Arts In The City 041608

Arts In The City

FESTIVAL FREEBIES Though the Tribeca Film Festival can be the hottest ticket in town, those without a pass can still get in on the fun. From April 26-28, the festival will present the Drive-In, free screening under the stars. Among the films to be screened at the World Financial Center Plaza is “Dirty Dancing,” a perennial favorite that celebrates its 20th birthday this year.

This week, the Met is set to rock the art world, with what could be the biggest event of the season. After 15 years of preparation, museum director Philippe de Montebello unveils his pet project, the renovated Greek and Roman wing of the museum. When it opens on April 20, the 30,000-square-foot gallery will house over 5,000 works of art, many of which haven’t been seen in decades and some which have never been exhibited at all. Billed as a “museum within a museum,” the galleries will include works from prehistoric times through the late Roman Empire,

Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

SPOTLIGHT

Marble statue of the youthful Hercules, Roman, A.D. 69-98. including one of the world’s only chariots to survive from antiquity.—H.C.

10 • Resident The Week Of April 16, 2007

art

HIGHLINE BALLROOM Though the park itself won’t open until Summer 2008, the HighLine Ballroom is ready to debut with a bang. On April 30, quintessential New York rocker Lou Reed will open the venue with a special performance. During its opening month, a wide array of acts, including rapper Mos Def, Brit-

ish chanteuse Amy Winehouse and singer-songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello will stop by the ballroom.

dance

While the city may be waiting for the weather to catch up with the calendar, this spring promises plenty of exciting arts events:

While the acclaimed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Company is out on tour, the group’s younger sibling, the Ailey II dance troupe, perform “Ailey Highlights,” an energetic selection of favorites choreographed by the late Ailey himself. April 19 and 21. alvinailey.org

film

SPRING FEVER

Painter Dana Schutz’s apocalyptic paintings are filled with humor and sly references to the history of art. Her new exhibition, “Stand by Earth Man” is at Zach Feuer Gallery through May 19. lflgallery.com

“Alice Neel,” a new documentary about the Greenwich Village painter whose portraits captured some of the most important cultural figures of the mid-20th century opens in New York April 20. The documentary, which was directed by Neel’s grandson, features interviews with art world insiders, including painter Chuck Close and artist, critic and curator Robert Storr. At Cinema Village. aliceneelfilm.com

music

Singer Fiona Apple performs at 2006’s Central Park SummerStage concert series.

SUMMERSTAGE While the weather is closer to spring than summer, the folks behind Central Park’s SummerStage free concert series have given a sneak peak as to what to expect this year. The season will kick off in June with a concert by vocalist Cassandra Wilson followed by New York punk legends Television. Other highlights include a tribute to the hip-hop artists behind the 1982 graffiti classic “Wild Style” and benefit concerts with Joss Stone and the Decemberists. —Heather Corcoran

WEEKLY PICKS

For two nights only, British balladeer Jarvis Cocker brings his off-beat vocals to Webster Hall. April 22-23. bowerypresents.com

theater

AP Photo

ROXY PAINE IN THE PARK Waiting in line for a Shake Shack burger will become more of a cultural event this May, when Madison Square Park gets three new sculptures by local artist Roxy Paine. The works of art, which range from seven to 42 feet tall, mix organic and industrial forms, with trees made out of stainless steel.

Tony Award winner Frank Langella and Michael Sheen recreate a bit of television history on the stage with “Frost/ Nixon.” The play, which comes fresh off the heels of a sold-out run in London, asks the question: How did a British talk show host get former U.S. president to offer a mea culpa that the world was waiting to hear? Through July 29. frostnixononbroadway.com

REMEMBERING

Last week, the city said goodbye to two of its leading creative minds, artist Sol Lewitt and writer Kurt Vonnegut. Lewitt, the influential artist and a driving force behind both the minimalist and conceptual art movements, died April 8 at the age of 78. The artist was perhaps best known for his Wall Drawings, conceptual pieces performed by assistants following the artist’s written instructions. The Connecticut native was a fixture in the New York art scene, and was part of the group of artists nicknamed “the Bowery boys” that included artists Dan Flavin and Eva Hesse. Vonnegut, best known for his novels “Slaughterhouse-Five” and “Cat’s Cradle” died on April 11 following an injury in his Manhattan home; he was 84. The author and former WWII prisoner of war was known for his use of biting satire and works of science fiction. Vonnegut’s novels are widely considered among the best and most influential of the 20th century.—H.C.