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SCULPTURE AFTER ARTSCHWAGER

September 11 - November 1, 2013

SCULPTURE AFTER ARTSCHWAGER

Past exhibition
  • Overview
  • Installation Views
  • Artist
  • Overview
    SCULPTURE AFTER ARTSCHWAGER

    RICHARD ARTSCHWAGER · JUSTIN ADIAN · DAN COLEN / NATE LOWMAN · MARTIN KIPPENBERGER · SARAH LUCAS · CIPRIAN MURESAN · ISABEL NOLAN · BLAIR THURMAN · JOHN TORREANO · GAVIN TURK

     

    David Nolan Gallery is pleased to present Sculpture after Artschwager – an exhibition which examines the diverse legacy of American artist Richard Artschwager (1923-2013). On view from September 12 through October 26, the show brings together a group of artists whose work testifies to a relationship to his highly original output.

    Artschwager came of age as an artist during the early 1960s when a new generation of sculptors were having their first exhibitions in New York City. Notable among these were Robert Morris and Donald Judd, whose measured geometric forms would eventually become labeled under “minimalism.” Artschwager exhibited alongside these artists in a 1966 sculpture survey at the Jewish Museum, though his work – a sculpture of a table, rendered in formica – was set apart for its kitsch materials and lighthearted humor. This playfulness and humanity, which runs throughout Artschwager’s practice, is what distinguishes him from many of the artists who were making work in the wake of Modernism.

    In this exhibition, we assess a number of Artschwager’s themes and formal innovations, which we trace through a variety of younger artists who are working currently. One exception is a sculpture by Martin Kippenberger (1953-1997), which was first shown in an exhibition entitled A Man and His Golden Arm (in our SoHo gallery) in 1994. This work is comprised of a wall-mounted wood and bronze relief affixed with 34 colored objects. On the floor below is a shipping crate, whose unusual proportions are designed to accommodate the piece above. This self-conscious announcement of the work of art as a commodity relates to a concurrent body of work in Artschwager’s practice (which, by coincidence, was presented the same year at another gallery in New York) wherein finely crafted wooden crates confounded the typical expectation of “art,” offering a witty take on the art market and the impulse to collect.

    Artschwager’s groundbreaking discovery in the 1960s was the use of commercial-grade products as possible materials in art. Many of his paintings made use of Celotex (designed for ceiling insulation), which lent a peculiar patterning to his pictorial surfaces. The use of formica was another interesting innovation, as it involved the transfer of a two-dimensional surface – often a photographic representation of wood – onto a three-dimensional object. This relationship is developed by British artist Gavin Turk (b. 1967) whose bronze sculptures of ordinary objects (a cardboard box, a car tire) are meticulously oil-painted, in effect reanimating the traditional idea of the “trompe-l’oeil” within in a three-dimensional realm.

    Gavin Turk has described “the overt recognition of what we are looking at” in relation to Artschwager’s sculpture: recurring objects – tables, doors, mirrors or a basket – are articulated thorough stylization and an economy of means, often to a point of caricature. Jennifer Gross characterizes these objects as “protagonists in Artschwager’s pictorial/spatial drama” which exist in “a world of surreal banality through which he thoroughly investigated the boundaries of a room inhabited by familiar things.” This exhibition extends on this spatial drama, casting various uncanny objects from everyday life into an unusual stage show. Adam McEwen’s (b. 1965) Rolldown Gate could be a conceptual stand-in for an Artschwager door – instantly recognizable, but also surprising – while Isabel Nolan’s (b. 1974) Invisible Mirror re-invokes Artschwager’s versions of the mirror motif.

    Towards the end of his career, Artschwager turned his focus to images of an open road leading out to a horizon. Blair Thurman (b. 1961) touches on this theme, as do Nate Lowman (b. 1979) and Dan Colen (b. 1979) in a collaborative piece. In each of these works, road imagery is enlisted in the making of highly original sculptures.

    Finally, the exhibition introduces the work of Justin Adian (b. 1976), whose unusual wall-mounted sculptures recall Artschwager’s radical “blps,” which, seemingly useless, appear in unexpected places. Adian’s sculpture – essentially a painted canvas, stretched over a strangely shaped support – resides in the corner of the room (a favored placement for Artschwager). Its brightly keyed yellow was also an important color in Artschwager’s work, featuring in the formica pieces of the early 1960s and in the wild and imaginative landscapes drawn at the end of his life.

  • Installation Views
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: 42Q2725
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: 42Q2728
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: 42Q2819
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: 42Q2845
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Sculpture Installation 1
    Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: 42Q2831
    • Richard Artschwager Untitled (For the Black Beauty), 1983 formica on wood 47 x 26 1/4 x 6 in 119.4 x 66.7 x 15.2 cm
      Richard Artschwager
      Untitled (For the Black Beauty), 1983
      formica on wood
      47 x 26 1/4 x 6 in
      119.4 x 66.7 x 15.2 cm
    • Richard Artschwager Table (Drop Leaf), 2008 Formica on wood 30 x 22 x 44 in (76.2 x 55.9 x 111.8 cm)
      Richard Artschwager
      Table (Drop Leaf), 2008
      Formica on wood
      30 x 22 x 44 in (76.2 x 55.9 x 111.8 cm)
    • Richard Artschwager Bristle Corner, 1995 bristle and wood 27 x 12 in 68.6 x 30.5 cm
      Richard Artschwager
      Bristle Corner, 1995
      bristle and wood
      27 x 12 in
      68.6 x 30.5 cm
    • Richard Artschwager Exclamation Point, 1980 acrylic and wood in two parts 32 7/8 x 6 in 83.5 x 15.2 cm
      Richard Artschwager
      Exclamation Point, 1980
      acrylic and wood in two parts
      32 7/8 x 6 in
      83.5 x 15.2 cm
    • Richard Artschwager Landscape with Median, 2011 acrylic, charcoal, and yellow laminate on fiber panel on sound board with artist's frame 35 1/4 x 49 5/8 in 89.5 x 126 cm
      Richard Artschwager
      Landscape with Median, 2011
      acrylic, charcoal, and yellow laminate on fiber panel on sound board with artist's frame
      35 1/4 x 49 5/8 in
      89.5 x 126 cm
    • Gavin Turk Refuse, 2012 painted bronze 20 x 31 1/2 x 19 11/16 in 51 x 80 x 50 cm
      Gavin Turk
      Refuse, 2012
      painted bronze
      20 x 31 1/2 x 19 11/16 in
      51 x 80 x 50 cm
    • Martin Kippenberger Untitled (A Man and His Golden Arm), 1994 bronze with dark green patina, hooks, 34 coloured Plexiglas pieces, wood box construction and wood crate bronze: 26 9/16 x 39 3/4 x 2 9/16 in (67.5 x 101 x 6.5 cm) wood box construction: 26 1/4 x 15 11/16 x 4 3/16 in (66.6 x 39.8 x 10.7 cm) crate: 11 13/16 x 29 1/8 x 2 9/16 in (30 x 74 x 109 cm)
      Martin Kippenberger
      Untitled (A Man and His Golden Arm), 1994
      bronze with dark green patina, hooks, 34 coloured Plexiglas pieces, wood box construction and wood crate
      bronze: 26 9/16 x 39 3/4 x 2 9/16 in (67.5 x 101 x 6.5 cm)
      wood box construction: 26 1/4 x 15 11/16 x 4 3/16 in (66.6 x 39.8 x 10.7 cm)
      crate: 11 13/16 x 29 1/8 x 2 9/16 in (30 x 74 x 109 cm)
    • Isabel Nolan What remains of an occasion that had not lasted., 2013 mild steel and PU satin lacquer, archival pigment print on Hahnemühle paper, framed sculpture: 116 1/8 x 225 1/4 x 21 5/8 in (295 x 572 x 55 cm) photograph: 16 15/16 x 22 7/16 in (43 x 57 cm)
      Isabel Nolan
      What remains of an occasion that had not lasted., 2013
      mild steel and PU satin lacquer, archival pigment print on Hahnemühle paper, framed
      sculpture:
      116 1/8 x 225 1/4 x 21 5/8 in (295 x 572 x 55 cm)
      photograph:
      16 15/16 x 22 7/16 in (43 x 57 cm)
    • Isabel Nolan Schöner schmutziger Spiegel, 2013 mild steel, gauze, silk blend and thread 26 3/8 x 22 1/2 x 1 1/8 in 67 x 57 x 3 cm
      Isabel Nolan
      Schöner schmutziger Spiegel, 2013
      mild steel, gauze, silk blend and thread
      26 3/8 x 22 1/2 x 1 1/8 in
      67 x 57 x 3 cm
    • Isabel Nolan The Invisible Mirror, 2009 balsa, jesmonite, paint 26 1/2 x 22 1/2 x 1 1/8 in 67 x 57 x 3 cm
      Isabel Nolan
      The Invisible Mirror, 2009
      balsa, jesmonite, paint
      26 1/2 x 22 1/2 x 1 1/8 in
      67 x 57 x 3 cm
    • Justin Adian I, 2013 oil enamel and spray paint on canvas and ester foam 50 x 15 x 8 1/2 in (127 x 38.1 x 21.6 cm)
      Justin Adian
      I, 2013
      oil enamel and spray paint on canvas and ester foam
      50 x 15 x 8 1/2 in (127 x 38.1 x 21.6 cm)
    • Gavin Turk Flat Tyre, 2013 painted bronze 22 x 25 1/4 x 7 7/8 in 56 x 64 x 20 cm
      Gavin Turk
      Flat Tyre, 2013
      painted bronze
      22 x 25 1/4 x 7 7/8 in
      56 x 64 x 20 cm
    • Gavin Turk Brillo 6, 2003 painted bronze 19 5/16 x 17 11/16 x 11 in 49.1 x 44.9 x 27.9 cm
      Gavin Turk
      Brillo 6, 2003
      painted bronze
      19 5/16 x 17 11/16 x 11 in
      49.1 x 44.9 x 27.9 cm
    • Blair Thurman Spook Rock Road (Gold Coast Monkey), 1996 acrylic on canvas 52 x 12 x 1 1/2 in 132.1 x 30.5 x 3.8 cm
      Blair Thurman
      Spook Rock Road (Gold Coast Monkey), 1996
      acrylic on canvas
      52 x 12 x 1 1/2 in
      132.1 x 30.5 x 3.8 cm
    • Blair Thurman Spokin’ 4”, 2010 acrylic on canvas dimensions variable
      Blair Thurman
      Spokin’ 4”, 2010
      acrylic on canvas
      dimensions variable
    • Dan Colen and Nate Lowman Lean on me, 2008 aluminum rims, straps, clamps and saxophone cleaner 23 x 91 x 11 in 58.4 x 231.1 x 27.9 cm
      Dan Colen and Nate Lowman
      Lean on me, 2008
      aluminum rims, straps, clamps and saxophone cleaner
      23 x 91 x 11 in
      58.4 x 231.1 x 27.9 cm
    • Sarah Lucas Beer Can Penis, 2000 cast aluminum 6 5/8 x 5 3/8 x 2 3/4 in 17 x 13.5 x 7 cm
      Sarah Lucas
      Beer Can Penis, 2000
      cast aluminum
      6 5/8 x 5 3/8 x 2 3/4 in
      17 x 13.5 x 7 cm
    • John Torreano Column of Impossible Collisions, 2013 half round wood column with acrylic paint, acrylic gems, wood balls, gold leaf and krylon 71 x 10 1/2 in 180.3 x 26.7 cm
      John Torreano
      Column of Impossible Collisions, 2013
      half round wood column with acrylic paint, acrylic gems, wood balls, gold leaf and krylon
      71 x 10 1/2 in
      180.3 x 26.7 cm
    • Ciprian Mureșan Dead Weight, 2013 etchings, plywood, mahogany 24 x 28 x 24 in (61 x 71.1 x 61 cm)
      Ciprian Mureșan
      Dead Weight, 2013
      etchings, plywood, mahogany
      24 x 28 x 24 in (61 x 71.1 x 61 cm)
    • Adam McEwen Rolldown Gate, 2012 graphite 100 3/4 x 45 1/2 x 14 3/16 in 256 x 115.6 x 36 cm
      Adam McEwen
      Rolldown Gate, 2012
      graphite
      100 3/4 x 45 1/2 x 14 3/16 in
      256 x 115.6 x 36 cm
  • Artist
    • RICHARD ARTSCHWAGER

      RICHARD ARTSCHWAGER

    • MARTIN KIPPENBERGER

      MARTIN KIPPENBERGER

    • CIPRIAN MUREȘAN

      CIPRIAN MUREȘAN

    • GAVIN TURK

      GAVIN TURK

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