Christopher Wilmarth and Barry Le Va Exhibitions Explore Post-Minimalist Legacies in New York

Two concurrent exhibitions in New York feature Post-Minimalist artists Christopher Wilmarth and Barry Le Va. At Betty Cuningham Gallery, Wilmarth's show includes ten sculptures from 1969 to 1983 and drawings, highlighting his use of steel and glass to balance robustness and fragility. His works, such as 'Sonoma Corners' (1971) and 'Gnomon's Parade (Noon)' (1980), emphasize poetic metaphor over material focus, with the artist rejecting categorization by medium. Wilmarth, who died by suicide in 1987 at age 44, crafted pieces that often resist empathy, like 'Invitation I' (1975-76), which maintains a frontal view. Barry Le Va's exhibition at Mary Boone Gallery presents drawings from 1967 to the present, revealing his complex, sprawling approach that contrasts with reductive Minimalism. Early sketches from the 1960s are preparatory for installations, while later works, such as 'Study for Sculpture Occupying Two Areas' (1990), feature cutout shapes that suggest movement and uncertainty. Le Va's 'Tachycardia' series from 2005 uses enigmatic plug-like forms in plan views. Both artists, influenced by Minimalism and figures like Brancusi, demonstrate personal expressivity through reduced means, with Le Va's work described as having an existentialist, pessimistic tone. The exhibitions run through December 3 at Betty Cuningham Gallery on West 25th Street and through December 17 at Mary Boone Gallery on Fifth Avenue.