Look closely to see faces emerge in some of Tony Cragg’s swirling sculptures at Marian Goodman (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Marian Goodman Gallery
24 West 57th St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Monday – Saturday through March 17, free, 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
212-977-7160
www.mariangoodman.com
www.tony-cragg.com
British sculptor Tony Cragg, whose “Resonating Bodies” have guarded the entrance to Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park in Battery Park City for fifteen years, has filled the Marian Goodman Gallery on West 57th St. with a collection of small and large works that explore form, surface texture, abstraction, and even a hint of representation for his latest solo show, which has been extended through March 17. Cragg, who was born in Liverpool but lives and works in Wuppertal, Germany, uses bronze, Cor-Ten steel, wood, stone, and cast iron in the pieces, which have a swirling vitality; in fact, several appear to be figures in motion, while others are like shiny aliens with faces emerging when seen from various angles. The glittering stainless-steel “Hollow Head” rises from a base like the top of the Chrysler Building, while the wood “Chip” teeters like a game of Jenga about to come to an end. The green bronze “Versus” rises at the end of a long hallway like the Manhattanhenge sun, while “Group” is like a Painted Desert Mount Rushmore. “WT (White Stone Henrauyx 85)” evokes classical marble statuary, while “Lost in Thought” is a giant deep in contemplation, his enormous feet firmly planted on the ground. Many of the works beg to be touched, their sharp edges, smooth surfaces, and impossible angulation alluring, but hands off. But do be sure to walk around them to get the full experience, seeing them appear to change right before your eyes. The show is supplemented with three large-scale pieces on view down the street in the Sculpture Garden at 590 Madison Ave., where they fit in well surrounded by trees and people having lunch in the glass-enclosed atrium.