The New York Times, March 20, 1982

Art of War

Walk down almost any street in SoHo and you will find, tucked away on those mean streets, some of the more striking eruptions of the creative-artistic mind. Try Mercer Street and stop at No. 31, north of Houston Street and several doors north of the fascinating Museum of Holography. This is the gallery of Ronald Feldman, a typically spacious and well-lighted room.

The group show there is called “War Games,” and it represents the thoughts of 10 artists on this ultimate conflict. It is startling, and while some of the pieces are depressing or shocking, such as the large model of Adolf Hitler, with a knife-tear on his chest, and the memories of Hiroshima, it is, contrarily, fun in part.

The big eye-catcher is Chris Burden’s “The Tale of Two Cities,” a vast diorama of countryside that fills an entire corner of the gallery. The artist has built two city states and placed them at war with each other, using 3,000 war toys, including many toy soldiers and cannons and airplanes.

RICHARD F. SHEPARD