- Sebastian Smee's Blog
-
Surveying the art scene in Boston and beyond
Anish Kapoor at MIT
Anish Kapoor, one of the world's most renowned sculptors, was given an impressive one-room retrospective at the Institute of Contemporary Art in 2008 (It was the first show I reviewed for the Globe).
Kapoor crops up everywhere. In Venice, during this year's Biennale, he has work in the Prada Foundation's stunning hang of Miuccia Prada's collection at the Ca' Corner della Regina. And he also has an ambitious work, called "Ascension," in the church of San Giorgio.
Too ambitious, it seems, because when I saw it, it wasn't working. Smoke that should have been sucked up in a spiral by a massive vacuum pump beneath the cupola actually petered out a few feet off the ground in faith-shattering shreds of wispy gas.
Modesty is not what Kapoor is known for, but he tends to be at his best when resisting the lure of grandiosity. Those who want to see less self-intoxicated work by Kapoor can see a few examples locally. One of his large reflective sculptures, "Halo," is on long term loan to the Peabody Essex Museum. And another, this one, can be found in Frank Gehry's Ray and Maria Stata Center at MIT.
Okay. it's just a wobbly mirror. But I like it.
About the author
Recent pieces
Effortful ease in Matisse ‘masterpiece’
- All columns and features by Smee
- 2011 Pulitzer-winning pieces
- Critic's picks: Smee highlights what to see
- More arts coverage from the Globe
Video
Resources
- Addison Gallery of American Art
- Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts
- The Clark
- Currier Museum of Art
- Danforth Museum of Art
- Davis Museum at Wellesley College
- DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum
- Harvard Art Museums
- Institute of Contemporary Art
- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
- MIT List Visual Arts Center
- Mass MoCA
- Museum of Fine Arts Boston
- Peabody Essex Museum
- Worcester Art Museum
- Portland Museum of Art
- Rhode Island School of Design
- Smith College Museum of Art
- The Rose Art Museum
- Williams College Museum of Art
