Some Memorable Shows from 2021-2022

The past two plus years have been challenging in so many ways -- no travel, no restaurants, no openings, no hugs -- to mention only a few of the more minor Covid losses....Nevertheless, some important shows happened in New York, and I was able to get to a small fraction of them. Here are images from a few of the standouts. My sincere regrets to all my friends and colleagues whose shows I missed.

 

 Jacqueline Humphries at Greene Naftale

 

 

Joan Mitchell at David Zwirner

 

 

 Richard Pousette-Dart at Pace

 

 

 Thornton Willis at David Richard

 

 

 Michelle Stuart at Lelong

 

 

Ron Gorchov at Vito Schnabel

 

 

David Diao at Postmasters

 

 

Mary Obering at Bortolami

 

 

 Frank Bowling at Hauser & Wirth

 

 

 Svenja Deininger at Maryanne Boesky

 Brice Marden at Gagosian

Maja Ruznic at Karma

Terry Winters at Matthew Marks

 

 

 

 Jasper Johns at the Whitney Museum

NO CHROMOPHOBIA at OK Harris

Julie Gross, Her-O, 48" x 48", oil on linen

Mary Obering, Quartet, 42" x 84" x 3", egg tempera & gold leaf on gesso panel

Marthe Keller, Gelb Greem Girl, 58" x 59", acrylic on canvas

Joanne Mattera, Uttar 229, 18" x 18", encaustic on panel

Large group shows are notoriously uneven and sprawling, reflecting the difficulty of assembling more than a few artists with a shared sensibility. A remarkable exception is the new show called “No Chromophobia” at OK Harris. Curated by Richard Witter, this show focuses on color as content in abstract painting, and brings together thirty three painters in a stunning array of discerning concept and sensuous chroma. I do not know all the artists in the show, but it appears that there are no careering youngsters here. This is a group of seasoned mid-career painters who have developed their respective processes through years of rigorous refinement. There is a conspicuous absence of irony – these artists are engaged in painting not as pastiche, but as a deeply intelligent exploration of visual and tactile properties. In addition to the focus on color, the show is unified and driven by reductive form, and what could be described as succinct construction -- delicate balancing of the analytical and the sensuous -- surfaces and objects that are beautifully and specifically crafted, infused with sagacious knowledge of the medium and the language, with absolutely no fluff – direct painting, deceptive in its simplicity. Looking around the galleries from a distance, this show is a feast for the eyes as the vibrant hues resonate from one piece to the next around the rooms. Up close, the distinctiveness of each artist’s approach presents one rich encounter after another. Anyone who really loves painting would be hard pressed to find a more satisfying group exhibition.