ARTINFO selects 1o of the most captivating shows opening, closing, and on view this week. Miami art fair week is on the horizon, of course, but here are the other shows art enthusiasts will be looking at this week around the world:
Robert Mapplethorpe curated by Sofia Coppola at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, 7 Rue Debelleyme, Paris, opening November 25
Director Sophia Coppola is dealer Thaddaeus Ropac’s latest pick in his series of guest curators. Coppola selects lesser-known images of children, women, and floral still lifes by renowned photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, layering her gaze onto his to create something unique.
Walter Vopava at Kunsthalle Krems, Franz-Zeller-Platz 3, Krems, opening November 27
New Abstraction comes to Kunsthalle Krems through one of Austria’s most celebrated artists. Vopava (b. 1948) creates paintings in which process is intricately linked to his product, and his work offers a deep, Rothko-like meditative quality.
Mark Handforth’s “Rolling Stop” at Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami, Joan Lehman Building, 770 NE 125th St., North Miami, opening November 30
Miami-based artist Mark Handforth creates an illuminated neon landscape for viewers just in time for Miami Beach’s art fair festivities. The giant banyan tree colored with over 60 lights, “Electric Tree,” will be installed in Griffing Park, while 30 works, including a new light installation covering 80 feet of museum wall, will light up the city.
Folkert de Jong at Galerie Fons Welters, Bloemstraat 140, Amsterdam, opening November 26
Featuring an effigy of the Dutch prince William of Orange suspended in the gallery space, and a cast of supporting characters that include The Queen of Coal and The King of Water, de Jong calls attention to rulers of power in his historically fanciful sculptural narrative.
Donald Judd at Galerie Greta Meert, Rue du Canal 13, Brussels, Through March 10
The legendary Minimalist struts his design work in this exhibition of furniture from the 1970s. With great precision, these minimal but iconic pieces are exemplary of Judd’s attention to austere aesthetic functionality.
Rebecca Horn’s “The Neshapour Spirals” at Elisabetta Cipriani, Sprovieri Gallery, 23 Heddon St., London, through December 23
Rebecca Horn, best known for her performance, film, sculpture, and installation work, produces a series on a much smaller scale alongside Elisabetta Cipriani, Jewellery by Contemporary Artists. “The Neshapour Spirals” are comprised of Neshapour Turquoise and Snail Fossils, displayed alongside original gouaches produced by Horn.
Catherine Opie at Stephen Friedman Gallery, 25-28 Old Burlington St., London, opening November 23
Early portraits from Opie’s “Girlfriends” series are not just documentation of her friends and lovers, but also a freeze-frame of Opie’s domestic and familial landscape in those years.
Nobuyoshi Araki’s “Muses: Sans Titres” at Galerie Kamel Mennour, 47 Rue Saint-Andre des arts, Paris, through November 26
Araki’s painted photos include the faces and bodies of women such as Kaori and Lady Gaga, infused with his signature eye for bondage chic.
Tony Tasset’s “Hot Dog Man” and Sayre Gomez’s “Windows and Mirrors” at Kavi Gupta, 835 W. Washington Blvd., Chicago, through January 28
Sculptor Tony Tasset’s exaggerated “Hot Dog Man” and “Mood Sculpture” appear concurrently with the tenderly appropriated imagery of Sayre Gomez. While Tasset’s “Hot Dog Man” is an oversized tribute to cartoonists, heavy with satire and obscenities, Gomez’s borrowed blog images are beautifully arranged and elevated to new aesthetic heights through the artist's treatment.