I learned a lot during the pandemic. I listened to every interesting art lecture I could find, read a ton, and took many Zoom classes. It was during a talk with Arlene Shechet that I first heard about the artist B. Wurtz. I mentioned his book in a post from back then, and in my normal fashion, have learned everything I could about him since. I really like Wurtz’s pan paintings, and have kept my eye on him. Luckily for me, I knew there was an exhibition, B. Wurtz: Monuments, at Garth Greenan Gallery in Chelsea.


Wood, wire, plastic bag, pigmented paper and thread
“B. Wurtz is perhaps best known for his repurposing of everyday flotsam into joyous, humorous, and beautiful sculptural objects. The works in the presentation—spanning the past four decades of Wurtz’s career—amount to transubstantiations of the commonplace, exposing the enigmatic relationships between grandiosity and scale, modesty and pomp, humor and seriousness.” (Garth Greenan Gallery)

Pigmented cotton and solvent transfer

Inkjet on acetate

Plastic bags, wire and metal stand

The back wall of the gallery was fun to look through. A few of my favorites are below.

Can, paint, ink on paper, metal

35mm slide in a cardboard mount, white plastic bread tie,
ink, wire, thread and wool

Wood, modeling paste, acrylic and metal