Being One with the Art at Art Basel

Maurizio Cattelan's "Comedian"  and my own banana for reference,  which I ate after taking this shot

The art world can be, well, bananas. The most talked about work at Art Basel was "Comedian," a banana duct-taped to the wall compliments of Maurizio Cattelan. Why all the chatter? It sold for a whopping $120,000.  Then, in what can only be referred to as "monkey see, monkey do," another collector snapped up the second "edition" of the work, with a third edition going for $150,000. So many questions come to mind, starting with what happens when the art rots in a matter of days. (Note: The artist has considered this issue. "Comedian" comes with replacement instructions.) The ultimate issue, of course, is what the heck Cattelan was thinking. Maybe "Comedian" is a commentary on the aging process and decomposition and the like. Maybe it's intended as a reference to Beckett, as one art writer expounded. (Click here to read this analysis.) Or maybe it's just a banana duct-taped to the wall. No matter what, it's baffling.

Cattelan is an internationally acclaimed artist known for his satiric sculptures. You may have heard of his "America," a working toilet made of 18K gold that was installed at the Guggenheim Museum. Yes, people waited on line to use it, an experience that I was able to resist. I missed my opportunity. "America" was stolen when on loan for an exhibit at Blenheim Palace outside London. My favorite fact about the toilet is that the Guggenheim offered it to the Trump White House in lieu of a requested loan of a Van Gogh painting. The White House declined. Click here read more about the controversial Cattelan and see more of his work. And click here to read about the New York performance artist WHO ATE THE BANANA!!!!  A new banana was put up in its place. No big deal, apparently. It was easy enough to replace.

With "quadro quadro distortion" by Renata Lucas and "Lava" by Federico Herrero

While it may not have been Cattelan's intention for Art Basel visitors to queue up to have their picture taken with his work, many participating artists purposefully invited the viewer in. Take, for instance, Renata Lucas' "quadro quadro distortion," a mirrored work gallerists carefully positioned so photos would include Federico Herrero's colorful "Lava."

Lucas is known for works that, according to Artes Mundi, "offer an alternative spatial imagination." I'm not sure I get that from "quadro quadro distortion," but a larger version of this picture does yield a Picasso-esque version of my face reminiscent of being in a carnival funhouse. To read more about Lucas, click here.

Unlike much of the work at Art Basel, I could easily imagine Herrero's vibrant painting on the walls of my home. That would likely please the populist artist who has used the walls of parking garages and buses as his canvases. His first works hung from trees in his native Costa Rica, an homage to the environment that inspires his abstract landscapes. For more on Herrero, click here.

I considered taking up residence in  Oscar Tuazon's "Quonset Hut"

Then there was "Quonset Hut" by Oscar Tuazon. This picture does not do justice to the absolute beauty of the aluminum structure, which is 33' long and 19' wide. Its display was possible due to the addition of the Meridians section in the Convention Center's newly renovated ballroom. While the ground floor is jammed with most of the show's 269 booths, only 34 works were exhibited in the 60,000 square foot space. Each of the Meridians works had a full page description, another luxury in an art fair where not all of the art was identified by even a wall card.

Tuazon is interested in the mobility of his work and the ability of his creations to be different things at different times. With "Quonset Hut," he's created a space that is temporary but could be made permanent. It's open to the air and light but could be covered and a wood stove installed if required. And it can easily serve multiple functions -- as interactive art, as a stage, as a place to rest one's weary head (and feet) after a day at Art Basel, so long as you aren't fussy about sitting on the floor.  To read more about Tuazon, click here.

With Michelangelo Pistoletto's "Maria in Color"

Gallerists are not known for their friendliness to mere mortals, so you'll forgive me for momentarily mistaking this silkscreen image on a mirror for an uncommunicative art expert. My reaction would have made artist Michelangelo Pistoletto's proud, as his mirror works are intended to combine art with everyday life. And if you happen to reflect a bit about your role in that world while you're taking your selfie, all the better.

Pistoletto is one of the protagonists of the Italian Arte Povera--or "poor art"--movement. The objective behind Arte Povera was to blur the lines between art and the real world by using non-traditional materials. Pistoletto's mirror paintings fit squarely within the philosophy of the movement.

When Pistoletto first began creating these works in the '60s, he would paint or collage the image directly onto the highly polished stainless steel surface.  He later turned to silkscreening. I came across four of his works at Art Basel and was drawn to them each time. Not only did I enjoy interacting with them, but it was fun to see other art lovers do so as well. To see more examples of his mirror paintings, click here. To read a much more eloquent description of the intention behind Pistoletto's work, click here. And to go down the rabbit hole of Art Povera and the artists who participated in this social movement, click here.

Gazing into Jeff Koons' "Gazing Ball  (Manet Luncheon on the Grass)"

I'll leave you with Jeff Koons' "Gazing Ball (Manet Luncheon on the Grass)."  I was introduced to this series last year when I stumbled upon a gazing ball incorporated into a reproduction of "The Rape of Europa" by Martin de Vos. I loved it and, if anything, I enjoyed this work more. Manet's work was, of course, highly controversial at the time. What were these two naked women doing cavorting in the woods with these men? And how could the seated woman have the audacity to look directly at the viewer? By putting a gazing ball smack dab in the middle of the trio, the spectator -- with her camera at the ready, no less -- becomes complicit in the scene. Once again, the viewer is compelled to interact with the art in an untraditional way. To see more of Koons' gazing balls series, click here. And check out "The Price of Everything" on HBO for a great documentary that goes behind the scenes of the art world with Koons and other contemporary artists, auction house bigwigs and art critics. It's a must see for any art lover.

Next up:  My Favorite 3D art at Art Basel.