There is a lot to be learned from the 21st edition of arteBA in Buenos Aires.

1. One art fair at a time can be a good thing.  In contrast to art fair weeks with multiple, concurrent art fairs, arteBA held the spotlight with no competing fairs, which led to an intimate and enjoyable experience for collectors. The city of Buenos Aires offers plenty to capture your mind and eyes, including: Fundación Proa, an amazing contemporary art museum; Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA), a must-see for Latin American art; Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, a survey of international art; and many sights of the city like Cementerio de Recoleta and Centro Cultural Recoleta. Given this full agenda of sights to see, not having to worry about multiple fairs frees you to enjoy everything the city has to offer at an enjoyable pace.

2. Surrounding events enrich the experience. The 98 galleries showing at arteBA gave collectors an expansive look at Latin American artwork and a great opportunity to get a good deal; additionally, surrounding events organized by the fair with local spaces added energy and enrichment to the experience.

3. A dynamic art scene lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Local spaces in Buenos Aires range from institutions like MALBA and PROA to lively artist residencies like Boulogne Sur Mer Art-Bulding. Nascent galleries with international vision are beginning to take hold. For example, Peña Galería recently opened a beautiful space in Recoleta. Make sure to map their address before visiting, as the underground space is hidden behind a nondescript wood-paneled door. The gallery features emerging artists and organized a show in New York City earlier this year. Rounding out the scene, established galleries display interesting works, most notably at Ruth Benzacar Gallery.

4. There is much great Latin American art to be seen. Below are some quick pictures from the events.

arteBA Fair Opening Night

Continue Reading More »

Art critic Jerry Saltz invites you to email “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Art from an Art Critic but were Afraid to Ask (and maybe aren’t that eager to hear).”

Email your response to ArtCritic@NYmag.com. Why not?

Full details via email announcement:

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Art from an Art Critic but were Afraid to Ask (and maybe aren’t that eager to hear).

Ask New York Magazine’s Senior Art Critic, Jerry Saltz, anything you want about art, art careers, art dealers, prices of art, why critics write about artists, how critics are edited, what makes a good dealer, a bad dealer, how to get back at snarky critics, how to behave around critics, what’s up with reality TV, what makes a curator good, bad, or worse. Ask Jerry Saltz anything in his new New York Magazine Vulture column, Ask the Art Critic. Starts the week of September 20. Tough love; my two-cents; advice; admonitions; suggestions; information; misinformation; good guesses; opinions; warnings; and more to get irked about. Three or four selected questions will be answered per week.

Send questions to ArtCritic@NYmag.com.  Keep questions clear, simple, and preferably short (75 words or less). All selected questions will be subject to editing. Signed questions are preferable but all questions will be considered.

Go ahead. Take your best shot. Ask the Art Critic. ArtCritic@NYmag.com

July 12, 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau  inaugurates “The Census Project,” organized by the General Services Administration’s Art in Architecture Program, which commissions public art projects in new federal buildings.

Spanning over 7 acres across the Census Bureau Headquarters in Suitland, Maryland, the project appears to be best seen from an aerial view.

Artist Anita Glesta has done a fine job with the project; however, it’s hard not to imagine what other artists would have done:  Mel Bochner, Sol Lewitt, Loren Madsen, Keith Tyson…

On a side note, the Census Bureau employed many artists for the actual door-knocking and collection of data in NYC, so hats off to the organization for their direct and indirect support of the art community.

(The Census Project can be seen by appointment only. Contact Christine Ewing, NCR Regional Fine Arts Officer, GSA Art in Architecture Program christine.ewing*at*gsa.gov.)

Artcards is beta testing a new commenting feature from Facebook. The comments will appear both on Artcards show pages and Facebook along with the commenter’s name and profile picture.  The aim is to widen the discussion to more people in a credible way.

To post a comment on a show, find the show on the main events page or on the ongoing shows section if the show has already opened. Then click on the “comment” link at the end of each show listing.

Below is the most recent activity. More updates to come soon!

Artcards provides special coverage during Armory Arts Week this year.

• Read reviews: check back here for reviews on which fairs to visit and which part of the fairs are not to be missed.
• Join us for private tours at SCOPE Art Fair, Chelsea, and Williamsburg.
• Create your own plan for the week, use the Artcards NYC website.
• See our quick list of all 13 fairs.

Artcards Review will provide reviews, news, thoughts, and images related to art openings, events, and shows.  Email help@artcards.cc if you are interested in contributing.