Galleries like to put their best foot forward at the beginning of the year, so I’m excited to announce that my own first gallery tour of the New Year – the Chelsea “Best Exhibits” tour on Sat. Jan. 12 – will include the most anticipated exhibit of the season!   I say this because the last time I brought a tour to see this particular artist’s work, about 3 years ago, it was most everyone’s favorite show of the year.  And now we’ll be visiting his latest artwork.

This sub-Saharan artist burst onto the art scene just 5 years ago, with assemblages that are utterly original and transcendent, and that have been taking the art world by storm, appearing in just about every major art festival of the past 3 years.  Even the uber-prestigious Metropolitan Museum in New York City has been purchasing his works for its permanent collection.  I would go so far as to say that this artist is headed for art historical greatness.  

Having lived in poverty his entire life, as most Africans do, this artist had to forage for art materials that he could find for free in his environs.  I don’t want to give away what he uses, but suffice it to say that the materials themselves are an important social commentary, and the final products – enormous, intricately designed, and gorgeous – don’t look like found material at all.  Rather, they appear expensive and extravagant.  And now his pieces sell for such high prices – $750,000 to $1,5000,000 apiece – he has become one of Africa’s wealthiest artists of all time.

That’s not all we’ll see on the January 12 tour.  Other highlights will include ravishing but controversial paintings of women in paradise that a NY Times art critic called “feverish,” “exciting,” and “heroic”, and a rising-star Chinese artist’s surreal and shocking room-sized installation.  There will be 7 exhibits total on this tour, all of them completely new work.

I take special pride in introducing my participants to the widest multi-cultural range of extraordinary artistic achievement, and my January 12 tour will be a shining example of my efforts.  I can’t wait to see you there!

Rafael Risemberg, Ph.D., Director
New York Gallery Tours