Photos, Photos, Photos and Fleas

So many pictures to see: it appears that this January is photo month in the New York galleries. I wanted to like Christopher Williams' juicy large format (32x37”) images at David Zwirner, but they try too hard to be nice; they look great in Zwirner's big white gallery, but they seem more suited to an ad campaign.

Deborah Luster’s images of crime scenes in New Orleans, the homicide capital of the world, at Jack Shainman is a bit more of a challenge. These moody, unpopulated views of crime scenes past and present had me searching for the ghosts. Luster prints her images in a circular format, to mimic what the lens of her Deardorff field camera sees. I found it gimmicky and unnecessary: her scenes of this beleaguered city are strong enough on their own. New Orleans just can’t catch a break -- Brad For Mayor!

Todd Hido is probably best known for presenting his photos in book format. One titled House Hunting, with its starkly lit images of suburbia at night, is loaded with mystery and sadness. A selection of Hido’s work is on the wall at Bruce Silverstein through February 12.

I saw Joseph Holmes's images of winter wonderlands at Jen Bekman a few weeks back, before our first East Coast blizzard and I couldn't stop thinking of them as the snow started to fall. Dogs and their humans in snowbound wonderfulness. They reminded me of a Bruegel painting.

There is always at least one show I look forward to while making gallery rounds. This month it’s Brice Marden’s new paintings and a room of drawings at Matthew Marks. I haven't seen his work since the MoMA retrospective in 2006 and this show won't disappoint. I was mesmerized, as usual, by Marden’s calligraphy and those gorgeous scraped surfaces that undulate through a milky fog. Good stuff: I’m going back for more.

If you didn’t get enough of Lee Krasner at MoMA’s Ab Ex show, and of course you didn't, Robert Miller has a gallery full of large canvases from the 60’s, swish…

It's always nice to find new things: one is the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market. Weekends in an old garage on 25th between Broadway and 6th Ave, loaded with possibilities for scavenging and the tiny, brand new Standpipe Gallery a few doors away, showing abstract paintings by Dana Crossan through the 29th. That's the beauty of walking in the city.

Another successful Postcards From The Edge benefit this past weekend, held at CRG Gallery's new digs on 22nd street. All the proceeds form the donated postcard-sized artworks go to a fund for artists living with Aids. I think this was my 6th year (an honor) donating a piece. The opening party is always a hoot. How do these large-sized ladies find such big heels?

Our prayers and thoughts are with the family, friends, and constituents of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.