New York
Too few small exhibitions celebrate important events in the history of contemporary art in New York. It is both pleasurable and informative to see this kind of show, particularly when the works address the impact of European artists on their New York counterparts. Such was the case with “Radio Waves,” a fascinating and ultimately progressive exhibition consisting of 14 works—mostly sculptural assemblages and assisted readymades—that explored Rauschenberg’s central role in attracting French artists associated with Nouveau Réalisme to come to New York in the early 1960s. One of these artists was the magical Jean Tinguely, whose well-known kinetic sculptures occupied a central place in the show. Tinguely’s importance for New York artists in the 1960s largely derived from his major performance/spectacle Homage to New York (1960), which was staged in the sculpture courtyard of the Museum of Modern Art. “Radio Waves” began with the Robert Breer film of Tinguely’s legendary construction in operation and in the process of catching fire.…see the entire review in the print version of September’s Sculpture magazine.
