Spaces, places, and virtual experiences
A couple seasons’ worth of practical projects (organizing closets and reconfiguring cabinets) and exacting activities (mastering bread baking and martini mixing) merits a sensory shake-up. Here, we’ve gathered six inspiring exhibits, online explorations, and safe in-person experiences to get your synapses firing.
ALEXANDRE BENJAMIN NAVET
AT VAN CLEEF & ARPELS
Visiting a beloved boutique the day a new collection drops is exciting. Finding that same space transformed, floor to ceiling, into a bright, blooming garden? Borderline transcendent. Particularly when the man behind the metamorphosis is Alexandre Benjamin Navet. To reimagine Van Cleef & Arpels’s Beverly Hills and New York flagship stores, the multidisciplinary French artist complemented the brand’s signature floral designs with three-dimensional cutouts, tile inlays and rugs swathed in patterns straight from his sketchbook, and sculptural vases—a motif often found in his work. The effect is a vibrant, graphic homage to a jewelry house as inspired by nature as Navet himself, and manna to art-starved eyeballs that have been housebound for months.
If you live near Van Cleef & Arpels’s Beverly Hills or New York flagships, the boutiques are safely open for business and following local guidelines. To learn more about the immersive experiences online, head to the Maison’s website.
DONALD JUDD AT MOMA
Installation view of Judd, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, March 1–July 11, 2020. Digital image © 2020 The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Photo by Jonathan Muzikar
This MoMA retrospective is the first time in over thirty years the don’t-call-me-a-minimalist minimalist artist’s signature stacks, progression pieces, and box forms have been on view. Arranged chronologically, the exhibition lays out—across four gallery spaces—the evolution of Judd’s work, highlighting themes repeated throughout his career. Interacting with the big, bold sculptures, it’s hard not to notice the exhibition’s apt timing: The pieces demand space, and they often require precise placement, just like anyone leaving home these days. If you’d rather check them out from yours, MoMA has an amazing online experience that lets you view the galleries, listen to and watch interviews with Judd throughout the years, view images of his homes, and really wrap your head around his vision.
The Judd exhibition has been extended through January 2021 (lucky us). MoMA requires timed tickets purchased in advance online, and the museum is open at a limited capacity. For a virtual viewing experience, start here—and return often.
VIRTUAL TOURS OF GUCCI GARDEN
For the first time, visiting Museo Gucci doesn’t require a trip to Florence, Italy. This online tour of the museum and garden—complete with chirping birds in the background—gives visitors a shopping fix and a crash course in the house’s history. The experience unfolds like a walk through any museum: Start by exploring three floors of artwork, archival pieces, stories, and videos that reflect a visit to the Alessandro Michele–curated space in the Piazza della Signoria. On your way out, exit through the gift shop: Gucci is giving virtual visitors access to buy clothing, accessories, and ephemera previously available onsite only. While you can’t buy the hemp-and-bamboo bag from the early ’60s on display in the Bagology gallery, you can hit the boutique to scoop up exclusive Gucci Garden goods, from tees and sweatshirts that reflect the secret garden theme to brocade Princetown slippers.
Right this way.
If you’re in London, take in Walker’s extended exhibition at the Tate Modern, which centers around a thirteen-foot, four-tiered fountain sculpture. The scale, seamlessness, and skill on view are captivating, but understanding Walker’s allegory and intentions for the exhibit makes it even more meaningful. The larger-than-life work inspires a bigger conversation around public monuments—so it’s a particularly important show to take in right now. Also inspiring: Every piece was created using an environmentally conscious production process that favors recyclable and reusable nontoxic materials. If you can’t visit in person, check out the Tate’s website for interviews with the artist, a virtual exploration of the exhibit, and a guide for kids.
Book a timed ticket ahead of your visit (entry is free, and you can check out the Warhol exhibit and peep a Matisse in the same trip) or view from home here.
ONLINE EXHIBITIONS
We love this Los Angeles gallery for its diverse, dynamic curation and cultural perspectives. From ceramics to sculptural installations, the catalog of exhibitions on David Kordansky Gallery’s website covers myriad mediums and points of view, but every single show feels fresh and modern. If you’ve found yourself constantly refreshing Instagram for inspiration, trust us: Get off the app and keep this tab at the ready. Between the viewing rooms, the exhibition pages, and the one-on-one artist videos, there are plenty of visual rabbit holes to get lost in. Angelenos can also look forward to checking out the gallery’s expanded art campus—a three-structure spread with a sculpture-filled courtyard and space for screenings, exhibits, and events when the time is right.
David Kordansky Gallery is currently open by appointment, with exhibitions by Linda Stark and Lesley Vance on view. To give the gallery a long-distance stroll, start here.
STORM KING ART CENTER OUTDOOR MUSEUM
The best damn day-date in the game is even more refreshing these days, and worth the trip if you’re within driving distance of New York’s Hudson Valley. Storm King Art Center is currently open as an outdoor-only experience, with timed tickets going on sale every other Wednesday, and on the cusp of chunky-knits-and-changing-leaves season, they tend to sell out fast. Explore the 500-acre outdoor museum to take in the classics (Calder, Stella, Noguchi, and the gang) and the current exhibitions (including a flag installation by Kiki Smith and a ninety-two-foot sculpture by Mark di Suvero), while getting some safe, socially distanced fresh air.
Reserve timed tickets here.
Article courtesy of goop.com