McKee Gallery until June 3 745 Fifth Avenue at 57th Street, 212-688-5951. A version of this article first appeared in the New York Sun, April 28, 2005     They say inside every fat man a thin one is trying to escape: Might the same be true of sculpture? William Tucker’s career traces a trajectory from … Continued

Julian Schnabel: Selected Paintings through June 4, 2005 at C&M Arts, 45 East 78th Street, New York, 212-861-0020. A version of this article first appeared in the New York Sun, April 21, 2005 Eighteen months ago, on these pages, I treated the latest paintings of Julian Schnabel to severe deprecation. In regretting any absence of resistance … Continued

RECRUCIFYING THE STARR REPORT Until April 23 523 W. 24th Street, between Tenth Avenue and West Street, 212-243-0200   At the ecclesiastical-sounding Matthew Marks Gallery, everything is set up like a church. A nave of sepulchral objects leads the eye directly to a high altar, dominated by a crucifix. This is flanked by a pair … Continued

“Wayne Thiebaud: Since 1962: A Survey” through May 27, 2005 Allan Stone Gallery 113 East 90th Street, New York, 212 987 4997. A version of this article first appeared in the New York Sun, April 7, 2005 There is a legend concerning the art critic Roger Fry that as a young man traveling in Italy he would … Continued

Graham Nickson: Paintings Salander-O’Reilly Galleries 20 E. 79 th Street, New York 212-879-6606 Giorgio Cavallon: Paintings Salander-O’Reilly Galleries Both shows through April 30 What, for a painter, surpasses the nobility of the human figure? Why, several human figures—or so we might gather, thumbing through any history book of western art. So many of the “mega-hits,” … Continued

Lohin Geduld Gallery 531 West 25th Street Until April 23 One of the appeals of Outsider Art is its apparent sincerity–the relief it offers from Postmodernist detachment and appropriation. The problem lies in verifying its authenticity, because a skilled artist can find ways to appropriate even the appearance of sincerity. After all, how hard is … Continued

Kraushaar Galleries 724 Fifth Avenue Until April 30 A few floors below in the same gallery building, the exuberant landscapes of Henry Finkelstein, a painter in his mid-40s, make an intriguing contrast with Ms. Blaine’s. Mr. Finkelstein’s bold palette convincingly evokes the atmosphere of the French countryside he paints, his rich hues maintaining their full … Continued

Tibor de Nagy Gallery 724 Fifth Avenue Until April 23 Every few years, Tibor de Nagy Gallery offers up another selection of works by painter Nell Blaine (1922–96), allowing us to wonder again at the intensity of this artist’s highly original, self-possessed images. The present selection of work from her last four decades includes two … Continued

Shahzia Sikander at Brent Sikkema, Robert Gober at Matthew Marks, Harriet Shorr at Pelavin, Magnus von Plessen at Barbara Gladstone

Andrea Meislin Gallery 526 West 26th Street, New York March 10 – April 22, 2005 A version of this article first appeared in Gay City News, Volume IV, Issue 15 | April 14 – 20, 2005. Ofri Cnaani is a young Israeli artist based in New York . In the Colonel and I, Cnaani’s first … Continued