Yvonne Jacquette, “Chrysler Building Flanked by High Rise Buildings, II,” woodcut on okawara paper, 2009
YVONNE JACQUETTE: THE COMPLETE WOODCUTS 1987-2009
Mary Ryan Gallery
527 West 26th St. between Tenth & Eleventh Aves.
Tuesday through Saturday through November 28
Admission: free
212-397-0669
www.maryryangallery.com
In early 2008, Yvonne Jacquette was part of a dazzling show with her late husband at the Museum of the City of New York, “Picturing New York: The Art of Yvonne Jacquette & Rudy Burckhardt,” which centered on her large-scale oils and pastels. Chelsea’s Mary Ryan Gallery is now featuring Jacquette in a solo show of her stunning woodcuts made between 1987 and 2009. Based on aerial views taken either from a helicopter or other tall buildings, the works, printed primarily on mulberry or okawara paper, come alive in both color and bold black and white, sometimes looking more like line drawings at first. In “Nightscape Woodcut,” office lights form an abstract pattern if given the primary focus of the viewer’s gaze. Color and black-and-white versions of “Veering Off” give insight into Jacquette’s working process, as does one of her original plates. While New York City is featured in such gorgeous pieces as “Tip of Manhattan,” “Chrysler Building Flanked by High Rise Buildings, II,” and “Midtown Composite” – don’t get fooled by certain perspectives, as Jacquette combines elements in composites that alter reality – the show also includes “Filaments of Light (Chicago)” and “Bridges over Cuyahoga River, Cleveland.” Jacquette, who is still working in her mid-seventies, is one of New York City’s genuine treasures who is finally getting her due over the last few years.