Fall Arts Preview
With season premieres, festivals and marquee exhibitions slated for the upcoming season, there’s little excuse for boredom this fall. Here’s our short list of upcoming arts events to keep the weekends packed, all before the last leaf falls.
MUSEUMS
Picasso SculpturePicasso’s sculptures haven’t quite received equal attention to his works on canvas. The trained painter explored the three-dimensional form with an experimental bent and treasured much of his sculptures, keeping them in his private home collections. They were shown en masse in a 1966 exhibition in Paris, and a subsequent show at the Museum of Modern Art in 1967 brought them stateside, but they haven’t again been surveyed in this country. Now, MoMA presents 150 of Picasso’s sculptures from throughout his career, many on loan from the Musée National Picasso-Paris, along with the 1914 metal Guitar and 1950 bronze sculpture She-Goat from MoMA’s holdings.
Picasso Sculpture
Sept. 14-Feb. 7
Museum of Modern Art
11 W. 53 St., between Fifth and Sixth Avenues
Museum hours: Sunday-Thursday and Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Friday 10:30 a.m.-8 p.m.
Admission $25
For more information, visit moma.org or call 212-708-9400
Archibald Motley: Jazz Age ModernistAfter the Whitney takes down its inaugural exhibition that encompassed the entirety of its new Meatpacking District building, the museum celebrates Harlem Renaissance painter Archibald Motley in the museum’s sky-lit gallery on its eighth floor. The 45 paintings offer views of Motley’s vibrant, colorful depictions of urban living, which include scenes from his native Chicago, as well as 1920s Paris and Mexico.
Archibald Motley: Jazz Age Modernist
Oct. 2-Jan. 17
Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gansevoort St., between Washington Street and Tenth Avenue
Museum hours: Monday, Wednesday, Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; Closed Tuesday
Admission $22
For more information, visit whitney.org or call 212-570-3600
Sacred SpacesThe Rubin Museum of Art builds out a popular centerpiece of its galleries: the Tibetan Buddhist Shrine Room. This recreation of a traditional shrine, decorated with many objects from the museum’s collection, presents sculpture, paintings and other devotional objects as they would be found in a private shrine, and for its upcoming exhibition Sacred Spaces, the museum doubles the capacity of the current room. With an increase in size, the shrine now accommodates seating, allowing guests to sink into the atmosphere, complete with dim lamp light, incense and the sounds of chanting. The exhibition, which opens Oct. 23, also includes a panoramic photograph from Northern Nepal, and a video depicting a sacred Indian communal ritual.
Sacred Spaces
Opens Oct. 23
The Rubin Museum of Art
150 W. 17th St., between Sixth and Seventh Avenues
Museum hours: Monday and Thursday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Wednesday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; closed Tuesday
Admission $15
For more information, visit rubinmuseum.org or call 212-620-5000
DANCE
New Chamber BalletNew Chamber Ballet opens its upcoming season with a presentation of new and repertory works from its founder and artistic director Miro Magliore and choreographer-in-residence Constantine Baecher. The season openers at City Center include La Mandragore, a duet that premiered in June, as well as In the Parlour, set to a violin sonata by Mozart. The company, known for its founder’s collaborations with musicians (Magliore began his ballet career as a composer) welcomes live violin and piano accompaniment featuring both contemporary and traditional compositions.
New Chamber Ballet
Sept. 11-12
City Center Studio 5
130 W. 56 St., between Sixth and Seventh Avenues
8 p.m.
Tickets $29
To purchase tickets, visit smarttix.com or call 212-868-4444
Ballet Memphis at Joyce TheaterBallet Memphis’ residency at the Joyce Theater introduces themes of the Mississippi Delta to New York audiences. Many of the program’s works come from the company’s Memphis and River Projects, series’ that explore the city’s diversity and the influence of the Mississippi River’s history on the area, and often incorporate music from Memphis artists, including B.B. King and Roy Orbison. The program’s six original works include Darting Eyes, inspired by images of river baptisms throughout history, and Politics, which addresses how women relate to one another in different settings, a performance that incorporates hip hop styles and live music performed by Memphis singers.
Ballet Memphis at Joyce Theater
Oct. 27-Nov. 1
Joyce Theater
175 Eighth Ave., at W. 19th Street
Assorted show times
Tickets $10-$50
To purchase tickets, visit joyce.org or call 212-242-0800
FILM
Films of Vittorio De SicaIn a month-long cinematic tribute, the windings of the career of Italian film and stage star Vittorio De Sica come to life. The 31-film series explores his role as a romantic lead in Italian comedies, his collaborations with Neorealist screenwriter Cesare Zavattini, and his work behind the camera, where he helped propel screen siren Sophia Loren into the movie star stratosphere. Films in the series, many shown from imported 35 mm film, include the 1954 Alessandro Blasetti film Too Bad She’s Bad, and De Sica’s Gold of Naples, both starring Loren.
Films of Vittorio De Sica
Sept. 9-Oct. 8
Film Forum
209 W. Houston St., near Varick Street
Assorted show times
Tickets $13
To purchase tickets, visit filmforum.org or call 212-727-8110
MUSIC
Jason Robert BrownComposer Jason Robert Brown acts as artist-in-residence at downtown music club Subculture, where he curates regular concerts with his vast repertoire as the foundation. Celebrated for his musical scores, including those for The Last Five Years, Parade and The Bridges of Madison County (which earned him two Tony Awards), Brown continues to develop new work, including music for the upcoming Honeymoon in Vegas, which opens on Broadway this fall.
Jason Robert Brown
Sept. 11, Oct. 1 and Nov. 2
Subculture
45 Bleecker St., near Lafayette Street
8 p.m.
Tickets $50
To purchase tickets, visit subculturenewyork.com or call 212-533-5470
GALLERIES
Life After Death and ElsewhereAfter executing just six people on death row in the last 55 years, Tennessee recently scheduled more than 10 executions. A group of prisoners on death row in Nashville, Tenn. responded to the surge by creating their own memorials. Working with professors from Nashville’s Watkins College of Art, Design & Film, these prisoners examine the implications of the state’s efforts through various mediums, including photography, painting and sculpture.
Life After Death and Elsewhere
Sept. 10-Oct. 24
apexart
291 Church St., between White and Walker Streets
Opening reception: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 6-8 p.m.
Gallery hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
FREE
For more information, visit apexart.org or call 212-431-5270
THEATER
Cloud NineEnglish playwright Caryl Churchill’s show Cloud Nine finds actors playing multiple rolls, bending genders, hopping time and talking sex. Set first in colonial Africa and later following some of the same characters to London in 1979, Cloud Nine receives its first major New York staging since the early eighties.
Cloud Nine
Oct. 5-Nov. 1
Atlantic Theater Company
Linda Gross Theater
336 W. 20th St., between Eighth and Ninth Avenues
Assorted show times
Tickets $65
To purchase tickets, visit atlantictheater.org or call 866-811-4111
Neighborhood 3: Requisition of DoomLongtime film director and screenwriter Joel Schumacher, whose resume includes Batman and Robin, as well as 1980s teen films The Lost Boys and St. Elmo’s Fire, directs Jennifer Haley’s new play at the Flea Theater. Set in a suburban town where even lawn decorations must meet certain specifications, the play explores what happens when teenagers grow addicted to an online game that finds them battling zombies on their own, typically-tranquil streets.
Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom
Nov. 9-Dec. 21
The Flea Theater
41 White St., near Church Street
7 p.m.
Tickets $15-$105
To purchase tickets, visit theflea.org or call 212-226-0051