Moholy-Nagy: Future Present at the Guggenheim

The Moholy-Nagy exhibit that opened at the Guggenheim on Friday is aptly named "Future Present."  The Hungarian born Moholy-Nagy (b. 1895-1946) was a visionary artists whose works integrate a multitude of mediums & technology reflecting a contemporary, avante garde aesthetic.  It is enigmatic why his name is elusive in the public realm. Moholy-Nagy was a a groundbreaking artist in many venues.  His proclivity for constructural designs and experimentation with light & space predominate many works.  Perhaps, his unrevealed fame is due to his prolific work which crossed over & integrated new techniques, technology & theories regarding traveling through time & space.  There is a kinetic pulse to many of his paintings & sculptures.   A small plexiglass/ meteal sculpture hands from the ocular hovering the lobby's waterpool.  The show ends with numerous models in various sizes constructed of  these materials.  Parrallels in his earlier works can be drawn between Kandinsky & Mondrian's paintings.  Contemporary artists whose works resonate with Moholy-Nagy are James Turrell, Julie Mehretu & William Kentridge.  Moholy-Nagy's works possess a powerful kinetic energy and structural force.  Many works explore the ideas of industrial machinery & intergalactic solar systems.  Some of the shoe's highlights includes many of Moholy-Nagy's "photograms" (images made without use of a camera) & photographs. "The magic possibility of framing space & time is what brought me to photography."  This is a remarkably extensive & exciting exhibit.  The collection owns a prescient authority which originated in the early 20th C.  Moholy-Nagy's ouvre is too overwhelming to confine and there is too much to absorb in a single visit.  On a side note: The bathrooms have been updated to unisex but members' cards aren't scanned to facilitate entrance.