What do three current, Chelsea gallery exhibitions have in common? Ellsworth Kelly’s “Reliefs” at Matthew Marks; Tara Donovan’s steel pushpin “Drawings” at Pace 25th Street; and, Jose Manuel Ciria’s self portrait “Rorschach Heads,” at Stux Gallery? The easy answer is that all are beautifully hung, must see exhibits currently on view in New York City. More importantly, in this context, each displays exemplary clarity of thought, simplicity of vision, and outstanding execution of concept.

87 year old Ellsworth Kelly’s new works, completed in 2009 and 2010, are monumental in their simplicity. Creating some of his best work to date, Kelly joined two meticulously painted, shaped canvases to create each strikingly beautiful piece. Most consist of geometric, black shapes mounted on rectangular, white panels. Without the distraction of Kelly’s trademark bright flat colors, the work is all about its self-imposed limitations and the exquisite placement of form in space.

Ellsworth Kelly, “Reliefs,” at Matthew Marks Gallery, 522 W24 Street, 523 W 24 Street and 526 W22nd Street.

Through April 9, 2011.

Since her inclusion in the 2000 Whitney Biennial, Tara Donovan has become internationally famous, working with mass produced objects. In her current exhibit, Donovan uses countless numbers of nickel-headed, steel pushpins. She calls the work “Drawings,” but, mounted on Gatorboard, it is perceptually closer to painting, with undulating starbursts and radiating fields of light and dark. The drawings are simultaneously breathtaking in their aesthetic simplicity, while amazing the many gallery viewers with their creative complexity. The perfectly placed masses of pins leave the viewer contemplating light, perception, and the beauty of repetition. Like Ellsworth Kelly, Donovan has benefitted from great clarity, and has limited her materials to create singular expressions of her vision.

Tara Donovan: Drawings (Pins), Pace Gallery 510 W25th Street.

Through March 19, 2011.

Finally, the Spanish artist, Jose Manuel Ciria, has a gorgeous display of large, expressionistic self-portraits at Chelsea’s Stux Gallery. These accomplished paintings are so arresting that a glimpse from the street is enough to draw the viewer into the gallery. The series of giant heads is painted in a combination of aluminum and oil, with a limited palette of blue-greens, reds, ochres and greys. These intensely beautiful figurative works are from Ciria’s “Rorschach Heads III Series.” While explicitly invoking the ambiguity of the inkblot and its emotional implications, Ciria is, at the same time, very clear in his vision and his freshly exciting paint application.

Jose Manuel Ciria: The Execution of the SoulStux Gallery, 530 W 25th St, through April 2, 2011.

Thursday, March 3, 2011