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Sneak Peek: Richard Serra Drawing at the SFMOMA!

Julia Millay Walsh — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 13:45:00 PDT

Richard Serra Drawing: A Retrospective opens Saturday at the SFMOMA (151 3rd St., 415-357-4000), and yesterday I had a chance to preview the exhibit and hear a few words from the artist himself. Richard Serra's massive steel sculptures have made him a key figure in the contemporary art world, but less known is how engaged in drawing he is, so this first full, chronological retrospective of about 50 of Serra's drawings is a monumental event. Also on view are a selection of sketchbooks and early sculptures in lead, rubber, and fiberglass, dating as far back as the '60s, and you'll see an unmistakable connection between his work in different mediums.

Walking through the exhibit, you'll begin to sense your body in a different way; you'll think about movement and form. Moreover you'll experience the SFMOMA's incredible architecture in a way you never have before; the scale and the contrast and the texture of Serra's work seem to imply that the galleries were made for it. In some cases, in fact, it's the reverse: there are several site-specific pieces in the exhibit.

Come take a peek at some of my favorite pieces in the show.

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Drinking In the SFMOMA's How Wine Became Modern Exhibit

Julia Millay Walsh — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 09:45:10 PST

When I was invited to tour the SFMOMA's "How Wine Became Modern" exhibit - which YumSugar visited in November - I expected a discussion about how wine had marked its place in contemporary culture and everyday life (cocktail parties, conversation, television, etc.), rather than in the broad world of modern design. Both, as it turns out, are true.

Leaving the exhibit, I couldn't help but think about how much the fields of modern design and architecture are under the influence of that buzz-inducing grape juice. From industrial design to photography to sculpture, there are dozens of artworks related to the topic that are not only beautiful and thought provoking, but also created by some of the most influential artists of our time. Like the exhibit's curator, Henry Urbach, who admitted he had no interest in wine or winemaking before dreaming up the project, you don't even have to like wine (or even drink) to enjoy this show; the artwork alone is intoxicating. Here's a taste; catch the exhibit through April 17.

Diller Scofidio + Renfro, the NYC-based architectural firm that designed New York's much-buzzed about The High Line, created this large-scale, printed textile mural called the "Judgment of Paris." Recalling the Last Supper, the image references the 1976 wine tasting where California wines rated best in each category, forever leveling the international winemaking playing field.

Acclaimed Berkeley-based artist Peter Wegner was commissioned to create this large-scale, paint and vinyl, graphic installation. From "Smokey Oaky" to "Crushed Grape," more than 200 dots on the wall are hues of household paint brands related to wines (many with California wine names). It reveals how a sense of class or sophistication is inferred from the wine names, giving value to the brands.

Australian design studio Mash arranged a wall of playful, well-crafted wine bottles of their own design organized by branding strategy like weather, truth or consequences, family, sex, fame, "good guys," and "bad guys." The installation is an eye-opening visual testimony to the themes that consumers and designers gravitate toward.

Architecture buffs will be ecstatic to get a first-hand glimpse of starchitect Frank O. Gehry's 2006 architecture model for the Marqués de Riscal Vineyard Hotel in Rioja, Spain.

Don't Miss: Henri Cartier-Bresson at the SF MOMA

Nancy Einhart — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 11:41:02 PST

If you haven't made it yet to the De Young Museum's Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Beyond: Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musée d'Orsay exhibit, well, you're out of luck. It's totally sold out until the end of its run on Jan. 18. But don't despair (too much): you can still catch the other display of fabulous French-created artwork in town until Jan. 30.

Though it hasn't gotten as much press as the D'Orsay exhibit, Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century, at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art through Jan. 30, is a must-see. The more than 300 prints span not just the career of the French photographer but also the globe and the history of modern photography.

Over his decades working as an artist and photojournalist, shooting seminal essays for Life magazine, among others, Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) covered the continents to capture history in the smallest moments: a contorted face caught in a shouting reprimand, a pair of eyes pointing hopefully heavenward, a mother and son reconnecting amid chaotic throngs. The subtle but powerful portraits on display - where every sliver of light and sight line comes together to tell a story - teach cultural and historical lessons via the humorously ordinary (two dogs mating in a dusty street) and the extraordinary (China's "great leap forward" in 1958, the death of Gandhi).

In the final weeks, you can also catch screenings of Cartier-Bresson's films documenting the Spanish Civil War and a curator talk illuminating the artist. If that doesn't ease the pain of missing the D'Orsay exhibit, drown your sorrows this Friday when Friday Nights at the de Young starts up again.