Get out your walking shoes, or hire that car. Spring art season has begun in earnest. Today at 4 p.m., a few hours before Christie’s begins the two-week run of bellwether auctions of Impressionist, Modern and contemporary art, several of New York’s Old Master dealers are holding receptions: Masterworks of Six Centuries. “Special” exhibitions, for these art-heavy weeks, will continue over the next few weeks, at least.
On Friday, New York Gallery Week, which I’ve already written about here, kicks off a long weekend of solo shows, panels and other contemporary art events.
And mark your calendars for May 19, 4 to 8 p.m. — that’s when several American galleries will be open for their semi-annual evening event, always held during the weeks in December and in May when Christie’s and Sotheby’s have their American art auctions. More information is here.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. But in truth, I’m posting this because of the painting above, “The Twist” by Thomas Hart Benton, dated 1964 — it’s one of the works that will be on view on May 19.
Benton lived until 1975, when he was 86, and he had long since fallen out of favor. It’s a twist party imagined by someone who’d never been to one. (Bongo drums?) He was, afterall, in his 70s when he painted the scene. It’s also a bit incongruous with the burly workmen and midwestern landscapes of his usual works (but not the music themes). He was trying, at least, to what? Keep current? Chubby Checker had his smash hit in 1960, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard charts in September by pushing out Elvis’s “It’s Now Or Never.” By ’64, the Peppermint Lounge was running at a fever pitch. I’m no expert on Benton, but he’s reaching here way beyond his grasp — and somehow that tickles me.
Photo Credit: Courtesy Debra Force Fine Art Inc.