PHILLIPS IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE ALEXANDRE ARRECHEA: NO LIMITS
A SELLING EXHIBITION OF WATERCOLORS AND SCULPTURE INSPIRED BY THE PARK AVENUE MALLS PROJECT
ON VIEW: 8-13 APRIL, 2013
HOURS: MONDAY-FRIDAY, 10AM- 6PM & SATURDAY, 12PM-6PM
LOCATION: 450 PARK AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10022
New York, NY – Phillips is pleased to present, in partnership with Magnan Metz Gallery, a selling-exhibition of Alexandre Arrechea’s watercolors and small-scale sculptures. The project is an extension of Alexandre Arrechea: No Limits, the artist’s ambitious installation of 18-foot architectural sculptures currently on view through 1 June on the Park Avenue Malls.
Through the use of landmark buildings Arrechea calls attention to the relationship between man-made environmental interventions and the public. The No Limits series of contorted skyscraper sculptures arrest the viewer with distorted verticality, raising questions about the role of architecture in the manipulation of power and control. The artist destabilizes perception through elasticity and a sense of mobility not typically associated with these structures. The iconic buildings represented in the series include: the Chrysler Building, Citicorp Center, Empire State Building, Flatiron building, Helmsley Building, MetLife Building, Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower, Seagram Building, Sherry Netherland, and US Courthouse.
Arrechea’s watercolors serve as both a documentary and an extension of the project. Rendered in nostalgic sepia and an illustrator’s brushstroke, the artist gives us intimate glimpses into his studio practice. In Coronado el Helmsley Building, 2012, we see the Helmsley Building monumental sculpture as it is graced with the finishing touches in the workshop. Trabajando en los detalles, 2012, pays homage the beauty of the journey through unique snapshots of the construction process. Among the large-format watercolors we see sweeping views of the finished sculptures along Park Avenue, communicating their revolutionizing effect on the urban landscape.
“Arrechea’s unique vision surveys our everyday landscape and culture, which is in line with Phillips’ s approach to contemporary art. We are delighted to be part of this bold, far-reaching project.” Zach Miner, Head of Evening Sale, Phillips.
ALEXANDRE ARRECHEA:
Born in Trinidad, Cuba, in 1970, Alexandre Arrechea graduated from the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA) in Havana in 1994. He was a founding member of the celebrated collective Los Carpinteros (1994-2003). In the spring of 2013 he will have monumental sculptures along the Park Avenue Malls as well as an upcoming book on his work. Arrechea represented his country in the first ever Cuban Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2011) as well as the 11th Havana Biennial (2012). Arrechea was the Spring BAMbill cover artist and was featured in “Hola Havana” for the Brooklyn Academy of Music as part of the ¡Sí Cuba! Festival (2011). Among his solo shows are Twisted Horizon at Magnan Metz Gallery, New York (2012), Espacio Derrotado at Casado-Santapau Gallery, Madrid (2011), Black Sun, which was on the NASDAQ Billboard in New York City (2010), The Rules of Play, Savannah College of Art and Design, Georgia (2010), and Orange Tree at the Bronx Museum, New York (2011). He has participated in Dublin Contemporary 2011, Portugal Arte 2010, Bienal del Ponteverde, Spain (2010), the Moscow Biennial (2009), Thessaloniki Biennial of Contemporary Art, Greece and the Havana Biennial (2009). Arrechea’s work is in many permanent collections including the Brooklyn Museum in New York, CAB Burgos, Spain, Museum of Latin American Art, California, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, Daros Collection, Switzerland and the Museo Centro de Arte Contemporáneo Reina Sofia in Madrid.
PHILLIPS:
As the only international auction house to concentrate exclusively on contemporary culture, Phillips has established a commanding position in the sale of Contemporary Art, Design, Photographs, Editions and Jewelry. Through the passionate dedication of its team of global specialists, the company has garnered an unparalleled wealth of knowledge of emerging market trends. Phillips conducts auctions in New York and London and has representative offices throughout Europe and in the United States. For more information, please visit: phillips.com.
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Tiana Webb Evans
Director of Communications, New York
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+1 212 940 1207
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Alex Godwin-Brown
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agodwin-brown@phillips.com
+ 44 20 7318 4036