With the holidays arriving, carrying in tow their parade of dinner parties, work events, and family celebrations (and obligations), there are few greater gifts one can give oneself than a few hours of quiet contemplation alone or with a specially chosen companion. Considering their placement nestled on New York’s far West Side, where their white-cube interiors offer elegant respites from the winds that now blow bracingly over the Hudson, the galleries of Chelsea are an opportune place to spend these stolen moments—perhaps followed by a cocktail at one of the local art-world watering holes.
Luckily, this season there are several exceptional shows on view in Chelsea as well, from new work by conceptually geared art stars to historic pieces by 21st-century greats. To help choose an itinerary through the city’s most famous art district, we asked the art advisor Heather Flow—a specialist known for her nuanced feel for the pulse of emergent art—to suggest a few stops to hit, and why.
Seth Price
“Hell Has Everything”
Through January 5
456 W. 18th Street
Seth Price, Hell Has Everything (2018). Courtesy the artist and Petzel Gallery.
“This is Prices’s first solo exhibition in Petzel’s Chelsea location in six years, and the works continue Price’s exploration of “skins,” which the artist uses as a term to encompass both high-resolution photographs of skin, consumer packaging, and vacuum-formed casts of limbs.
Installation view of “Seth Price: Hell Has Everything” at Petzel Gallery. Photo courtesy of Petzel Gallery.
Installation view of “Seth Price: Hell Has Everything” at Petzel Gallery. Photo courtesy of Petzel Gallery.
Ellsworth Kelly
“Color Panels for a Large Wall”
Through December 22
522 W. 22nd Street
Ellsworth Kelly’s Color Panels for a Large Wall II (1978). © Ellsworth Kelly Foundation, Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery.
Displayed in the show, “Color Panels for a Large Wall II (1978)”—a suite of 18 small monochrome paintings in primary colors displayed in two horizontal rows of eight—”is the sister work to Color Panels for a Large Wall (also 1978), which is installed in the National Gallery of Art. Both pieces represent the artist’s return to color after a period of working in black and white.”
Installation view of “Ellsworth Kelly: Color Panels for a Large Wall” at Matthew Marks. © Ellsworth Kelly Foundation, Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery.
Ellsworth Kelly, Two Yellows (1952). © Ellsworth Kelly Foundation, Courtesy Matthew Marks Gallery.
Phyllida Barlow
“tilt”
Through December 22nd
548 W. 22nd Street
Installation view, “Phyllida Barlow. tilt” at Hauser & Wirth. © Phyllida Barlow. Photo: Genevieve Hanson. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth.
“This is Barlow’s first solo exhibition in New York in six years. She continues her exploration of how forms and colors can break from established ideas of sculpture.”
Phyllida Barlow, [detail] untitled: sleeve; 2018 (2018). © Phyllida Barlow. Photo: Genevieve Hanson. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth.
Phyllida Barlow, untitled: pressed; 2018 (2018). © Phyllida Barlow. Photo: Genevieve Hanson. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth.
Keith Haring
Gladstone Gallery
Through December 21
515 W. 24th Street
Installation view, “Keith Haring” at Gladstone Gallery, 2018. Courtesy of The Keith Haring Foundation and Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels. Photo: David Regen.
“The exhibition features works that reveal Haring’s unique interest,” says Flow, in imagery relating to love and relationships and religious iconography.
Installation view, “Keith Haring” at Gladstone Gallery, 2018. Courtesy of The Keith Haring Foundation and Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels. Photo: David Regen.
Installation view, “Keith Haring” at Gladstone Gallery, 2018. Courtesy of The Keith Haring Foundation and Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels. Photo: David Regen.