A strange insect is crawling around the walls at Jason McCoy gallery – a centipede whose limbs happen to be drawings. Brainchild of curator Stephanie Buhmann (who is also a contributing editor here at artcritical) this intriguing summer show, like the season now drawing to a close, apparently has exactly 100 works on paper dating as far back as a late Gustav Klimt though mostly focused on an eclectic cross section of contemporary New York artists. The works are hung cheek by jowl, meaning that, for once, an artist does well not to be framed, as that way you get some bare wall around your piece, precious real estate in this installation! In one respect, the show reminded me of an old Village Voice review by Jerry Saltz for the audacious number of artists it manages to squeeze in; the opening provided an opportunity to wish a fair whack of New York friends a happy summer. But the show does have an aesthetic virtue greater than the sum of its centurion parts. Each drawing finds some way formally or associatively to relate to its neighbor. If not the world’s largest example of decalcomania, the show is at least a triumphant game of dominos. DAVID COHEN
41 East 57th Street at Madison Avenue, New York City, 212-319-1996, July 11 to August 24, 2012
Agnes Martin, Alejandra Alarcon, Amy Sillman, Adrian Schiess, Annelies Štrba, Balint Zsako, Barnaby Furnas, Bernard Childs, Bettina Blohm, Bill Adams, Bob Thompson, Bryan Osburn, Carlo Battaglia, Carlos Fragoso, Catherine Kernan, Charles Pollock, Chris Giuffré, Christiane Löhr, Cora Cohen, David Hockney, David Smith, Dena Sturm, Donald Silverstein, Ele D’Artagnan, Elisa Lendvay, Fran Siegel, Frank Farmer, Franklin Evans, Frank Webster, Fred Bendheim, Frederick Kiesler, Gary Petersen, Gelah Penn, Gina Magid, Giorgio Cavallon, Glenn Goldberg, Grégoire Müller, Gudrun Mertes-Frady, Gustav Klimt, Heiner Blumenthal, Henri Matisse, Ignacio Chavarri, Ilana Manolson, James Bishop, Jim Lee, Jean Arp, Joe Fyfe, John Newman, John O’Connor, John Zinsser, Jon Elliott, Jon Rappleye, Kevin King, Kim Uchiyama, Kojo Griffin, Lee Krasner, Leon Polk Smith, Leonard Stokes, Li-lan, Lisa Breslow, Lorenzo Cardi, Luisa Rabbia, Marc Van Cauwenbergh, Marcel Dzama, Marci MacGuffie, Marietta Hoferer, Mark Sheinkman, Mark Tobey, Mark Williams, Michael Goldberg, Michael Kukla, Michael Tetherow, Mila Libman, Nick Lamia, Nicole Schmölzer, Paul Brainard, Peregrine Honig, Philip Smith, Randy Wray, Rob Nadeau, Robert Ohnigian, Robert Zandvliet, Ruth Marten, Ryan E. Steadman, Salvatore Mazza, Sarah Mattes, Sol LeWitt, Stephen Greene, Stephen Mueller, Steve McCall, Terrell James, Thomas Hart Benton, Tom Butter, Thomas Nozkowski, Tony Oursler, Victoria Neel, Vincent Contarino, Virgil Grotfeldt, Willy Richardson, Yvonne Estrada.