Visual Arts

Big names in modern, contemporary art fill Gary Nader Centre

 

Big names in modern and contemporary art fill expansive exhibit at Gary Nader Centre

If you go

“Master Pieces from the Berardo Collection” runs through April 15 at Gary Nader Art Centre, 62 NE Second St., Miami; free; www.garynader.com.


Special to the Miami Herald

It’s not easy to highlight just some of the 100-plus works in the expansive exhibit at the Gary Nader gallery, the Master Pieces from the Berardo Collection. There are works here from almost every important artist from the 20th century, and some from the 21st.

Yes, we are talking Manet and Miro, Rauschenberg and Rosenquist, Lam and Lichtenstein and many, many more. They come from the collection of one of Portugal’s richest men, José Berardo; the exhibit includes examples from most major modern and contemporary art trends from Europe, the United States and Latin America over the last hundred years.So where to start? The exhibit is not organized chronologically, so it doesn’t matter much. The groupings are more thematic, inviting viewers to discover the foundations of a genre or explore the threads of influence from one generation of artists to another.

For instance, one remarkable section is filled with abstract explorations of color — or, some would say, very limited color. Look closely at the all-black 1962 Ad Reinhardt oil on canvas, Abstract Painting, and you’ll see that subtle degrees of shades emerge; the black is not uniform after all. The classic piece helps explain why Reinhardt was a trail-blazing painter. As a founding father of abstract painting, he rejected more emotional expressionist gestures, leading him to his single-color canvases.

It’s easier to discern the changes in hues in the stunningly beautiful Josef Albers’ 1964 Study for Homage to the Square: Blond Autumn. Yet the blond and sand squares remain in the same color family. The all off-white Superficie Bianca from Enrico Castellani from 1967 uses small, raised points on the canvas to make its tonal change effect, while the black-and-tan 1960 work from Lucio Fontana also plays with textural visuals — it looks like a physical slit in a brown canvas, but created by waterpaint.

This area is quiet compared to works from the likes of Bacon and Basquiat, yet it shouts out why this show is important. We can see, and study, how painting evolved from the first abstract and semi-abstract artists from the early part of the 20th century; the narrative and the figurative has literally been erased by the time Reinhart’s black paintings arrive. In other words, trekking through Nader’s second floor exhibit is really a trip through art history.

Nader not only curated this show but also, as a dealer, helped Berardo build his collection, which is why it is making its premiere in Miami. Calling Nader’s sprawling Wynwood space a “gallery” anymore is misleading, and in fact, it is now officially the Gary Nader Art Centre.

“Like a museum, many of the works here are just on display — 50 percent is not for sale,” he says of his hybrid space. Masterpieces is so far the most comprehensive survey of modern and contemporary art there, hands down. “Every single piece has been shown prominently somewhere,” he says. “From Picasso to Duchamp, the Surrealists to Pop and Minimalist art, they are all historically important.” He points out that there are also significant works from all over Latin American.

So it’s not a surprise that Nader would like to see as many young people and children pass through the space as an educational experience.

Read more Visual Arts stories from the Miami Herald

  •  

Painters of the Cuzco School in Peru, the first indigenous organization of artists in the New World, incorporated distinctive gold stenciling into their paintings that echoes the elegant Andean textiles and metalwork. Exhibition at the FIU-Frost Museum of Art, 2013. Virgin of Sorrows

Cuzco, Peru, 18th century

Oil on canvas

Frost Art Museum, MMAC Collection

    VISUAL ARTS

    The beauty of two traditions: Spanish colonial art goes on display at Miami’s Frost-FIU Museum

    When the Spanish came to the Americas, artistic expressions of the two cultures became entertwined — much like the peoples themselves

  •  

One of two Hosts, or iPads attached to Roomba vacuums that wander the gallery autonomously.

    Design District

    Local artist makes interactive art, on display at Locust Projects in Miami

    At the opening for Miami artist Jillian Mayer’s exhibition “Precipice/PostModem” at Locust Projects in the Design District, visitors were asked to do something that is never asked of them in traditional museums and galleries: Touch and interact with the art. For example, in the piece Swing Space, guests are invited to take a ride on one of four swings hanging from the roof of the gallery while they watch a projection of digitally manipulated cloud imagery in front of them. This came as a pleasant surprise to many of the art patrons who passed through the gallery’s doors, including freelance photographer Tesoro Carolina.

  •  

Construction underway at the Pérez Art  Museum Miami, Friday, Feb. 8, 2013. This view shows the east side of the building facing Biscayne Bay

    Pérez Art Museum Miami

    Miami’s art museum gets anonymous $15 million gift

    An anonymous donor has given $12 million in cash and more than $3 million worth of art to the future Pérez Art Museum Miami.

Miami Herald

Join the
Discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere on the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

The Miami Herald uses Facebook's commenting system. You need to log in with a Facebook account in order to comment. If you have questions about commenting with your Facebook account, click here.

Have a news tip? You can send it anonymously. Click here to send us your tip - or - consider joining the Public Insight Network and become a source for The Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald.

Hide Comments

This affects comments on all stories.

Cancel OK

  • Videos

  • Quick Job Search

Enter Keyword(s) Enter City Select a State Select a Category