COVER STORY .

The Lion Tamers

Carlos Basualdo and Michael R. Taylor


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Published: Sep 23, 2009

By: Graydon Wood Courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

This June, in one stellar moment that would make its dearly missed Anne d'Harnoncourt swoon with pride, the Philadelphia Museum of Art was on top of the world. Representing the U.S. at the 53rd annual Venice Biennale, the PMA walked away with the big prize: the prestigious Golden Lion, an honor the country hasn't seen since 1990. "Bruce Nauman: Topological Gardens" was a three-venue behemoth that showcased the multimedia artist's diverse body of work. The keen-eyed, forward-thinking curators responsible for the coup: Carlos Basualdo and Michael R. Taylor.

"The Lion was the golden cherry in what already felt as a very sweet pie indeed," says Basualdo. "The process of organizing the show took a bit less than two years, but at times it felt like many lives."

Taylor says, "It was a great triumph for the museum, the city of Philadelphia and above all Bruce Nauman." (Part of the show comes to the PMA in November.)

We see more here, though. We see a forward trajectory that will thrust Philly into an even brighter light.

Since arriving in 2005, Basualdo has brought a singular vision to his caretaking of the contemporary collections. Taylor has the mighty job of curating the display of d'Harnoncourt's beloved Dadaist. His current exhibition, "Marcel Duchamp: Étant donnés," cradles Duchamp's confounding final work in the larger context of his oeuvre.

Each has more to offer, of course; Basualdo's Michelangelo Pistoletto and Taylor's Arshile Gorky shows wait in the wings.

Honorable Mention: Visual Arts

Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
The gallery/boutique churns out thoughtful, Philly-centric exhibits. They also employ local artists to screen print T-shirts.

Beth Beverly
The taxidermist/visual artist spearheaded the Art + Soul Food project in Brewerytown and built Fishtown's Pork Chop collective from the ground up.

Asian Arts Initiative
The organization's "Chinatown: In/Flux" community-minded exhibition upped the ante on challenging public art.

Aaron Levy
Exec director and senior curator of the Slought Foundation combines art with activism to produce a series of challenging and evocative exhibits and lectures.