For my year-end round-up of best shows, I've clustered my favorites, loosely, into themes. I'm not numbering them, though I count 13 (a number that the contrarian in me has always found to be lucky). As a coda, I offer an assessment of the worst of the year that sticks with me still.
Innovative Sculpture
2024 was a year of exceptional sculpture and installation work. Andrew Kreps Gallery, in its pair of Tribeca spaces, led the way with genius back-to-back shows. First, He Xiangyu's tidied mess of ceramic, cast aluminum, and found metal objects displayed on the ground. In my review, I described them as "suggestive of urban architecture, a construction site, or a child’s make-believe world." Next, Jes Fan's organic forms composed of silicone, soy, and aluminum were equally engrossing and mysterious: kin to the latex innovations of Eva Hesse.
