Roy Lichtenstein: Inside/Outside

Museum of Contemporary Art, North Miami
770 NE 125th Street
December 12, 2001–February 24, 2002

We’ve always suspected that Roy Lichtenstein was more than just a Pop artist. Isn’t all that “It’s . . . It’s Not an Engagement Ring, Is It?” banality only a cover for the weird shapes you get with blowups of undifferentiated front teeth, or the strange blue-black color combination in comic-book wavy hair? Now along comes a show that aims to prove it: “Roy Lichtenstein: Inside/Outside” marshals 120 works to demonstrate, in the words of MCA director Bonnie Clearwater, that “Lichtenstein studied how the human mind comprehends space in two and three dimensions . . . [his] methods in fact . . . reflect an interest in phenomenology.” Why Roy, darling, soon you’ll be the Merleau-Ponty of Miami!

— Peter Plagens

The Making of Miami Beach, 1933–1942: The Architecture of Lawrence Murray Dixon

The Bass
2100 Collins Avenue
November 9, 2001–April 23, 2002

Long before supermodels and other sexed-up sybarites of the ’90s binged and purged in its splashy boutique hotels, Miami Beach was a destination for pale, well-to-do New Yorkers seeking a respite from the concrete jungle. Lawrence Murray Dixon made sure they felt at home. In the ’30s, the architect designed forty-two hotels in what is now the historic Art Deco district, including such stars of the South Beach as the Raleigh, Tides, Marlin, and Ritz Plaza. This exhibition uses archival photographs and architectural renderings to describe Dixon’s pivotal role in establishing and disseminating the tropic-flavored Art Deco style now commonly associated with the city by the shore.

— Meyer Rus

Vito Acconci: Acts of Architecture

Aspen Art Museum
637 East Hyman
June 7–September 1, 2002

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
5216 Montrose Boulevard
September 29–November 25, 2001

Miami Art Museum
101 West Flagler Street
December 2, 2001–March 3, 2002

Milwaukee Art Museum
700 N. Art Museum Drive
March 22–May 19, 2002

An innovator in the field of discomfort, Vito Acconci is nonetheless fascinated by furniture and the home, both of which are best when as comfortable as possible. The objects and installations he began to generate in 1980, the kickoff point for “Acts of Architecture,” force the body into interactions that at the very least provoke a heightened physical self-consciousness. Says curator Dean Sobel (formerly of the Milwaukee Art Museum, the show’s organizing venue), “It was surprising to me how little this work has been seen in a cohesive way.” Even so, Acconci is a progenitor for a whole school of younger artists working with architecture, sculpture, and design.

— David Frankel

Shirin Neshat

Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
5216 Montrose Boulevard
September 6–November 2, 2003

Miami Art Museum
101 West Flagler Street
March 21–June 1, 2003

Walker Art Center
725 Vineland Place
June 15–September 8, 2002

Musée d'art contemporain de Montréal
Place Ville Marie - Niveau Galerie commerciale
September 29, 2001–January 13, 2002

Given her high-profile gallery career and participation in omnibus vehicles like the 2000 Whitney Biennial, it’s surprising that Shirin Neshat had, until now, yet to receive a major museum solo. All that has changed as six film installations and sixteen related photographs investigating the intensities of women’s lives in strict Islamic cultures are on view in Montreal. A catalogue with essays by curator Paulette Gagnon, critic Shoja Azari, and filmmaker Atom Egoyan is available.

— Frances Richard