Frank Stella at the Whitney Museum October 28, 2015

After the inaugural exhibition, “America is Hard to See”, "Frank Stella: A Retrospective" at the Whitney Museum is a superb choice by Director Adam Weinberg and long overdue. At the opening, Frank, a young 79 years old was holding court and greeting the guests, always humble, still vigorous and captivating.The 70 works spanning six decades from the early Black paintings (“Die Fahne Hoch) to the most recent large scale  sculptures, “Black Star”, installed on the terrace attests to the artist’s prolific practice, his continuous ability to take risks and challenge himself and his audience. The retrospective provides the opportunity to examine the entire span of this high creative artist, in the Renzo Piano designed 18,000 square foot fifth-floor gallery.Adding to the excitement of the evening was Rachel Rose’s new video “Everything and More” organized by associate curator Christopher Lew in the Kaufman Gallery on the fifth-floor as well. Her video explores NASA astronaut David Wolf’s comments on his walks in space and “and how he perceived light, color, touch, and scents while aboard the Mir Space Station” and his return to earth’s gravitational pull. Once again, Rose “weaves together a range of subjects and technologies to make unexpected connections and find meaning in an age marked by the disruptive force of information”.Keith Mayerson’s exhibition, “My American Dream” opened at Marlborough Chelsea last evening, his first solo exhibition with the gallery. The work was created over the last ten years and it was Keith’s dream to exhibit this project together as it is the culmination of his installation at the 2014 Whitney Biennial. His practice consists of a personal narrative appropriating imagery and abstraction. The format of the installation is mostly salon-style and speaks to many subjects that are close to the artist's heart, including family. He deals with issues (civil rights, gay rights, pop culture) that are shaping our world today. His goal is to imbue an optimistic view of the future of the world for all.  It’s an inspiring message to continue the struggle to make America a better place.