It's hard to find any breathing room during the frenzy of Frieze in New York, but Salon 94 and Maccarone galleries, along with the newly minted Salon 94 Design, have created a moment of reprieve with a mammoth exhibition of design and art set on the second floor of the iconic Lever House. Entitled ‘Midtown’, the show brings together sculpture, vessels, paintings, furniture and tapestries from over 40 artists, all elegantly framed by wraparound windows that boast views of both Park Avenue and the building’s inner courtyard.
Set amidst such swanky, storied environs, the exhibition’s cross-section of contemporary creativity hits an even more poignant note. A cast foam recliner by Urs Fischer is juxtaposed by a table by Isamu Noguchi, while Gaetano Pesce’s epoxy resin and dacron cloud lamp sits on the floor. In another part of the sprawling space, complex, woven sculptures by Korean artist Kwangho Lee and gestural paintings by Alex Hubbard invoke equal appreciation.
Installation view of ‘Midtown’.
Together, the exhibition collectively poses the ever-evolving question of how to define art and what contributes to a piece’s value – a debate made all the more given that the Lever House is also permanently home to numerous investment, real estate and brokerage firms, including its owner, Aby Rosen’s company RFR.
Aside from the Ghost Dog at Salon 94 Bowery last month, this exhibition marks the first official showing of Salon 94 Design – the gallery’s recently launched design-art enterprise headed up by dealer Paul Johnson, who previously operated his own space. Under Johnson’s direction, specimens by longtime collaborator Max Lamb from over the last decade also make an impressive appearance.
‘Putting contemporary designers in the same arena as contemporary artists was the basis of the merger between myself and Jeanne,’ explains Johnson. ‘Not that we want to define design as art at all – rather the opposite, as we want it to be appreciated as exceptional design works. To be able to do it in such a landmark location was just something that made it all the more special for our big first collaboration. The space defined the show.’
The show hosts works from over 40 artists across a number of disciplines, ranging from paintings to suspended tapestry
A vacant office space in Lever House hosts the current gallery, situated on the second floor of the modernist building
The exhibition celebrates the cross-section between art and design
INFORMATION
‘Midtown’ is on view until 9 June. For more details, visit the Salon 94 website (opens in new tab)
ADDRESS
Lever House
390 Park Avenue
New York NY 10022
-
Beacon House is the contemporary rebirth of a midcentury San Francisco homeBeacon House by Edmonds + Lee Architecture is a renovation project that sensitively brings a modernist San Francisco home into the 21st century
-
Supergraphics pioneer Barbara Stauffacher Solomon: ‘Sure, make things big – anything is possible'
94-year-old graphic designer Barbara Stauffacher Solomon talks radical typography, motherhood, and her cool welcome for St Moritz
-
Revea skin-mapping app uses Nasa technology in pursuit of a perfect complexion
The Revea skin-mapping app may be the next revolution in customised skincare, with unique camera-phone diagnostics
-
Buckhorn Sculpture Park: inside the art paradise dreamt up by collectors Sherry and Joel Mallin
As legendary art collectors Sherry and Joel Mallin prepare to sell their upstate New York home – and the star-studded collection occupying Buckhorn, its onsite sculpture park – we go behind the scenes of this art treasure trove, and the extraordinary life, work and spirit of the Mallins
-
Theaster Gates’ New Museum exhibition meditates on mourning, materials and community
Theaster Gates talks about his first US museum show, ‘Young Lords and Their Traces’ at The New Museum (until 5 February 2023), a moving homage to the creative forces who came before
-
New York art exhibitions: what to see this winter
Stay up-to-date with our ongoing guide to the best new and upcoming New York art exhibitions and events for your diary
-
New York photography show sees cultural icons – from David Hockney to Maya Angelou – in unguarded moments
‘Face to Face’ at New York’s International Center of Photography (27 January – 1 May 2023) sees cultural icons shot by Tacita Dean, Brigitte Lacombe and Catherine Opie
-
Inez & Vinoodh on 35 years of radical photography, being ‘two brains, one person', and judging our Design Awards
Dutch photography duo and Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023 judges Inez & Vinoodh discuss image manipulation, design aspirations, and capturing the legendary Julianne Moore
-
Es Devlin’s illuminated choral sculpture in New York celebrates human connection
Es Devlin’s ‘Your Voices’ at Lincoln Center, commissioned by Moët & Chandon, is an ode to the 700 languages spoken in New York City
-
Hav & Mar restaurant is a new temple for Black arts and culture in New York
Hav & Mar, a new art-focused seafood restaurant in New York, is the brainchild of chef Marcus Samuelsson and artist Derrick Adams
-
‘Eyes on Iran’ art activation in New York directs urgent attention to the United Nations
Including work by JR and Shirin Neshat, ‘Eyes on Iran’ is a group public art activation in New York timed to the UN initiative, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence
