Martin Puryear Arrives at the Modern

Martin Puryear's exhibit at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth opened on Feb. 24th, with a special members-only preview on the 23rd. Puryear is a minimalist African-American sculptor and woodworker. The vast majority of his works use wood in some way. In this particular exhibit, about half of the works, while abstract, vaguely resemble animal forms. A prime example is the sculpture to the left (thanks to washingtondcjcc.org). The largest work in the exhibit, "Desire," is reminiscent of on of the pieces of "machinery" in Marcel Duchamp's "The Bride Stripped Bare By Her Bachelors, Even (The Large Glass)." While all of his pieces are thought-provoking, none of the works are needlessly shocking or sensationalistic. His pieces are contemplative and soothing, conducive to the smooth flow of thoughts and ideas. From a technical perspective, his works are very good, almost flawless. From an artistic perspective, his works convey everything that art should convey: emotion, thought, self-expression, and the like.

I said before that Puryear is a minimalist artist, and while that is true, his work truly defies any other sort of classification. This exhibit was organized by John Elderfield, the Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture, The Museum of Modern Art, with support provided by the City of Fort Worth.

I give the works 10/10 and I recommend that everyone visit the Modern to see this exhibit.

(thanks to themodern.org)