Rockefeller Center is set to receive shamanic spirit this spring. Human Nature is a group of nine monumental stone figures by Ugo Rondinone.  This powerful sculptural tribe, each member of which is between 16 and 20 foot tall, will populate the New York City plaza from April 23 to June 7.

Swiss-born New York resident Rondinone has hewn his totemic personages from massive slabs of bluestone.  These, roughly cut blocks are replete with drill holes and splits from the quarry.

Organized by the Public Art Fund and Tishman Speyer, Human Nature is supported by Nespresso.   The fund’s director Nicholas Baume describes Rondinone’s colossi as “mythical in scale and imagery, visceral in character and impact.”  The series “reconnects the contemporary world with our most ancient origins.”

Complementing his Rockefeller Center installation, Gladstone will present “soul” on May 10, a series of small-scale bluestone figures, a show that promises an intimate yet equally potent sculptural experience.

The post Ugo Rondinone: Human Nature at Rockefeller Center appeared first on artcritical.

Jene Highstein died April 27 at his farm in upstate New York.  He was 70.  The cause was lung cancer, diagnosed this past January.  A postminimalist sculptor of elegance and idiosyncrasy with a keen interest in architecture, Highstein was part of the storied alternative space 112 Greene Street in the 1970s.  He went on to show widely in the United States, Europe and recently in Asia.  Following his well-received exhibition of towers and elliptical forms at Danese Gallery in 2011, Highstein’s  most recent exhibition was of drawings from Cape Breton at 56 Bogart in Bushwick this past winter.  An exhibition of early works is now being planned at the Clocktower in Lower Manhattan.

A tribute to the artist will be posted here later this week.

The post Jene Highstein (1942-2013): Postminimalist Sculptor of Elegance and Idiosyncrasy appeared first on artcritical.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/201602281″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Colleen Asper, Ariella Budick, and Jeffrey Kastner joined David Cohen to discuss Julia Jacquette at Anna Kustera, Josephine Meckseper at the FLAG Art Foundation, Rob Pruitt at (Public Art Fund) Union Square, and Katrin Sigurdardottir at the Met.

The post May 2011: Colleen Asper, Ariella Budick, and Jeffrey Kastner with moderator David Cohen appeared first on artcritical.