Wednesday Edition: Helena Wurzel

Do I Look Expensive? by Helena Wurzel

Do I Look Expensive? by Helena Wurzel
8"x10" ($20) | 11"x14" ($50) | 16"x20" ($200) | 24"x30" ($1000)

Searching by Helena Wurzel
8"x10" ($20) | 11"x14" ($50) | 16"x20" ($200) | 24"x30" ($1000)

Happy Wednesday, collectors! It's my great pleasure to introduce you to a new-to-20x200 artist: Helena Wurzel. A painter and a teacher at Rhode Island School of Design, Helena is fully immersed in academia and art, but she colorfully, thoughtfully (and, at times, humorously) brings the often insular realms to all of us. She wowed not only me and Jen, but also MoMA's curator of painting and sculpture, Laura Hoptman, who selected her as a winner in the New American Paintings Northeastern competition.

In her curator's statement, Hoptman talks about pluralism and what's new versus what's relevant in contemporary art. It sounds dense, but, really, it boils down to a couple things that you all have probably already figured out: There's a lot going on in contemporary art right now—there's no one, big idea or movement that everyone's following, and a lot of the work artists are making today plainly references the art that was made before them.

Take Do I Look Expensive?, for example. Helena references renowned American artist Alex Katz, who is best known for creating elegant, highly-stylized (and, yes, very expensive) portraits, often featuring his wife, Ada. She's also inserted a brunette that often appears in her works; her black dress and gladiator-style sandals very firmly place her in the present.

Likewise, in Searching, references to contemporary culture pop up alongside those of the past—Sex in the City and Lost DVDs are scattered among issues of ARTFORUM and a Bonnard book. It all adds up to lots to think about in making, looking at and collecting art today—we're just scratching the surface! We can say for certain, though, this won't be the last you'll see from Ms. Helena Wurzel.

— Sara

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