarkable, with gaunt-​yet-​bold palettes – pink, gray, pale green in one, black, yellow and purple in another and so on – and the hints of figuration and patterning that always invite some kind of identification or familiarity but never satisfy it, because it stays on the hint level. What I really love about von Heyl’s paintings is that when you stand back and observe them they look so complex and layered, with otherworldly depth and aura, but if you look close up you can see there’s nothing particularly mystifying or ghostly about the way she paints. The brushstrokes are evident, there’s nothing that hides her hand. You can see the roughness, dare I say clumsiness, of the painting’s application, and the marks of the palette knife where she cuts the paint into shapes, where applicable. It’s just something about the way she combines all the elements to produce an organic whole that is breathtakingly brilliant. The one thing technique-​wise that remained a mystery to me was the scratchmarks on one painting; the checklist said there was charcoal among the meida so I asked the guy at the desk if the artist had scratched into the surface of the dried painting with a knife or something, or if that was just what the charcoal looked like when it was drawn on. He didn’t know, so he went to ask the director, but the director was in a meeting. He said I could email him with the question and he’d get back to me, which was very nice of him, but I doubt I will. It’s not that important anyway. just curious!
I’m going to pretend I didn’t see the Allan McCollum exhibition in the small gallery – Allan McCollum is always a snoozefest, this show even moreso than usual, which I didn’t think was possible – and the Charline von Heyl show is so excellent, I don’t want to bring this review down.