Art on the edge

Austin gallery’s monumental exhibit showcases art-world disruptors and rule breakers

In what has been described as its most monumental exhibit to date, downtown Austin art gallery West Chelsea Contemporary is celebrating some of the most innovative — and disruptive — artists to agitate the contemporary art world in this century and the last.

On Saturday, May 15, the gallery will reveal its newest exhibit, “Icons & Vandals,” a showcase of art-world troublemakers whose creative coups have left an indelible legacy, among them some of the most recognizable and incendiary rule breakers to ever grace the art scene.

Running through July 11, the “Icons & Vandals,” exhibit includes works spanning 60 years and from regions across the globe, featuring modern masters and status-quo trailblazers like Alex Katz and Frank Stella, pop art darlings Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, contemporary firebrands Takashi Murakami and Yoshitimo Nara, as well as Chinese artists and government critics Ai Weiwei and Zhang Xiaogang, and urban-space artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Banksy, who demolished the boundaries of what was considered art.

Along with highlighting these artists’ monumental works, West Chelsea Contemporary will also welcome some well-known faces in collaborative displays that will be featured alongside the exhibition.

Beginning May 28, Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye will take over the gallery’s On the Wall program with a curation of emerging artists, including Lanecia Rouse Tinsely, A’Driane Nieves, and Ben Medansky. And on Juneteenth, June 19, the gallery will release a limited run of new works by contemporary artist Cey Adams, also the founding creative director of groundbreaking record label Def Jam Records.

The gallery, which was founded in 2002 as the Russell Collection and revamped in late 2020 as West Chelsea Contemporary, is known for highlighting renowned works and artists, and its 8,000-square-foot space provides the capability of showcasing exceptional works on a grand scale.

“From 16-foot originals by RETNA and Cey Adams to colossal sculptural work — including a larger-than-life mixed-media shark and painted aluminum spaceman — the gallery is quite literally activated by art world giants,” a WCC release says.

West Chelsea Contemporary’s gallery is open to the public Monday through Saturday from 10 am-6 pm, and Sundays from noon-6 pm. Visitors are encouraged to mask up in the space and practice social distancing.

RETNA's Untitled

Courtesy of West Chelsea Contemporary

RETNA's Untitled

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New

Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

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