All of the sudden, Richard Artschwager appears to be having a moment. The idiosyncratic artist, known for his mysterious grey paintings on Celotax and Formica sculptures that resemble–but never quite amount to–furniture or music instruments or other functional objects, is showing all around town. It’s a veritable Artschwager smorgasbord, or at least a generous tasting of works from across his 60-year career. (He’ll turn 90 next year.)
A longtime member of the illustrious Castelli Gallery roster, he’s back there, on East 77th Street, with a show of early work (including a wild Formica piece that looks like a piano), but he’s also showing downtown in a three-person show at the fledgling Golden gallery in Chinatown. Gagosian, where he has shown recently, has Artschwager on offer too, in a charming little group show in its annex gallery at 980 Madison Avenue, which combines art and furniture–perfect for an artist who began his career studying with a cabinetmaker and transitioning into art only after his studio burned, destroying much of his handiwork. And MoMA and the Met have Artschwagers of their own.
By our count there are no less than five six places to see the artist’s work at the moment. (In the comments section, Owen helpfully noted that Mr. Artschwager’s work is also on view at Brooke Alexander right now.) A brief guide follows in the slide show above.
