Donna Dennis
Subway with Silver Girders, 1981-82
Wood, metal, mixed media
Margulies Collection

I wish New York had private collections such as the Margulies and Rubell Collections that are open to the public. I enjoyed aspects of the Rubell, particularly the exhibition of contemporary Polish work, and the paintings of Norbert Schwontkowski, but it doesn't feel like the "personal" collection that the Margulies does. It has smart choices, but there was very little that surprised me, and very little (other than the two things I just mentioned) that wasn't already familiar. It also felt rather odd to see gift shops inside (including t-shirt sales).

I found the Margulies Collection very moving. I loved the focus on work with a social or political aspect, and the very intelligent curating of the works on display, with juxtapositions such as Peter Friedl's King Kong video placed near work documenting the ruins of Detroit, the G8 riots in Genoa, and ruins of Kabul.