I liked Thomas Micchelli’s review of To Be A Lady, a new show in Manhattan, for many reasons including that he begins the article by describing something we in the Slow Art Day movement often experience: it takes a few visits to really see an exhibit.
In his opening paragraphs, he takes pains to go into detail about why the review itself is based on his second visit.
I specify my second visit because my first was preoccupied with the show’s startling scale, ambition and quality.
I also often find that the first visit to an exhibit is preoccupying. It’s hard to see the individual pieces of art.
And this is an especially important consideration with a show like this one, which aims to make visible what’s been too-much hidden from public view: the contribution and impact of many women artists.
The review is worth reading – and the show reviewed is certainly worth seeing slowly at least twice.
For more on the show, which is open until January 2013, click here.
– Phil Terry, Slow Art Day Founder
What a fantastic retrospective of art by women in the last century!
I agree that exhibitions, particularly of this size, are difficult to take in on the first visit. The first visit gives you the opportunity to understand the big picture or the main point of the show. But a second, third, even fourth visit allows you to slow down and notice each work on its own. I find multiple visits essential in connecting the merit of individual works with the concept of the exhibition as a whole.
This is a great review!