The Modern Way
A new exhibition at Graham Shay in Newyork City examines modern paintings and sculpture from 1925 to 1985
Now open at Graham Shay 1857 in Newyork City is American Modernism: 19151985, a new exhibition that will examine paintings and sculpture from a rich period in American modern art history.
Gallery owner Cameron Shay has chosen works that challenge the definitions of modern art, and
also reinforce it. “broadly speaking, the works in this exhibition can be divided into two groups: representational and abstract. works that disparate in style, however, can offer surprising similarities. A traditional scene of a house on a hillside by Bertram Hartman is dramatically different than Sewell Sillman’s pared-down minimalist
canvas, whose title, The Palace (Version 2), merely suggests an edifice,” Shay writes in the show’s catalog. “Similarly, Benedict Tatti’s roughly hewn marble Head of 1960 is far more literal than Kimber Smith’s abstract painting
Face with Pink Background of 1980, which requires a leap of imagination to discern facial features.and while Walt Kuhn’s Young Woman with Crown and Cornucopia of 1937 seems to have nothing in common with an untitled abstract painting from 1956 by Theodore Stamos, both works share a concern with color, form and a figure/ ground relationship.”
Artists in the show—in addition to the aforementioned Tatti,
Sillman, Smith, Kuhn, Stamos and Hartman—include Marsden Hartley, John Chamberlain, Louise Nevelson and Elie Nadelman, who will be represented by her 1915 bronze The Bull, which is still mounted on its original onyx base.
“The Nadelman is a very rare piece from a small edition that included two casts. this one is from one of the earlier casts, and it went into the collection of one of Nadelman’s patrons.and now here we have it back in Newyork on this spectacular base,” Shay says. “the work is unmarked and comes with neither a signature or foundry marks. when it comes to pieces like this it all comes down to expertise and provenance to identify these things. It’s really wonderful, though, in every way.”
Other works include Hartley’s
1929 still life Lemons and Oranges, Nevelson’s wood assemblage from
1971 Young Tree XXIV, Milton Avery’s 1955 work on paper Tender Trees, and Chamberlain’s sculpture Sliced Aluminum, which was originally shown at a 1992 Smithsonian exhibition that asked more than 100 prominent artists to create works of art from United States Postal Service home mailboxes. “chamberlain completely
deconstructed his mailbox that he was given for the show,” says Shay. “Some artists painted them or added things to them, but he deconstructed every element on it, and then painted every piece of it including the inside, outside, underside and even the flag. It’s a very unique item.the piece comes with an original catalog from the show.”
When the exhibition opened on May 1, guests were immediately drawn to the different interpretations of modernism in both paintings and sculpture.“we recently participated in Just Off Madison, and the gallery was full and engagement was wonderful. People were really struck by the Nadelman, especially just looking at how it was technically made, including the quality of the casting and the patina,” Shay says.“the Nevelson also really impressed people.the work is from her Young Trees series, and it’s one that traveled all around the country to six or seven museums after it was constructed. Nevelson made it to travel and instructed that it be seen.”
Another noteworthy work is Ralph De Burgos’ The Eyes Have It, an acrylic work from 1972 that appears on the cover of the Graham Shay catalog.“it’s an eye dazzler that really plays tricks on the eye,” Shay says.“it’s in the center of the room and it really pulls people in. It offers a lot of great commentary.”
American Modernism: 1915-1985 runs through June 28 in Newyork.