I had to admit that I drew a blank when the press release from the CJM landed in my in-box - Maira Kalman? Who was she? Well, it turns out that I knew her work through my love of children's books but I was unaware of scope of her talent - from the whimsical and ironically astute covers and drawings for The New Yorker, to her blog at the NY Times, "And the Pursuit of Happiness," to her books for children, Kalman¹s art appears everywhere in the foreground of today¹s visual culture. illuminating contemporary life with joy and humor, intelligence and insights, curlicues and question marks.
Among her books for children are such classics as ""What Pete Ate, A-Z" and "Swami on Rye," full of her visual puns and delightful illustrations. Her books for adults showcase the same mind-bending wit, inventive typography and colorful, faux-naif illustrations. The exhibit presents many of her books, including the Illustrated "Elements of Style."
Who but Kalman could come up with such funny and yet profound texts and illustrations to what is sometimes a daunting style book. "Wondering irresolutely what to do next, the clock struck twelve, " and "be obscure clearly" are just two of her delightful visual puns. She also invented (if that's the right word), an opera for the "Elements of Style", to be performed on "eggbeaters, Rolodex, clattering tea cups. saucers, bells, Slinkys and jars of buttons."
Kalman speaks of her work as a form of journalism. She knew early that she wanted to be a writer and started keeping journals at the age of 18 but the form of what type of writing evolved more slowly. Now, hers is a daily discipline of creativity based on photography, travel, research, walking, talking, and open observation. She loved distraction and has several projects going at once, reaching constantly into her own "Cabinet of Curiosities" for inspiration. Abundant depictions of fashion, food, art, and architecture represent life’s great pleasures. At the same time, rubber bands, pieces of moss, bobby pins, and snacks stake claims for smaller forms of satisfaction.
The exhibition features a selection of original works on paper that span 30 years of illustration for publication. Also on view are less widely seen works in photography, embroidery, textiles, and performance. As a context for this survey, Kalman has created a special installation, furnishing the gallery with chairs, ladders, and “many tables of many things,” drawn from her collections and indicative of how she sees the world both inside and outside the studio.
If I had one critique to make, it would be of the endless repeats of a small video showing her learning to play the accordion - the song is delightful but maybe it should not be on endless repeat?
Exhibition on View: July 1 – October 26, 2010
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