The Giorgio de Chirico exhibition at the Musee d'Art Moderne etc., is "the" show to see this season in Paris. One (read I) thinks one has seen it all but this show contains early portraits, his middle "classic" figures and architectural paintings, later fantastic stuff and final works that are Silicon Valleyesque. A lot of paintings come from private collections all over and there are a series of self portraits, as he ages, that give added dimension to the art. His directness, fantasy-world and bizarre juxtapositions rival those of Magritte and Dali and I suspect drive "classic' art historians nuts by his gentle mockery of proportion, political correctness and perspective. I also have a hunch people either love or loathe him and I love him all the more after this show.
American Jimmie Durham is another matter. Born when de Chiraco was hitting his stride, Durham's work, as displayed here, starts and ends with a crashed airplane and in between is the sort of stuff the Whitney Biennale loves (wood blocks standing and Total oil cans piled up - it's just missing felt on the walls and slate on the floor).
As for the third show, We Could Be Heroes Just For One Day. Have you noticed the newspapers rarely review a second billed show and never the third? Why? I'm sure the answer will come to you if you think hard. Anyway, since I'll never be a hero, it doesn't even apply to me.
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