Jorge Pardo gets 2010 MacArthur 'genius' award

Jorge Pardo, 47, has some serious fans. He's a darling of certain design magazine editors because of his art-architecture-design crossover appeal. He got a glowing review this summer for his show at Gagosian Gallery Beverly Hills from the Times' David Pagel. And the powers-that-be behind the MacArthur awards have just named the L.A. artist a 2010 fellow, which carries with it a $500,000 grant.

Pardo made his name in the art world in the 1990s by working the fine (or post-Duchamp, vigorously erased but ever visible) lines between art and design, and also craft and commodity. In 1998, he opened what would become his home, at 4166 Sea View Lane in Los Angeles, as a work of art (MOCA presented the “exhibition”), before settling in himself. A couple of years later, he famously covered the lobby and bookstore of Dia Center for the Arts in New York in glossy, colorful tiles that made a painting out of the building’s interior. And for years he has been making his signature hanging lamps for public spaces or the hideaways of wealthy art collectors.

His work was early on grouped with Andrea Zittel, who also rethinks domestic spaces. But over the years she has in some ways grown more philosophical, and he more technological in emphasis. Being an artist for Pardo means, among other things, being a fabricator. The last time I visited his studio he had a dozen employees running various work stations: It was part woodworking shop, part plastics manufacturer, and part graphic design outfit, complete with laser cutters and a wood router to turn computer images into three dimensions.

In 2007, LACMA director Michael Govan tapped Pardo to design LACMA’s pre-Columbian galleries, and he  produced a series of undulating wood cabinets to display the artifacts. In this paper, Christopher Knight called the installation  “conceptually sophisticated and visually smashing.”

When I interviewed Govan around the same time for a 2008 Esquire magazine feature, he picked Pardo as one of five artists who will be remembered 75 years from now. (Yes, it was their 75th-anniversary issue.) “People think Jorge Pardo’s work is about furniture because it’s made of wood," Govan said. "That’s such a red herring. He’s really working on the boundaries of art, architecture, and design — crossing genres and asking the question: What is art?”

Govan also pointed out that most of Pardo's work is just plain gorgeous.

— Jori Finkel

www.twitter.com/jorifinkel

To read about other MacArthur winners, click here.

Above: Pardo's original design for the bookstore of the Dia Center for the Arts in New York. Credit: Jorge Pardo.

Comments

[Darkside]

My problem, as many would agree, with prizes like MacArthur - or even the Nobel - is that the monetary award often goes to people who are already millionaires, whether Jorge Prado or Paul Krugman. I wish the award only went to people whose lives will be changed by the monetary amount.

[Donald Frazell]

I like the pre Columbian base forms, but the wood is far too light and takes attention away. It should be a cocoa bean color, which would be appropriate to its art and create a more spiritual ambiance. As with the bases for the Olmec show and the Oceanic room, contempt artistes are proving very good at making bases for real art. There are simplistic and and without character as to not take away from the objects power, yet use space well when placed far apart, as with white cube contempt galleries. Being designers is much more in tune with their strengths than creating living forms with living presence, items to trigger feelings of intense life and connectivity.

The room above looks like a nice kids room at Barnes and Noble, well done design, but where is the art? There is a difference you know. Er, well, I guess you dont.

art collegia delenda est

[debra levine]

We were pleased when Pardo was the 226th of 2,817 to sign a petition directed at Michael Govan imploring him to reverse his decision to shut down LACMA's film program.

This despite Pardo's relationship with the museum. Perhaps a small act but the sign of a free man. Impressive.

[Charles J]

Notes:
1. to D'side: the Foundation gives grants to artists based on their talents, not on whether they are rich or starving.
2. to DF: I agree with the 'should be cocoa bean color' recommendation. And along these lines, I've always thought Picasso should have added some touches of red to Guernica, it would have been appropriate and would have enhanced the theme...

[Donald Frazell]

LOL!!! You are comparing an interior designer to Picasso!
Sadly.LOL No wonder we are in the mess we are in. Academic trained poodles cant tell the difference between Modern art derived design and creative art.

art collegia delenda est
Save the Watts towers, tear down the mediocre Ivories

[Donald Frazell]

Foundations and biennales and such never get it right, or when they do, far too late. The Venice Biennale didnt give picasso and matisse and braque awards til the 1950s, when all were almost dead. And now give it to absurdist entertainers like Nauman.

Glad they gave it to the jazz guy, but havent heard his work before. Many of the new breed havent panned out. Great technique doesnt always lead to creativity, see wynton for example. His best albums are still his first. But all better than contempt visual arts, which are still light years beyond the academic visual arts of today, entertainment for the too thin and too rich and deathly bored. And tacky as hell.

[Anonymous]

There's another interesting article about his grant at the Art Observed website. I totally suggest you guys check it out, and the site itself is pretty great and up to date with covering artists and events, check it out:
http://artobserved.com/

[Donald Frazell]

Looking at his work, he is pretty good. But still, its design, pretty clear cut too. Its like the One Note Samba, it moves along nicely, a couple of color chord changes, but modal, truly acting as a mileau, an ambiance, an atmosphere, not a living presence. Its art I guess if you consider the 60s op art and design based hard edge stuff like Nolands and early Stella, though i do like Stella's colorful ab/ex french curve sculpture/paintings. Josef albers was but the first pantone guy, boring stuff, but good for interior decorators and non color receptive types. Jusst becaause they teach it as dogma in art academies, it aint necessarily so. Damn i love lady Day.

Color is musical, it is the emotional and spiritual part of art, and so feared today it seems. At least this guy goes for it, i have been saying latin art is probably the future. Though masters like Tamayo had it all along. this guy is more more pop salsa than latin jazz, but has the hips swayin, sensual adn moving. Not bad, but art? Really? Lord help us.

art collegia delenda est