Painter Will Cotton has a sweet tooth when it comes to art, fashion, eye candy, and real candy — including Katy Perry’s bubblegum pop.
Cotton’s lustrous, sticky-sweet visions of seductive innocence depict nude angels nestled in confections suitable for Marie Antoinette (the Sofia Coppola version). An accomplished painter with an already impressive c.v., Cotton skyrocketed to international attention for the cover art on Perry’s Teenage Dream, before going on to art direct the pop-culture touchstone that is the “California Gurls” video.
We sure hope someone is making Wayne Thiebaud one hell of a birthday cake. The artist, who turns 90 today, is known for his paintings of delicious-looking food. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s café is commemorating the event with a special Thiebaud-inspired menu, which will of course feature edible versions of his world-famous cakes. Since we’re stuck on the East Coast, we’ll have to celebrate in our own way, with this round up of high-art food porn, including delectable works by everyone from Manet and Gauguin to Ralph Goings and Will Cotton.
Taking on the role of a gallery, auction house giant Sotheby’s presents Divine Comedy, a lively exhibition of art from olden days to contemporary times at its New York outpost. None of the works on view, including major pieces by Jeff Koons, Damian Hirst, Takashi Murakami, and Andres Serrano will be auctioned, but many of them are privately for sale. Using Dante’s epic poem as a point of departure for visual portrayals of Purgatory, Heaven, and Hell, the exhibition gathers together top-notch pieces by some of today’s most in-demand artists.
Rosy-cheeked, nostalgic, kitschy, clichéd: our feelings on Norman Rockwell are manifold. Though Rockwell’s depictions of America evoke a certain warm feeling for yesteryear, they are more akin to propagandistic advertisements than high art. It’s worth noting, however, that Rockwell referred to himself as an illustrator, not an artist — a fact that dovetails with his use of photography in creating his iconic images. NPR has a fascinating look at the process behind the lens; peep side-by-side comparisons plus other photorealist picks after the jump.
The talented Mr. Terence Koh, whose poetic and provocative artworks have been labeled both brilliant and the emperor’s new clothes, was at his best last week when he delivered the performance piece Art History 1642-2009 at New York’s venerable National Arts Club. Speaking to a packed house of art-world sophisticates in a completely unintelligible language, he railed, whispered, gestured, and danced his way through a visually entertaining lecture about art since the time of Goya.
The polemical subject matter in Will Cotton‘s paintings — sugar-whipped fantasies of pink confections and barely-dressed nymphs — comes to life this month at Partners & Spade boutique on New York’s Great Jones Street. The curio shop, a destination for those in search of old microphones, painted arrows, limited-edition watches and other modish ephemera, is hosting Cotton and his merry band of bakers for a three-weekend bake sale. No naked ladies in sight, as far as we could tell, but the artist himself was in attendance yesterday, directing operations in a gingham shirt and W-emblazoned apron.
Armory Arts Week is unofficially underway. The Armory Show opens to VIP guests today, Flavorpill joins with the Museum of Modern Art to throw an after-party tonight, and VOLTA NY, PULSE New York, SCOPE New York, Bridge New York, and Fountain art fairs open tomorrow. On top of that there are gallery openings, brunches, late night parties, and performances — all coinciding with this New York celebration of contemporary art.
