this week in art

BLAKE IN POETRY AND SONG: AN EVENING WITH PATTI SMITH

Patti Smith will celebrate the legacy of William Blake at the Morgan Library (photo by Angelo Cricchi)

The Morgan Library & Museum
225 Madison Ave. at 36th St.
Thursday, November 19, $35, 7:30
212-685-0008
www.themorgan.org
www.pattismith.net

In 2004, Patti Smith wrote, “In my Blakean year / Such a woeful schism / The pain of our existence / Was not as I envisioned / Boots that trudged from track to track / Worn down to the sole / One road is paved in gold / One road is just a road.” On her Web site, the full lyrics to this song, “In My Blakean Year,” from her TRAMPIN’ album, link to William Blake’s poem “The Divine Image,” which includes the opening quatrain “To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love / All pray in their distress, / And to these virtues of delight / Return their lovingkindness.” The eclectic, iconic, iconoclastic Smith, joined by her daughter Jesse, will be celebrating the legacy of the British artist, writer, and anarchist in a special program of music and poetry at the Morgan Library on November 19, held in conjunction with the exhibit “William Blake’s World: ‘A New Heaven Is Begun’” (which continues through January 3).

William Blake, “Behemoth and Leviathan” (Book of Job, no. 15), pen and black and gray ink, gray wash, and watercolor, over faint indications in pencil, on paper, ca. 1805–10

More than 350 years after his birth, Blake remains a worshiped figure with a lasting influence, particularly on the Beat Generation and its descendants. Discussing “In My Blakean Year” with Rolling Stone in 2004, Smith said, “What I learned from William Blake is, don’t give up. And don’t expect anything. . . . I have a great life. I’ve seen dark times too and have had, in certain times of my life, nothing. No material things, not much prospects – except my own imagination. But if you perceive that you have a gift, you already have life.” Smith, recently named one of the 400 most influential New Yorkers by the Museum of the City of New York, has suffered great personal tragedy as well as critical and popular success throughout her career; she is not afraid to bare her soul in public, so the event at the Morgan promises to be moving and emotional in addition to celebratory. The performance begins at 7:30, with the exhibition open at 6:30 for ticket holders to get in the mood.

DESTINATION GUADELOUPE

King of Zouk Luc Leandry comes to NYC for Guadeloupe festival (photo by Saint-Prix)

Multiple venues
November 18-22
www.destination-guadeloupefestival.com/ushome.html

The French Caribbean archipelago of Guadeloupe, which was named by Christopher Columbus, brings its art and culture to the city for five days of special events in the second annual Destination Guadeloupe festival. On Friday, Gwo-ka drummer François Ladrezeau will perform at Zinc Bar and Jeff Joseph and Panik play S.O.B.’s; on Saturday, Kriyolio hits Zinc Bar; and on Sunday, all of those groups, along with King of Zouk Luc Leandry and the Divas of Zouk, Joëlle Ursull and Jocelyne Labylle, will come together for the festival’s main event at S.O.B.’s, with cuisine prepared by chef Georges Césarin and a special raffle. Throughout the five days, the art of Joel Nankin will be on view at Casa Frela Gallery. “The island pays a short visit with its unique music, art, and cuisine,” said one of the event’s producers, Alex Boicel, in a statement, “and we intend to make New Yorkers hungry for more.”

YVONNE JACQUETTE

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 26^th 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.

LES LALANNE ON PARK AVE.

Flock is among several Lalanne sculptures along Park Ave. (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Park Avenue Malls between 52nd & 57th Sts.
Through November 20
Admission: free
www.paulkasmingallery.com
www.flickr.com/photos

Since September 13, a series of fun, surreal works by eighty-five-year-old sculptor Claude Lalanne and her late husband, François-Xavier, who died last year, have been grabbing the attention of passersby and motorists along Park Ave. between 52nd & 57th Sts. The sculptures, primarily cast in bronze, depict several members of the animal kingdom in addition to a few rather large fruits and vegetables in the middle of Midtown Manhattan. Claude’s contributions include “Pomme de New York,” a giant golden apple that pays tribute to one of the city’s nicknames; “Choupatte (Très Grand),” a cabbage with bird’s feet; and “Nouveau Lapin de Victoire,” a tall rabbit standing regally with a cane in front of it. François-Xavier adds “Mouton Transhumant (Brebis)” and “Beliers (m),” a flock of a dozen sheep and lambs grazing on the Park Ave. grass as the traffic whirs by; “Poisson Paysage,” a fish with a rectangular hole in its center; “Singe Avisé (Très Grand),” a black monkey turning to look over its right shoulder; “Oiseau de Nuit (grand),” a confused owl staring straight ahead; and two casts of “Wapiti,” a pair of deer, one on 54th Street near Madison Ave. and the other along the median. Presented by the Fund for Park Ave. and the Paul Kasmin Gallery, “Les Lalanne on Park Ave.” offers pedestrians a chance to relax amid all the Midtown maelstrom.

NAKED SOUL: GRAHAM PARKER

: Graham Parker will get sacred and profane at the Rubin (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Rubin Museum of Art
150 West 17th St. at Seventh Ave.
Friday, November 13, $40-$45, 7:00
212-620-5000
www.rmanyc.org/nakedsoul
www.grahamparker.net

Over the years, we’ve seen Graham Parker perform in various amalgamations, with such backing bands as the Figgs and the Rumour as well as solo acoustic, in intimate venues and loud rock clubs. Parker, the witty, acidic songwriter behind such classic tunes as “Local Girls,” “Passion Is No Ordinary Word,” “Protection,” “Stupefaction,” “You Can’t Be Too Strong,” and “Get Started. Start a Fire,” among many others, will be playing a special set at the Rubin Museum of Art as part of the Naked Soul series. Parker, who has also written the excellent short-story collection CARP FISHING ON VALIUM, is a consummate entertainer who introduces his songs with biting commentary, self-deprecating humor, and sublime intelligence that is part Richard Thompson, part Robyn Hitchcock, but all GP. If you’ve never seen him before, take advantage of this splendid opportunity to see one of music’s finest in what he is promising will be quite a unique show. As he describes it: “Where spirituality and sacrilege rub shoulders and get on very well. Yes, the prospect of this totally unplugged gig in the most unusual setting has me digging deep for material that even the GP stalwarts will be delighted with. Or confused. The thematic opportunities have blown my mind. This will be a real one of a kind!” As a bonus, admission to the Rubin is free on Friday nights from 7:00 to 10:00, so after the concert, you should check out such exhibits as “The Red Book of C. G. Jung,” “Victorious Ones: Jain Images of Perfection,” “From the Land of the Gods: Art of the Kathmandu Valley,” and “Mandala: The Perfect Circle.” It should be fascinating to see how Parker blends in the Rubin’s surroundings into his set.

update: As promised, Parker played a one-of-a-kind set at the Rubin, integrating slides of Himalayan art on view in the museum with songs and stories referencing life and death, heaven and hell, and reincarnation and religion. He boldly spoke about his lack of faith while throwing in such relevant terms as karma, meditation, transcendence, Buddha, bodhisattva, and enlightenment. In fact, at one point he talked about how he used to live on Eighteenth St., with a view of the corner where the Rubin now stands. He related how, when the building was being gutted and turned into Barney’s, he and his friends would wait for the huge rats to dash out at late-night passersby, as Parker and his fellow partiers high-fived, tossed back another, and inhaled, noting that that was the closest he’s probably ever come to enlightenment. He reached deep into his songbook, eschewing familiar hits for such rarely played tunes as “Evil,” “Pollinate,” “Carp Fishing on Valium,” “Museum of Stupidity,” “I Don’t Know,” “Last Stop Is Nowhere,” and the outrageously funny “Syphilis & Religion.” He debuted two songs from his upcoming album, including “You’re Not Where You Think You Are,” and covered Johnny Nash’s appropriate “There Are More Questions than Answers.” He also played “God’s Big Chess Game,” a song by his alter ego, YouTube “sensation” Tex Skerball. Titled “Sacred and Profane” – and yes, there were plenty of profanities, with Parker begging donors not to blame the museum for his language – the performance was perhaps the best researched and curated show we have ever seen, especially for such a one-time-only site-specific event, something that can never be duplicated. After the show, despite Parker’s cynical stance on all religions, including Buddhism, Rubin museum producer Tim McHenry still presented the ribald musician with a kata, a traditional sign of respect, which Parker gladly accepted.

KALLIOPI LEMOS: PERPETUAL TRANSITIONS

Lemos exhibit seems to float perilously in the air (photo by twi-ny/mdr)

Olympic Tower Atrium
Onassis Cultural Center
645 Fifth Ave. between 52nd & 53rd Sts.
Admission: free
www.onassisusa.org/occ.art.htm
www.flickr.com/photos/twi-ny/sets/72157622642001472

Greek artist Kalliopi Lemos, who lives and works in London, has installed “Perpetual Transitions” next to the waterfall in the Olympic Tower Atrium, part of a global public works project that includes pieces in Eleusis, Istanbul, and Berlin, re-creating the route taken by eastern European migrants looking for jobs in the west. Consisting of what she calls “bean boats,” the objects dangle precipitously from the ceiling, as if floating in the middle of nowhere, evoking the in-between status of migrants who have left their home to find a better life with more opportunity. The fifteen vaginal white plaster pods each contain seven misshapen egglike objects that represent the possibility — and difficulty — of spiritual and physical rebirth as they continue on their journey. Be sure to examine the installation from various different angles to get the full extent of this moving migration in Midtown Manhattan.

weekly listings nov. 11-18

Magda Tothova gets uncomfortably and romantically close to the former premier in her video “Lenin and the Maiden"

1989: THE END OF HISTORY OR THE BEGINNING OF THE FUTURE?
Austrian Cultural Forum
11 East 52nd St. between Fifth & Madison Aves.
Admission: free
212-319 -3000
www.afcny.org

Wednesday, November 11 Art and Politics After the Annus Mirabilis: panel discussion on the the tumultuous events of 1989, with Marina Abramovic, Anna Jermolaewa, Thomas Draschan, Gerald Matt, and others, reservations required, 5:00

Wednesday, November 11 Video Art Comments on a Time Shift: exhibit opening reception, with live music by B3+ and presentation by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Austria Michael Spindelegger, 6:00

RICHARD LLOYD
The Studio at Webster Hall
125 East Eleventh St. between Third & Fourth Aves.
Tickets: $10-$12
www.websterhall.com/thestudio

Thursday, November 12 One-night-only special performance by Television’s Richard Lloyd, with opening set by Hey Battlef!eld, hosted by John Varvatos, Bob Gruen, and Legs McNeil, 8:30

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Danspace Project
St. Mark’s Church
131 East Tenth St. at Second Ave.
Admission: $5 plus two cans of food or $10
212-674-8112
www.danspaceproject.org/programs/foodforthought.html

Thursday, November 12 Thomas F. DeFrantz, Rie Ono, Chris Peck, and the Grocery & Jessica Almasy, curated by Ursula Eagly

Friday, November 13 Monstah Black, Vanessa Anspaugh, GoGoVertigoat, and Jamal Jackson Dance Company, curated by Maura Donohue

Saturday, November 14 Brad Kisicki, Travis Chamberlain, and Sheila Lewandowski in collaboration with Sarah Maxfield, and John McGrew, curated by Enrico D. Wey

David teague's animated INTIFADA NYC is part of annual doc fest at AMNH

MARGARET MEAD FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th St.

November 12-15, $12-$40
212-769-5200
www.amh.org/mead

The thirty-third annual Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival once again showcases socially and environmentally conscious work from around the world.

Thursday, November 12 Opening night: COOKING HISTORY (Peter Kerekes), 7:00

Sunday, November 15 DJ SPOOKY AND THE SCIENCE OF TERRA NOVA, featuring DJ Spooky speaking and demonstrating the creation of his latest multimedia project, addressing climate change in Antarctica, 4:00

Sunday, November 15 Closing night: HAIR INDIA (Raffaele Brunetti & Marco Leopardi), with Brunetti in person, 8:00

JANIS BRENNER & DANCERS
Joyce SoHo
15 Mercer St.
Tickets: $15-$20
www.joyce.org

Thursday, November 12
through
Sunday, November 15 JB&D presents FIVE DECADES, consisting of works by Meredith Monk (BREAK, 1964), Murray Louis (FIGURA, 1978), and Janis Brenner, (GUILT, 1985, and A MATTER OF TIME, 1994), and world premiere of Brenner’s DANCING IN ABSENTIA

A HISTORY OF NEW YORK
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden
421 East 61st St.
Admission: $15 (includes discount for Wafels & Dinges)
212-838-6878
www.mvhm.org

Friday, November 13 Dr. Michael Black discusses Washington Irving’s A HISTORY OF NEW YORK, which takes a satirical look at the early politics of the early Dutch-settled city, 6:30

PAGE TURNER: THE ASIAN AMERICAN LITERARY FESTIVAL
Multiple venues
All day pass $20 ($25 with literary awards)
www.pageturnerfest.org

Friday, November 13 Gala Kick-off Dinner with Michael Ondaatje helping to honor Lifetime Achievement Award winner Sonny Mehta, Vermilion, 480 Lexington Ave., $50 cocktail reception, $500 cocktail reception, gala dinner, signed book by Ondaatje, and more, 7:00

Saturday, November 14 Readings at powerHouse Arena, with Jhumpa Lahiri, David Henry Hwang, Jen Kwok, Professor Mae Ngai, Ed Park, Amitava Kumar, and more, 37 Main St., Dumbo, $5 each, every hour on the hour from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm

Saturday, November 14 Twelfth annual literary awards and cocktail reception, powerHouse Arena, 37 Main St., Dumbo, $10, 6:00

Guy Maddin's unique take on Dracula is part of Vampire Weekend at the Paley Center

DARK SHADOWS AT TWILIGHT: A PALEY CENTER VAMPIRE WEEKEND
The Paley Center for Media
25 West 52nd St. between Fifth & Sixth Aves.
Admission: $10
212-621-6800
www.paleycenter.org

Friday, November 13
through
Sunday, November 15 Three days of special events focusing on vampires, including F. W. Murnau’s NOSFERATU, Guy Maddin’s DRACULA: PAGES FROM A VIRGIN’S DIARY, ROBSESSED (about the cult surrounding TWILIGHT’s Rob Pattison), screenings of past Paley Center events featuring the cast and crew of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (2008), ANGEL (2001), TRUE BLOOD (2009), and DARK SHADOWS (2001), as well as a panel discussion and more

ESTHER
New York City Opera
David H. Koch Theater
63rd St. & Columbus Ave.
Tickets: $12-$145
212-721-6500
www.nycopera.com

Friday, November 13
through
Thursday, November 19 City Opera presents Hugo Weisgall’s opera for the first time in sixteen years, starring Lauren Flanigan and with stage and film design by Jerome Sirlin

COLLECTORS FESTIVAL OF NEW YORK: DE LA CHARANGA AL CHARANGO
Taino Towers Cultural Building
240 East 123rd St. at Second Ave.
Admission: $10
www.cccadi.org/node/529

Saturday, November 14 Sixth annual International Latin/Tropical Music Collectors Festival, with displays, DJs, film screenings, a tribute to Charanga legends, panel discussions, a flea market, and a fiesta de cierre with live performances by La Orqesta Broadway and La Bolá con su Charangón, 1:00 – 10:00 pm

GENERATIONS: A 30-YEAR CELEBRATION
Peter Norton Symphony Space
2597 Broadway at 95th St.
Tickets: $15-$25
www.symphonyspace.org

Saturday, November 14 Thirtieth anniversary concert by the Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps Symphonic Band, featuring works by Respighi, Shostakovich, Saint-Saens, Jerry Herman, Harold Arlen, and John Philip Sousa in addition to a world premiere of special piece by James Adler commissioned for the event, 8:00

ARTWALK NY
Skylight Studio
275 Hudson St.
Tickets: $200-$5,000
212-776-2056
www.coalitionforthehomeless.org/artwalk.html

Tuesday, November 17 Benefit for the Coalition for the Homeless, honoring artist Pat Steir, with a cocktail
party, live and silent auctions, with cochairs Richard Gere, Carey Lowell, and Alec Baldwin, 6:30

IN OUR LINGO: DJ DISCO WIZ & JAMEL SHABAZZ
El Museo del Barrio
1230 Fifth Ave. at 104th St.
Admission: free with reservations at below Web site
www.elmuseo.org/en/calendar/date_all_all

Tuesday, November 17 Multimedia dialogue and mixed plate beats featuring DJ Disco Wiz and Jamel Shabazz, 6:30

DEBORAH HAY: IF I SING TO YOU
YVONNE RAINER: SPIRALING DOWN
Baryshnikov Arts Center
Tickets: $25
www.bacnyc.org

Tuesday, November 17
through
Thursday, November 19 U.S. premiere of a piece by Deborah Hay and New York premiere of work by Yvonne Rainer, part of Performa 09 festival, 7:30

De Sica classic is part of neorealist feast and film festival

UMBERTO D. (Vittorio De Sica, 1952)
Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65th St. between Broadway & Amsterdam Ave.
Tuesday, November 17, 8:30
Saturday, November 21, 5:30
212-875-5600
www.filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/italiannr.html

We don’t think we’ll ever stop crying. Vittorio De Sica’s neorealist masterpiece stars Carlo Battisti (a professor whom De Sica saw one day and thought would be perfect for the lead role; it would be Battisti’s only film) as Umberto Domenico Ferrari, an elderly former bureaucrat who is too proud to sacrifice his dignity in order to pay his mean-spirited landlady (Lina Gennari), who rents out his room by the hour while he’s out walking his beloved dog, Flag, and trying to find some way to get money and food. Umberto D. is befriended by the boardinghouse maid (Maria Pia Casilio), who is pregnant with the child of one of two servicemen, neither of whom wants to have anything to do with her. As Umberto D.’s options start running out, he considers desperate measures to free himself from his loneliness and poverty. His relationship with Flag is one of the most moving in cinema history. Don’t miss this remarkable achievement, which was lovingly restored a few years ago by eighty-six-year-old lighting specialist Vincenzo Verzini, known as Little Giotto. The film is part of Lincoln Center’s “Life Lessons: Italian Neorealism and the Birth of Modern Cinema,” which continues through November 25 with such films as Michdelangelo Antonioni’s IL GRIDO, Luchino Visconti’s LA TERRA TREMA: EPISODIO DEL MARE, and Francesco Rosi’s SALVATORE GIULIANO. The November 21 screening of UMBERTO D is part of “A Feast of Food and Film,” a special one-day event that also includes admission to Federico Fellini’s I VITELLONI, Roberto Rosselini’s VIAGGIO IN ITALIA, Luigi Comencini’s PANE, AMORE E FANTASIA, Pier Paolo Pasolini’s ACCATTONE, a tasting of Lamberti Prosecco and Rose Spumante, Italian delicacies from Sora Lella, all for $30

SPLICE: PANIC JOURNALS
Dance New Amsterdam
280 Broadway at Chambers St. (second floor)
Tickets: $12-$17
212-625-8369
www.dnadance.com
www.falldowntown.com

Thursday, November 19
through
Sunday, November 22 Ishmael Houston-Jones and Dan Safer/ Witness Relocation team up for a night of raucous performance art

GOTHAM GIRLS ROLLER DERBY
Hunter College Sportplex
Lexington Ave. at 68th St.
Tickets:
888-830-2253
www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com

Thursday, November 19 Although the GGRD championship bout on Saturday, November 21, between the Bronx Gridlock and the Manhattan Mayhem is currently sold out, a small batch of tickets will be released on November 19 at 8:30 am