Elizabeth Murray's Late Work Defies Age at PaceWildenstein, Tom Burckhardt Exhibits at Tibor de Nagy

Elizabeth Murray's 2003-2006 works at PaceWildenstein showcase her continued vitality despite her senior status, following a 2005 MoMA retrospective. The exhibition features eighteen pieces, including ten painted constructions with oil on canvas stretched over shaped wooden supports. These works display sharp focus, crisp color, and clarity of line, avoiding the formal ambiguities of her earlier career. Notable pieces include "Flight of the Bumble Bee" (2003), with discrete sculptural forms in distinct colors, and "Do the Dance" (2005), now in MoMA's collection, which references both Russian Constructivism and Keith Haring. Murray's art blends ribald humor with high-low collisions, recalling modernist forebears like Picasso and Miró. Concurrently, Tom Burckhardt presents his third solo show at Tibor de Nagy, featuring ink drawings on paper with collage elements. His works, such as "Studio Fire" (2006), depict the artist and canvases in crises with dark humor, reminiscent of Japanese woodblock prints and Glen Baxter's absurdist illustrations. Both exhibitions ran until November 11, 2006, with Murray at 534 W 25th Street and Burckhardt at 724 Fifth Avenue. This review originally appeared in the New York Sun on October 19, 2006.