Photo Pest: Gallery Hopper Redux

Most of the gallery shows I had marked on my calendar while in Florida were about to close, so I saw four in a two-day period. I saved the best--recent work by Salman Toor, whom I first encountered at the Whitney last fall--for last.

"Ash Blonde" by Salman Toor (2024)

The Human Situation

An April obituary for Marcia Marcus in the Times put the overlooked artist on my radar for the first time. Lévy Gorvy Dayan cannily mounted a group show of her work with one of my favorite painters. Quotes from the three women whose work is primarily represented greet visitors outside.

Self-Portrait (1979)

Figurative artists like Marcus, who was 97 when she died, didn't get a lot of love in her lifetime. All I ask is that people look.

"Family II" (1970)

Just ask Alice Neel! I paint my time using people as evidence.

"June" (1955)

She painted this provocative portrait more than 20 years before Demi Moore appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair in the same condition.

"Pregnant Nude" (1969)

"June Blum" (1972)

I wasn't familiar with Sylvia Sleigh, either. A painting is a personal relationship.

"Legend: Elaine Shipman" by Sylvia Sleigh (1974)

Of the three artists, Sleigh's work seems to be most powered by feminism. Born in Wales a decade earlier than Marcus, she became a naturalized American and lived almost as long. Here, she paints a women's art collective. She's standing in the rear, second from the left. Imagine a man fading into the background!

"A.I.R. Group Portrait" by Sylvia Sleigh (1977-78)

Drift: Coming Home

Isaac White, who goes by "Drift," risked his life to take these extraordinary photographs exhibited at the Robert Mann Gallery where he was arrested and handcuffed the night the show opened. It wasn't the first time. Not-quite-as-brave NYPD officers used these background shots of the Empire State Building as evidence that he had trespassed.

"Don't Fear The Reaper" (2023)

Perfect Timing (2023)

Wright served his country for six years in the Army Special Forces. He returned from a tour of duty in the Middle East with PTSD (if not vertigo!).

"After the Storm" (2021)

Medical research supports his contention that his hobby is therapeutic. It certainly inspires awe.

"Foreshadowing" (2022)

Wish Maker

Salman Toor, a Pakistani artist, must be painting as fast as he can. His recent, moody work fills two Luhring Augustine Galleries, with oil paintings in Chelsea and charcoal sketches in Tribeca. His homosexuality is evident in both, although more penises are visible in the latter.