Paula Cooper Galleries

9/29/2013 Updated review

I was walking down 23rd street thinking about how it's too bad Paula Cooper closed her little space near the corner of 23rd and 10th Ave, because so many galleries are expanding these days, it's a shame Paula Cooper scaled back because it really is the best gallery in Chelsea--and then just an hour later, I was walking up 10th Ave and noticed a new gallery I hadn't seen before, and it's Paula Cooper space that just opened two weeks ago! I didn't even know when I walked in--I just saw on the window that they were showing Alan Shields, whose work I had just read about that morning, without knowing there was a show of it in Chelsea. Serendipity upon serendipity! The show is really amazing--it is some kind of totemic, shamanistic free-spirited assemblages, the best "hippie art" I've ever seen. (Coming to it straight from the Anne Truitt show at Matthew Marks makes poor Anne look so pathetically boring.) One piece I really loved was a huge tapestry, with a fabric that looked like it had been tie-dyed in a rusty blood red, and the color richly saturated the textile and made illusionary folds and fissures all over it--it looked like skin from the inside. Beads and strings were strung across it, in bright and pastel colors and some pieces with a metallic sheen that seemed like a weird combo with this rich crimson cloth but that just makes the throbbing of the surface more magical.

I read on the web site that this space will be open through January 2014--so catch it while you can!

2/26/2011 Updated review

Stood in quite the line for "The Clock" and cannot say I was particularly wowed by the exhibit, but the recent writeup clearly had people coming in droves and the staff was doing their best to keep up with the crush.

Still a fine space with a good staff - would highly recommend.

10/5/2013

Rude staff

10/15/2011

Came here for the Roy Lichenstein Exhibit pretty good space.

4/28/2011

Saw John Water's read from his book Role Models here last night.  The event was put on by 192 Books which is owned by Ms. Cooper's spouse from what I gathered from the introduction. Staff was friendly.  My friend arrived first and held my seat (front row-so cool) I arrived late and had to go through a crowd of eager misfits to get in. The guy at the front was great about ushering me in after i told him i had contacted the book store and they put me on the list.  The gallery has a great wide open space and a skylight that would let in great natural light.  I love West Chelsea galleries.  I sometimes wish i lived on 10th or 11th ave. Its so far from the trains and its quiet.  Kinda like over here bw 2nd and 1st on the weekends.  I'm defiantly interested in the book store and the gallery.

3/1/2011

Im a graduate student and I was looking to reference a piece I saw at the gallery a few weeks ago. The people I spoke to were so rude and not helpful at all. Typical "art" people. Disappointing that they don't want to encourage students to see and discuss their work, which is generally very interesting.