Disjointed Survey

"The Sun"

One exhibit. Six galleries. Does it work? The artwork is top quality, but trudging from gallery to gallery to discover it is a chore. This comprehensive survey of the sculpture of James Lee Byars, called "The Rest Is Silence," is chopped up among locations in Chelsea, Midtown and the Upper East Side. (The participating galleries are Mary Boone, Perry Rubenstein, and Michael Werner.) By the time, I reached the next site, which was interrupted by visits to other exhibits, I could barely remember the last Byar work I had just seen. Yes, the show is "comprehensive," but my brain registered it in a disjointed fashion, which was a disservice to the artwork. (Images via Perry Rubenstein Gallery)


"Self-portrait"