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SAN FRANCISCO ART GALLERIES OPENINGS

FIRST THURSDAY - 01.09.14 - Part I

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Haines Gallery: Fundamental Abstraction III.

Artists: Ai Weiwei, Pierre Cordier & Gundi Falk, Kota Ezawa, Monir Farmanfarmaian, Mike Henderson, Patsy Krebs, David Maisel, David Nash, Leslie Shows, David Simpson, Zhan Wang, Zheng Chongbin.

Comment by AB: I'm not generally a fan of group shows mainly 'cuz I think they're the easy way to fill a gallery with art for another month or two or whatever. That said, some group shows are better than others. This one's better. I know good art is hard to find, and I know that artists who are capable of filling a gallery with good art are even harder to find, but that just means you have to look longer and work harder to find them. So work harder, look longer and find them. In the meantime, this show's worth seeing regardless.

Zhan Wang artist art

Art by Zhan Wang at Haines Gallery.

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Art by David Maisel (left) - David Nash (right).

Patsy Krebs art.

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Pinkie cam detail of art by Patsy Krebs in above image.

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Floor sculpture by Ai Weiwei.

Art by Monir Farmanfarmaian in above image closer.

Sculpture by Ai Weiwei, painting on left by Zheng Chongbin.

Art by Mike Henderson.

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Gregory Lind Gallery: Tom Burckhardt - Cast Paintings.

Comment by AB: New York artist Tom Burckhardt casts plastic in the shapes of vintage oil on canvas paintings, then paints the casts on the fronts, backs and sides including ersatz stretcher bars and nails. Illusion complete. Works for me. Check 'em out.

Tom Burckhardt artist art

Art by Tom Burckhardt at Gregory Lind Gallery.

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Cast plastic painting by Tom Burckhardt.

Tom Burckhardt and his art at Gregory Lind Gallery.

Tom Burckhardt art

Painted nails on art in above image.

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The backs are painted in addition to the fronts - art by Tom Burckhardt.

Tom Burckhardt art closer.

Art by Tom Burckhardt.

Action - Tom Burckhardt art show at Gregory Lind Gallery.

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Fraenkel Gallery: Peter Hujar - Love & Lust; Nan Goldin - Nine Self-Portraits.

Comment by AB: Peter Hujar goes erotic circa the 1960s-1980s like you can't really go anymore these days. Why? Because the "free love" of the good old days turned out to be really really expensive in the long run. And the hard lessons learned from that era have changed the way we portray sexuality. As for Nan Goldin, she demonstrates that every stage of life is beautiful. We just keep getting better, no matter how much the corporate manifesto pushes youth and beauty (and profits), mercilessly continuing to brainwash us for the sole purpose of bulking their bottom lines. Recommended viewing.

Nan Goldin artist art

Self-portrait photography by Nan Goldin at Fraenkel Gallery.

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Nan Goldin photograph.

Nan Goldin Photo

Photography by Nan Goldin.

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Self-portrait photographs by Nan Goldin at Fraenkel Gallery.

Peter Hujar art

Photography by Peter Hujar.

Erotic photographs by Peter Hujar at Fraenkel Galery.

Peter Hujar Photo

Peter Hujar photography.

Photograph by Peter Hujar in above image closer.

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Altman Siegel Gallery: Laeh Glenn - Ordinary Objects.

Comment by AB: Ordinary objects-- including the physical appearance and characteristics of the paintings themselves-- crisply portrayed in refreshing, unconventional and illusory ways. Nicely done. Stop on by.

Laeh Glenn artist art

Art by Laeh Glenn at Altman Siegel Gallery.

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Art by Laeh Glenn closer.

Art by Laeh Glenn.

Laeh Glenn art

Laeh Glenn and her art at Altman Siegel Gallery.

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Art by Laeh Glenn.

Laeh Glenn art.

Art by Laeh Glenn closer.

Attendance figures - Laeh Glenn art show at Altman Siegel Gallery.

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Toomey Tourell Gallery: Maria Park.

Comment by AB: The show is based on the Francois Truffaut film, Fahrenheit 451 (1966), based the science fiction novel by Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which books burn and we see books in varying states of peril here.

Maria Park artist art