The debut show, โSecond Lives: Remixing the Ordinary,โ is supposed to be about how artists reuse humble or unusual materials. Thereโs good work here, but much of whatโs on view is actually more about obsession and repetition: a couch made out of 3,500 quarters, a necklace composed of 100 handgun triggers. The building, too, seems caught between wanting to be an object of decorative delectation and making an architectural statement.
Jerry SaltzMission accomplished. The Museum of Modern Art's wide-open, tall-ceilinged, super-reinforced second floor was for all intents and purposes built to accommodate monumental installations and gigantic sculptures, should the need arise. It has arisen.
Jerry SaltzMy culture-deprived, aspirational mother dragged me once a month from our northern suburb - where the word art never came up - to the Art Institute of Chicago. I hated it.
Jerry SaltzA great artist has a unique vision...obsession. They are someone willing to fail flamboyantly.
Jerry Saltz