Year in (Art) Review

2008 is about to be auld lang syne, and it was a stellar year for my art viewing pleasure. I saw art daily here at home and on occasion in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and New Orleans. End of the year, time for a list.

Eight best art moments of ’08:

1. Covering Lydia Fong’s stunning show at Ratio 3 Gallery shortly after writing about the film Beautiful Losers.

2. Seeing the Whitney Biennial, especially Mika Rottenberg and Ry Rocklen’s work. Rottenberg is not surprisingly on the cover of this month’s ArtNews magazine.

3. Laying under an Olafur Eliasson ceiling mirror at MOMA’s PS.1 and snapping photos even though it’s not allowed. I generally follow museum rules, but this time it was necessary to break one and risk a booting.

4. Viewing Ralph Lemon’s exhibit at the Contemporary Art Center in New Orleans with a former professor of mine who pointed out Lemon’s references to Joseph Beuys. This subtly animated face projected through glass was unforgettable. A sculptural snarl of mattresses by another artist was also impressive.

5. Taking my mom on a rickety double-decker bus press tour of Women in the City — a public art exhibition in Los Angeles.

6. Going to BCAM, a mind-blowing museum of Eli Broad’s blue chip art trophies.

7. Doing a Q&A with a favorite artist, Mel Kadel, and later reading a more extensive interview with her in Juxtapoz.

8. Watching people splash around in Jaume Plensa’s Crown Fountain in Chicago’s Millennium Park. (The Jeff Koons pseudo-retrospective I saw in Chicago did not make this list because there was far too much of him on view.)

Each of these moments has made me a more thoughtful person — a typical result of frequent art viewings. Experiencing art is not only about the object or the artist; it’s about you and me and the things we have in common. What was your best art moment this year?