“Joe Brainard, Jess, John O’Reilly”
Works by three collage artists with cult followings make up an inspired exhibition about intricacy, fantasy, and gay sensibility. Brainard (1942-94) is the sunniest and most seductive of the group, but the real conversation is between Jess (1923-2004) and O’Reilly (born in 1930), both of whom make densely layered, photo-based work that suggests they were separated at birth. O’Reilly is the subtler craftsman, and his work is at once poignant and sexy; his mashups of Renaissance paintings, vintage porn, and academic nudes are marvels of allusion. Also here is a charming group of Rudy Burckhardt’s photographs of children from the forties and fifties. Through Jan. 8.