Buffalo and the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.

Note: Sorry this post appears a bit out of context in relation to the last couple of weeks of this blog. Obviously my attentions have been diverted by recent national events. I've been sitting on this account of my trip for awhile, waiting for an opportunity to slip it into the stream. I suppose the timing is a bit arbitrary... but after all, it is the weekend.


From the postings I've written regarding my recent trip to Western NY, it would be hard to guess that I spent a lot of time in Buffalo. That's mainly because I occupied myself with driving around the city, rather than journeying to specific pre-planned destinations. I did check out what are supposed to be the "hip" neighborhoods around town. Allentown was small and slightly gritty, appealing to younger hipsters. One inhabitant pointed me toward Elmwood and told me it was walkable from Allen Street. While this is technically true, I don't recommend it. The blocks are long and once you reach the first stretch of businesses, you are likely to be tired. Take the car instead. You'll find parking.

Elmwood is like any other gentrified urban enclave. It's got the swank restaurants, bars, coffee shops, boutiques, and upscale art galleries you might expect to find in any similar area. Interestingly, residential blocks are interspersed among the component commercial districts, so the Village seems to stretch on and on. And it has the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, which I had identified as one of the few essential stops on my trip. The place is much more properly referred to as a museum. It's large and housed in a building with classic Beaux arts architecture. It also has a number of permanent and temporary exhibitions, with many galleries to mount them in. Plus the admission fee is $10, no matter how late in the day you happen to arrive.

The focus of the Albright-Knox collection is clearly post WW-II abstract expressionism. This isn't a particular interest of mine, so I wandered through the representative offerings quickly. There is also a smattering of stuff comprising a survey of late 18th and early-20th century art history. I guess every museum worth its salt needs a Monet, a Picasso, a Dali, etc. The first floor happened to feature an exhibition of Pop art as well... which obviously constituted no novelty for an art fan from Pittsburgh. Additionally, there's a small selection of photos along a narrow hallway to represent the Gallery's longstanding interest in the medium (apparently the Albright-Knox was on of the first institutions to hold a "Photographic Pictorial Exhibition").

On the second floor I found a substantial grouping of works from the Op Art movement of the 1960's. The curator of Op Art Revisited traces its development to the square paintings of the German Josef Albers in the 30's. Later abstract painters like Richard Anuszkiewicz, Bridget Riley, Julian Stanczak, and Victor Vasarely were inspired by Albers to explore the use of parallel lines, concentric circles, and electric colors to create the visual effects of movement and afterimage. Despite the fact that critics wrote off Op Art as a dead end, contemporary artists have re-engaged many of its ideas with the advent of computers and digital technology. At any rate, the stuff is a lot of fun to look at (and its there until January 25, 2009).

Other temporary exhibits included REMIX: Recent Acquisitions. Works on Paper and Works on Paper: The Natalie and Irving Forman Collection. Of the latter, I can only describe my distinct lack of interest. It was predominantly minimalism of the abstract conceptual variety. But I enjoyed the former show for its variety and timeliness. Many of the artists chosen for display are younger than I am. Standouts included Robert Brinker, Lisa Yuskavage and Peregrine Honig. Overall I was impressed at the size and scope of the Albright-Knox, and I certainly recommend a visit. It will be interesting to see what Heather Pesanti (former CMA assistant curator) will do with the place.

Why Buffalo?

The question certainly begs to be asked... why did I choose to go to Buffalo? That's a perfectly understandable question. Like many other Rust Belt cities (like Cleveland and our own 'Burgh), Buffalo has a bit of a bad rap. The problem is that many of the people who choose to talk shit on the city have never even visited (boy, where did I hear that one before?). What did I know about Buffalo? I knew that the Bills played there. I knew it was on Lake Erie. And I got what I thought was a representative look at the place by watching Vincent Gallo's Buffalo 66. In fact that's one of my favorite films of all time. So why wouldn't I want to compare the real thing to Gallo's cinematic representation of it?

Listen, I had two nights that I could spend going anywhere I so chose. M. was perfectly alright with letting me get away for a couple of days. I wanted to pick a place within easy driving distance. I've already spent time in Erie, Cleveland, Wheeling, Philly, NYC, Baltimore, DC, and Columbus. There was only one city of any significant size within five hours that I hadn't been to, and I couldn't give a good reason for that omission. Was I going to let Buffalo's reputation as a dreary, depressed area keep me from experiencing it for myself? Hell, no. So the day before I left, I got on the internet to try to make a list of destinations in the area. I realized quickly enough that there would be plenty to see.

I was also a bit puzzled as to why Carnegie Museum of Art Assistant Curator Heather Pesanti would choose to make the Albright-Knox Art Gallery her follow-up to the time she has spent working on the 2008 Carnegie International. I'm aware that the exhibition carries a fair amount of international clout, and is billed by some to be the best contemporary art survey in North America. What did Buffalo have to compare to that? It turns out that there is quite a lot to recommend Albright-Knox to the rising art administrator. Who would have known? Well, actually John Morris (curator for the now defunct Digging Pitt Gallery) was aware of the standard of excellence set by Albright-Knox. And he's my trusted source when it comes to anything in the modern-day art world.

But I probably wouldn't have been excited to go to Western New York if I hadn't identified some additional attractions. I learned about the Herschel Carousel Museum and the Fisher Price factory campus. I discovered the existence of an arts organization founded by a bunch of Buffalo students that included Cindy Sherman. I did a search for used book stores of note. I read up on the trendy neighborhoods of Elmwood and Allentown. I devoured information on the unwholesome foods that Buffalo is famous for. At one point I wondered if I had allotted myself ample time to see everything there was to see. It turned out that I hadn't, so I had to prioritize right from the start.

My initial impressions upon arriving in Buffalo were favorable. Even though I entered the city during rush hour, there was very little traffic. I suppose that is due in part to the decline in population that the once bustling trade center has experienced over the last several decades. There are now less than 300,000 people within its official limits, and about a million in its metropolitan area. Much of the action is focused on the long streets that split Buffalo vertically- Delaware and Elmwood. It was refreshing to see the type of commercial density that occurs in a city with a grid pattern, few hills, and no rivers. I had no problem getting around. Unlike Pittsburgh, it is a bit difficult to get lost.

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