"Untitled" by Urs Fischer, Marguerite de Ponty 2009. Mixed mediums.

There’s something to be said about an artist who doesn’t take himself too seriously, whose whimsical approach to his art can shine forth and resonate in those who know little about his previous work, connecting them to the piece as much as the adept patron.

“Marguerite de Ponty,” Urs Fischer’s new exhibition that recently opened at the New Museum, has, in certain instances, just the right amount of charm to accomplish this. There are several sculptures, over the course of the three-floor exhibit, whose malevolent disposition—a lamp post that looks like it was melted in an inferno, a piano seemingly dismantled by baseball bats, and crutches that appear to have been stolen from their owner and glued to the floor just out of reach—is quelled by magnificent pastoral hues.

"Noisette" by Urs Fischer, Marguerite de Ponty 2009. Mixed mediums.

“Noisette” is another piece that is sure to be a crowd pleaser for the weekend gallery warriors and keeps visitors to the museum on their toes–a pink latex tongue that pokes out of a 3-inch glory hole in the wall and wiggles around briefly before disappearing for an indeterminate amount of time, thanks to laser technology. It ends up being a contribution that feels arbitrary and like little more than a Surrealist joke.

“Last Call Lascaux,” an exact, actual-size color image of the space printed as wallpaper, is the going favorite among visitors. This too is pink, the result of photographing the entire white empty space—ceiling and skylight included—inch by inch without adding more lighting. The trompe l’oeil is clearest when you examine the public-safety signs. By law they could not be removed, so they’re shadowed by images of themselves. In all, it is as if Mr. Fischer had discovered a space within a space and it were, literally, a twilight zone.

The show dies when it reaches the second and final floor, the exception greeting you as you step off the elevator. “abC” is suspended from a steal i beam that visitors pass by when entering the final floor. A bird that appears to be perched on a moon rock with a chain around its neck? This piece could be the anchor on Dakis Jonnaou’s Jeff Koons-designed yacht “Guilty.” It’s a compelling piece that may just be elevated to this level of acclaim by the rest of the free-standing statues that make up the remainder of the exhibit.

"abC" by Urs Fischer, Marguerite de Ponty 2009. Cast aluminum, steel chain, iron particles.

“Service à la Française,” a 51-piece installation of polished stainless-steel boxes in different sizes; the five exposed planes of each are printed with highly detailed color images of five views (front, back, side, and top) of everyday articles, enlarged to many times their normal size. They include food, children’s and dog’s toys, books, a ladder, and many more.

It’s fun to walk through these objects, as it doubles as a house of mirrors, but in the end, you’re able to find your way out, and the whimsical pieces staged on the higher floors seem detached from the rest of the show. But Fischer, in his first US solo show, didn’t act alone: the show was curated by New Museum veteran curator and Director of Special Exhibitions, Massimiliano Gioni.

“Service à la Française” by Urs Fischer, Marguerite de Ponty 2009. Silkscreen on mirrored chrome steel.

So, was the show a triumph for the young Swiss wunderkind? It’s hard to say. Gioni and Fischer decided against a career survey, opting instead to showcase work from the last two years in a much more domesticated outcome. There were no massive holes jackhammered in the middle of the gallery as he did at Gavin Brown’s space in “You,” nor was there anything akin to 2005’s “Bread House,” which is exactly what it sounds like. He played it safe, and it shows.

New York still has some hope left for 2009: Roni Horn and Gabriel Orozco both have shows opening in the next few weeks, at the Whitney and MoMA respectively.

When Greek industrialist Dakis Joannou’s prodigious modern art collection arrives for its tour at the New Museum in February 2010, it will have a new curator to ensure a smooth run. Jeff Koons, the artist whom Joannou credits with his involvement in the art world after experiencing “Equilibrium,” will oversee  the production of the show and, in the tradition of Urs Fischer before him with “The Generational: Younger Than Jesus,” will use the entire museum as his new manifestation. This new role will bring carte blanche to Koons to exhibit the work as it has never been seen, which is quite fitting for the collections’s first visit to the US.

Along with the ubiquitous Koons works spread throughout the exhibition, there will be a considerable sampling of the modern-art tour de force, including work from Takashi Murakami, Vanessa Beecroft, Ashley Bickerton, Allan McCollum, and Gabriel Orozco, among many others.

Joannou has been expected to exhibit his collection at the museum for nearly a decade.

"Guilty," the 110-foot yacht Jeff Koon's designed for Dakis Joannou. Photo courtesy of monacoeye.com