• HJPD-2020-2
  • HJFA_Portola_facade-2016e
  • HJFA_Portola10
  • LA_install1
  • AbEx-install1
  • LA_install1

Notre galerie à Palm Desert est située au centre de la région de Palm Springs en Californie, à côté de la zone commerçante et salle à manger populaire d'El Paseo. Notre clientèle apprécie notre sélection d'art d'après-guerre, moderne et contemporain. Le temps magnifique pendant les mois d'hiver attire les visiteurs de partout dans le monde pour voir notre beau désert, et s'arrêter à notre galerie. Le paysage désertique montagneux à l'extérieur offre la toile de fond panoramique parfaite à la fête visuelle qui vous attend à l'intérieur.

45188, avenue Portola
Palm Desert, Californie 92260
(760) 346-8926

Heures d'ouverture :
Du lundi au samedi : 9h00 - 17h00

Expositions

Son et spectacle : Harry Bertoia et George Rickey
COURANT

Son et spectacle : Harry Bertoia et George Rickey

1er juin - 30 septembre 2025
Hans Hofmann : le père de l
COURANT

Hans Hofmann : le père de l'expressionnisme abstrait

3 février - 31 juillet 2025
Rencontre avec la vie : N.C. Wyeth et les fresques de MetLife
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Rencontre avec la vie : N.C. Wyeth et les fresques de MetLife

18 juillet 2022 - 30 avril 2025
Ansel Adams : Affirmation de la vie
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Ansel Adams : Affirmation de la vie

1er décembre 2023 - 25 mars 2025
Alexander Calder : Façonner un univers primaire
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Alexander Calder : Façonner un univers primaire

23 août 2023 - 25 mars 2025
Hans Hofmann
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Hans Hofmann

14 août 2024 - 28 février 2025
L
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L'art à moins de 100 000

25 juillet 2024 - 31 janvier 2025
Georgia O
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Georgia O'Keeffe et Ansel Adams : Art moderne, amitié moderne

13 juillet 2023 - 31 janvier 2025
No Other Land : Un siècle de paysages américains
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No Other Land : Un siècle de paysages américains

21 septembre 2023 - 31 décembre 2024
Le sang de votre cœur : Intersections de l
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Le sang de votre cœur : Intersections de l'art et de la littérature

12 septembre 2022 - 31 décembre 2024
Art de l
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Art de l'Ouest américain : Une collection de premier plan

24 août 2023 - 31 août 2024
Premier cercle : Les cercles dans l
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Premier cercle : Les cercles dans l'art

14 février 2023 - 31 août 2024
Peintures de Dorothy Hood
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Peintures de Dorothy Hood

18 mars - 19 juillet 2024
Irving Norman : Matière noire
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Irving Norman : Matière noire

27 novembre 2019 - 30 juin 2024
Picasso : au-delà de la toile
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Picasso : au-delà de la toile

4 octobre 2023 - 30 avril 2024
Papier découpé : Œuvres uniques sur papier
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Papier découpé : Œuvres uniques sur papier

27 avril 2022 - 31 octobre 2023
Une belle époque : l
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Une belle époque : l'art américain à l'âge d'or

24 juin 2021 - 31 août 2023
C
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C'était acceptable dans les années 80

27 avril 2021 - 31 août 2023
Alexander Calder : Un univers de peinture
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Alexander Calder : Un univers de peinture

10 août 2022 - 31 août 2023
Paul Jenkins : Colorer le phénomène
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Paul Jenkins : Colorer le phénomène

27 décembre 2019 - 31 mars 2023
N.C. Wyeth : Une décennie de peinture
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N.C. Wyeth : Une décennie de peinture

29 septembre 2022 - 31 mars 2023
Norman Zammitt : La progression de la couleur
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Norman Zammitt : La progression de la couleur

19 mars 2020 - 28 février 2023
Georgia O
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Georgia O'Keeffe et Marsden Hartley : Esprits modernes

1er février 2022 - 28 février 2023
Maîtres figuratifs des Amériques
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Maîtres figuratifs des Amériques

Du 4 janvier au 12 février 2023
Expressionnisme abstrait : Transcender le radical
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Expressionnisme abstrait : Transcender le radical

12 janvier 2022 - 31 janvier 2023
James Rosenquist : une explosion de puissance
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James Rosenquist : une explosion de puissance

7 juin 2021 - 31 janvier 2023
Ma propre peau : Frida Kahlo et Diego Rivera
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Ma propre peau : Frida Kahlo et Diego Rivera

Du 16 juin au 31 décembre 2022
Josef Albers : Le cœur de la peinture
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Josef Albers : Le cœur de la peinture

12 mai - 30 novembre 2022
Expressionnisme abstrait : Les femmes persistantes
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Expressionnisme abstrait : Les femmes persistantes

1er novembre 2021 - 31 août 2022
Alexander Calder : Peindre le cosmos
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Alexander Calder : Peindre le cosmos

Du 2 mars au 12 août 2022
La matière Mercedes : Une qualité miraculeuse
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La matière Mercedes : Une qualité miraculeuse

22 mars 2021 - 30 juin 2022
Moore ! Moore ! Moore ! Henry Moore et la sculpture
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Moore ! Moore ! Moore ! Henry Moore et la sculpture

3 mars 2021 - 30 avril 2022
Elaine et Willem de Kooning : Peindre dans la lumière
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Elaine et Willem de Kooning : Peindre dans la lumière

3 août 2021 - 31 janvier 2022
American Eye : Sélections de la collection Pardee
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American Eye : Sélections de la collection Pardee

28 février - 31 décembre 2021
La collection Gloria Luria
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La collection Gloria Luria

16 mars 2020 - 31 octobre 2021
Pop Figures : Mel Ramos et Tom Wesselmann
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Pop Figures : Mel Ramos et Tom Wesselmann

26 mars 2020 - 30 avril 2021
Les joyaux de l
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Les joyaux de l'impressionnisme et de l'art moderne

19 février - 31 octobre 2020
Cool Britannia : Les jeunes artistes britanniques
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Cool Britannia : Les jeunes artistes britanniques

2 avril - 30 septembre 2020
Les Californiens
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Les Californiens

1er novembre 2019 - 14 février 2020
Sam Francis: Du crépuscule à l
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Sam Francis: Du crépuscule à l'aube

15 novembre 2018 - 29 avril 2019
N.C. Wyeth: Peintures et illustrations
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N.C. Wyeth: Peintures et illustrations

1er février - 31 mai 2018
Les peintures de Sir Winston Churchill
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Les peintures de Sir Winston Churchill

21 mars - 30 mai 2018
Ferrari et Futuristes : Un regard italien sur la vitesse
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Ferrari et Futuristes : Un regard italien sur la vitesse

21 novembre 2016 - 30 janvier 2017
Alexandre Calder
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Alexandre Calder

21 novembre 2015 - 28 mai 2016
Maîtres de l
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Maîtres de l'impressionnisme californien

22 novembre 2014 - 23 mai 2015
Painterly Abstraction : Sphères d
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Painterly Abstraction : Sphères d'AbEx

25 novembre 2011 - 31 mai 2012
Maîtres de l
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Maîtres de l'impressionnisme et de l'art moderne

Du 20 novembre 2010 au 25 septembre 2011
Picasso
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Picasso

Du 20 novembre 2009 au 25 mai 2010

OEUVRED-ŒUVRE SUR LA VUE

A major figure in both the Abstract Expressionist and American Figurative Expressionist movements of the 1940s and 1950s, Elaine de Kooning's prolific output defied singular categorization. Her versatile styles explored the spectrum of realism to abstraction, resulting in a career characterized by intense expression and artistic boundary-pushing. A striking example of de Kooning's explosive creativity is Untitled (Totem Pole), an extremely rare sculptural painting by the artist that showcases her command of color. <br><br>She created this piece around 1960, the same period as her well-known bullfight paintings. She left New York in 1957 to begin teaching at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, and from there would visit Ciudad Juárez, where she observed the bullfights that inspired her work. An avid traveler, de Kooning drew inspiration from various sources, resulting in a diverse and experimental body of work.

ELAINE DE KOONING

<div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Known for his ability to blend traditional Japanese techniques with modern aesthetics, Hiroshi Senju's sublime depictions of bands of cascading veils of paint evoke sensations of tranquility and awe. Senju began exploring waterfall imagery in the early 1990s, pouring translucent pigment onto mulberry paper mounted on board, creating cascading movement. In this work, "<em>Waterfall," </em>he masterfully bonds ribbons of cascading water into two curtain-like ethereal panels. Senju's interest in synesthesia is undeniable. "<em>Waterfall</em>" conjures sound, smell, and feel sensations as much as the rushing water's appearance. In the present work, he placed these dynamic elements in a context that grounds the viewer's sense of place within the natural world. A wedge of blue in the upper left corner contrasts the otherwise monochromatic palette, providing a sky association bounded by a hillside or cliff (for which Senju is known). Additionally, as the cascading water descends, it reaches a destination expanse at the bottom of the picture plane, where the force of the water disperses into a fine mist at the point of contact, serving as a visual anchor. </font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black> </font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Senju's finesse is evident throughout. He uses mulberry paper, a traditional Japanese material known for its delicate texture and strength. The paper's natural fibers absorb pigments in ways that create subtle gradients and fluidity, enhancing the visual effect of the cascading water. He employs traditional Nihonga techniques, such as layering washes to build depth and movement and utilizing varied brush strokes to achieve different effects. Additionally, he incorporates modern methods like the airbrush to apply fine mists of pigment, creating smooth and seamless gradients that mimic the delicate spray and vapor associated with cascading water.</font></div><br><br><div> </div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Hiroshi Senju pays homage to the traditional art forms of his heritage while pushing the boundaries of contemporary art. His ability to convey the sublime through simplicity and abstraction makes this artwork a testament to his unique vision and artistic mastery. It stands as a serene reminder of nature's timeless beauty, captured through the ability of a master painter and artist.  </font></div>

HIROSHI SENJU

HERB ALPERT - Arrowhead - bronze - 201 x 48 x 48 po.

ALPERT HERB

<div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Standing at an impressive 103 inches, this elegantly spare “Sonambient” sculpture by Harry Bertoia allows us to marvel at one of the finest artisans of his generation. This piece, the tallest in the series currently available here at Heather James Fine Art, features a precise arrangement of 36 slender tines in a 6 x 6 grid. This arrangement's uniformity and symmetry are visually captivating and crucial for the sculpture's acoustic properties. The rods, austere and uncapped by finials, have an aged patina with copper undertones, suggesting Bertoia's use of copper or a similar alloy known for its resonant qualities and distinctive coloration. Given the outstanding length of these rods, the attachment method is particularly noteworthy. Bertoia meticulously inserted each rod into individual holes in the base plate using precision drilling and securing techniques such as welding that ensured the rods were firmly anchored and stable, maintaining the structural integrity essential for consistent acoustic performance.</font></div><br><br><div> </div><br><br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Beyond his uncompromising nature, Bertoia's work draws significant inspiration from natural elements. This sculpture's tall, slender rods evoke images of reeds or tall grasses swaying gently in the wind. This dynamic interaction between the sculpture and its environment mirrors the movement of plants, creating an immersive, naturalistic experience. Yet when activated or moved by air currents, the rods of this monumental work initiate metallic undertones that confirm its materiality without betraying its profound connection to the natural world.</font></div><br><br><div><font face=Calibri size=3 color=black>Integrating technical precision and natural inspiration depends on exacting construction that ensures durability and acoustic consistency, while its kinetic and auditory nature imbues the piece with a sense of vitality. This fusion invites viewers to engage with the sculpture on multiple sensory levels, appreciating its robust craftsmanship and evocative, naturalistic qualities. Bertoia's ability to blend these elements results in a work that is both a technical marvel and a tribute to the beauty of the natural world.</font></div>

BERTOIA HARRY

This painting has remained in the same private collection since its creation.  Along with its companion work, "Untitled" (1991) was on display in the lobby of Chicago's Heller International Building at 500 West Monroe Street from the building's opening in 1992 until its renovation in 2015.<br><br>The November 2018 sale of Schnabel's "Large Rose Painting, (Near Van Gogh's Grave)" for $1.2 million at auction demonstrates a strong demand for the artist's work. This major sale was only the second-highest price paid for a Schnabel at auction: the record was set in November of 2017 when "Ethnic Type #14" sold for $1.4 million.  <br><br>A recent museum exhibition, "Julian Schnabel: Symbols of Actual Life" at the Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, in 2018, featured several of Schnabel's large-scale paintings.

JULIAN SCHNABEL

JOHN CHAMBERLAIN - ASARABACA - feuille d'aluminium de poids industriel avec laque acrylique et résine de polyester - 20 x 23 x 22 po.

JOHN CHAMBERLAIN (EN)

Roger Brown est connu pour son imagerie personnelle et souvent fantastique et ses peintures très stylisées avec des figures et des objets qui reflètent son intérêt pour les expériences quotidiennes. Acid Rain explore des thèmes de la vie moderne et des commentaires sociaux qui reflètent le rôle de l'artiste dans la société et le potentiel de l'art à susciter le changement. D'un point de vue plus personnel, le thème des pluies acides peut symboliser des états émotionnels ou psychologiques corrosifs, tels que la dépression, l'anxiété ou le sentiment d'être dépassé par des circonstances indépendantes de sa volonté. Tout comme les pluies acides étaient un problème environnemental largement invisible mais dévastateur, la crise de l'épidémie émergente de VIH/SIDA a probablement motivé Brown à créer l'œuvre pour traiter son chagrin personnel, critiquer la réponse inadéquate des dirigeants politiques et plaider en faveur de la compassion, de la compréhension et de la recherche médicale.

ROGER BROWN

Andy Warhol est synonyme de l'art américain de la seconde moitié du XXe siècle. Il est connu pour ses portraits iconiques et ses produits de consommation, mêlant culture populaire et beaux-arts, redéfinissant ainsi ce que l'art pouvait être et la manière dont nous l'abordons. Si de nombreuses œuvres de Warhol ne représentent pas des personnes célèbres, ses représentations d'objets inanimés élèvent ses sujets à un niveau de célébrité. Warhol a représenté des chaussures pour la première fois au début de sa carrière, alors qu'il travaillait comme illustrateur de mode. Il est revenu à ce thème dans les années 1980, combinant sa fascination pour le consumérisme et le glamour. Dans son désir constant de fusionner la haute et la basse culture, Warhol a choisi de mettre en avant un objet aussi omniprésent que les chaussures. Le sujet peut dénoter la pauvreté ou la richesse, la fonction ou la mode. Warhol donne un aspect glamour à la pile de chaussures, en les recouvrant d'une patine de poussière de diamant brillante, brouillant encore plus le sens entre besoin utilitaire et pièce de style.

ANDY WARHOL (EN)

PAUL JENKINS - Phénomènes par retour - acrylique sur toile - 104 3/4 x 49 5/8 in.

PAUL JENKINS (EN)

Fille du sculpteur minimaliste Tony Smith, l'art de Kiki ne se limite pas à un seul médium ou à une seule technique, et son travail invite souvent à de multiples interprétations. Club incarne la forme et les dimensions d'une jambe humaine, élément essentiel du mouvement et de la stabilité. Le titre de Smith invite le spectateur à réimaginer une jambe comme une arme et à réfléchir à la fragilité de la condition humaine, à la dynamique de pouvoir de l'autonomie corporelle et à l'interaction complexe entre la force et la vulnérabilité. Cette transformation d'une partie du corps en objet véhicule à la fois la protection et l'agression et réfléchit à la manière dont les corps sexués naviguent dans notre environnement social et personnel. Club illustre la capacité de Smith à créer des œuvres riches en symboles, ouvertes à l'interprétation, et à susciter une réflexion sur l'expérience humaine.

KIKI SMITH

"A Dream Within a Dream" est une importante série de peintures et de sérigraphies de Ryan McGinnes qui tire son nom d'un célèbre poème d'Edgar Allan Poe. Explorant les thèmes de la perception, de la réalité et du subconscient, McGinnes incorpore une variété de symboles et de motifs, notamment des formes géométriques, des éléments botaniques et des motifs figuratifs, qu'il organise en motifs complexes qui semblent se déplacer et se transformer sous les yeux du spectateur. Le titre suggère un sentiment d'ambiguïté et d'incertitude, reflétant la nature insaisissable de la réalité et la qualité de fuite de l'expérience humaine. En abordant les thèmes de la perception et de l'illusion, McGinnes encourage les spectateurs à remettre en question leurs hypothèses sur le monde et à envisager la possibilité que la réalité soit plus fluide et subjective qu'il n'y paraît.

RYAN MCGINNESS

Deborah Butterfield est une sculptrice américaine, surtout connue pour ses sculptures de chevaux faites d'objets en bois, en métal et autres objets trouvés. La pièce de 1981, Untitled (Cheval), est composée de bâtons et de papier sur armature métallique. L'échelle impressionnante de cette pièce crée un effet remarquable en personne, présentant un exemple frappant du célèbre sujet de Butterfield. À l'origine, Butterfield a créé les chevaux à partir du bois et d'autres matériaux trouvés sur sa propriété à Bozeman, au Montana, et a vu les chevaux comme un autoportrait métaphorique, exploitant la résonance émotionnelle de ces formes.

DEBORAH BUTTERFIELD (EN)

"A drawing is simply a line going for a walk."<br>-Paul Klee<br><br>A significant draftsman, Paul Klee's works on paper rival his works on canvas in their technical proficiency and attention to his modern aesthetic.  As an early teacher at the Bauhaus school, Klee traveled extensively and inspired a generation of 20th Century Artists.  <br><br>Klee transcended a particular style, instead creating his own unique visual vocabulary.  In Klee's work, we see a return to basic, geometric forms and a removal of artistic embellishment.  "Der Hafen von Plit" was once owned by Alfred H. Barr, Jr., the First Director of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

PAUL KLEE

Manuel Neri était une figure centrale du Bay Area Figurative Movement dans les années 1960. Au lieu de formes abstraites, le groupe mettait l'accent sur l'émotion à travers la puissance de la forme humaine. La présente œuvre, "Sans titre" (1982), explore la forme féminine à l'échelle réelle.  Tout au long de ses 60 ans de carrière, Neri a préféré travailler avec un seul modèle, Maria Julia Klimenko. L'absence de visage dans de nombreuses sculptures ajoute un élément de mystère et d'ambiguïté. Dans "Sans titre", la composition est axée sur la structure et la forme de la figure.  Manuel Neri est représenté dans de nombreuses collections de musées à travers le monde, notamment à la Addison Gallery/Phillips Academy, à la Anderson Collection de l'université de Stanford, à l'Art Institute of Chicago, au Cantor Arts Center de l'université de Stanford, au Cincinnati Art Museum, au Crocker Art Museum de Sacramento, en Californie, au Denver Art Museum, au El Paso Museum of Art, au Texas, aux Fine Arts Museums de San Francisco, aux Harvard University Art Museums, au Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden de Washington, D. C., au Honolulu Museum of Art, à l'Université de Californie du Sud, à l'Université de Californie du Sud et à l'Université de Californie du Sud.C. ; Honolulu Museum of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York et la National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

NERI MANUEL

The Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) was a prosperous cultural period that helped shape Chinese history's foundations for future centuries. This era was marked by notable technological and cultural advances, including gunpowder and printing. Among artistic advances during this period was the perfection of the sancai glaze technique, which was a prominent attribute of sculpture during this period. Sancai (tri-colored) glazing; the three glaze-colors used were ochre or brown, green and clear. Glazed wares where much more costly to produce than other terracotta wares, and were therefore only reserved for the wealthiest patrons.  <br><br>The Sancai-Glazed Earth Spirit offered here depicts a "Zhenmushou." These are mythical hybrid creatures whose bodies are a combination of dogs, lions, boars and other animals. These fierce looking beasts would be found in pairs guarding the entrance of Tang Dynasty tombs.

CHINOIS

The Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) was a prosperous period that helped shape Chinese history's foundations for future centuries. This era was marked by notable technological and cultural advances, including gunpowder and printing. Among artistic advances during this period was the perfection of the sancai glaze technique, which was a prominent attribute of sculpture during this period. Sancai (tri-colored) glazing used the three glaze-colors were ochre or brown, green and clear. Glazed wares were much more costly to produce than other terracotta wares, and were therefore only reserved for the wealthiest patrons.  <br><br>This Sancai-Glazed Horse would have been an incredible status symbol for its owner and many have been lost to time. This sculpture is comparable to examples held in museum collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

CHINOIS

WALEAD BESHTY - Los Caballos en la Conquista - Vestiges d'engobe de Ceramica Suro, glaçure et plaque de cuisson - 9 1/2 x 32 1/4 x 21 1/2 in.

WALEAD BESHTY

<div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>In Harry Bertoia's oeuvre, "<em>Willow</em>" stands apart as an extraordinary synthesis of natural inspiration and innovative metalwork. Its cascading strands of stainless-steel capture the weeping elegance of a willow tree's drooping branches while introducing a dynamic, interactive quality through its shimmering surface and subtle responsiveness to movement. The strands—whether referred to as "tinsels," "filaments," or "tendrils"—reflect the delicacy of natural forms, blending artistry with technical mastery.</font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3> </font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Bertoia, a visionary sculptor with an unparalleled ability to transform industrial materials into organic beauty, likely employed meticulous processes to create "<em>Willow,</em>" cutting thin sheets of stainless steel into fine strips and expertly attaching them to a central core, positioning each strand to flow like water or sway like leaves in the breeze. The tactile quality of the strands, which respond to air currents or touch, invites the viewer into a contemplative engagement with the work, much like one might feel beneath the canopy of a willow tree.</font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3> </font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>This piece epitomizes Bertoia's lifelong fascination with nature, stemming from his early years in the rural village of San Lorenzo, Italy. His sensitivity to the organic world continually informed his artistic practice, from his celebrated Sonambient sound sculptures to creations like “<em>Willow</em>, “which reimagine the relationship between form and environment. As he once said, "I no longer hold onto terms like music and sculpture. Those old distinctions have lost all their meaning."</font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3> </font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Once again , Bertoia captivates us by reaching beyond the traditional boundaries of sculpture, delivering a work that is as much a sensory experience as a visual one. It is a harmonious blend of natural inspiration and innovative artistry, a reminder of the sacred beauty found in the intersection of art and the natural world.</font></div>

BERTOIA HARRY

Lorsqu’un cheval se couche, c’est parce qu’il se sent en sécurité, ce qui, pour Deborah Butterfield, est une façon de dire qu’il est normal de se rendre vulnérable. « Echo », construit de manière à respecter ses compétences en matière de recherche de nourriture et sa capacité à souder le métal, n’adhère pas à une représentation traditionnelle d’un cheval, mais révèle plutôt quelque chose de sa nature essentielle. Construite à partir de tôles d’acier assemblées, certaines ondulées, d’autres pliées ou serties, c’est une pièce qui porte la marque du temps, vieillie jusqu’à une patine brun rouille, des imperfections célébrées plutôt que dissimulées. Le choix délibéré des matériaux et de leur traitement par Butterfield ajoute de la profondeur et du caractère, transformant Untitled, Echo en plus d’une simple représentation équine - il reflète la beauté sauvage et la résilience de l’animal qu’il représente.

DEBORAH BUTTERFIELD (EN)

CHARLES ARNOLDI - Sticky Wicket - acrylique, pâte à modeler et bâtons sur contreplaqué - 44 1/4 x 91 x 3 in.

CHARLES ARNOLDI

WILLIAM WENDT - Laguna Hills - huile sur toile - 25 x 30 in.

WILLIAM WENDT

MARC QUINN - Lovebomb - photo laminée sur aluminium - 108 1/4 x 71 3/4 x 37 3/4 in.

MARC QUINN

The Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) was a prosperous cultural period that helped shape Chinese history's foundations for future centuries. This era was marked by notable technological and cultural advances, including gunpowder and printing. Among artistic advances during this period was the perfection of the sancai glaze technique, which was a prominent attribute of sculpture during this period. Sancai (tri-colored) glazing; the three glaze-colors used were ochre or brown, green and clear. Glazed wares where much more costly to produce than other terracotta wares, and were therefore only reserved for the wealthiest patrons.  <br><br>The Sancai-Glazed Earth Spirit offered here depicts a "Zhenmushou." These are mythical hybrid creatures whose bodies are a combination of dogs, lions, boars and other animals. These fierce looking beasts would be found in pairs guarding the entrance of Tang Dynasty tombs.

CHINOIS

SETH KAUFMAN - Lignum Spire - bronze à patine verte - 103 1/2 x 22 x 17 in.

SETH KAUFMAN

EDGAR ALWIN PAYNE - Bateaux vénitiens à Sotto Marino - huile sur panneau - 23 3/8 x 26 1/4 in.

EDGAR ALWIN PAYNE

La sculpture de saule de Harry Bertoia résonne comme une expression de grâce et de délicatesse, des qualités qui démentent les associations habituelles que nous avons avec les propriétés intrinsèques de l'alliage dont elle est faite. Cette version suspendue - la rare version de Willow - semble avoir une présence consciente d'elle-même, qui se réjouit de ce contraste de propriétés. Pourtant, elle n'invite rien de plus qu'un plaisir existentiel à la regarder.  Pensez à Willow comme une version audacieusement articulée de Calder si ce dernier maître avait une évocation plus organique ou corporelle à l'esprit. Suspendue, elle commande sa zone tout en respectant sa relation spatiale avec son environnement. Lumière, forme, espace - ce sont les outils conceptuels du sculpteur. Mais qui d'autre penserait à utiliser un matériau réfléchissant plus facilement associé à l'inflexibilité et à la force du tenseur pour créer un bouquet de brins d'acier inoxydable en cascade, suspendus dans l'espace, ressemblant à une fleur et d'une beauté si gracieuse ?

BERTOIA HARRY

JOANNA POUSETTE-DART - Sans titre (Étude du désert rouge) - acrylique sur panneau de bois - 33 1/2 x 42 x 3/4 in.

JOANNA POUSETTE-DART

À la fin des années 1990, Manuel Neri a commencé à transformer de nombreuses sculptures en plâtre en bronze, revenant souvent à des œuvres antérieures pour produire de nouvelles interprétations imaginées de chaque pièce. Ces séries, presque indiscernables en termes de forme et de détails de surface, explorent l'impact de différentes combinaisons de couleurs et de marquages qui impliquent diverses actions, notamment l'incision, le brossage, le grattage ou la superposition de matériaux. En expérimentant différentes techniques de marquage, Neri a pu explorer l'interaction entre la forme, la couleur, la texture et la lumière. Dans le contexte de la Figure debout n° 3, Neri a limité sa palette à une palette de couleurs analogues, en diluant la peinture pour créer des gradations subtiles qui mettent en valeur l'extérieur lisse et raffiné de la sculpture.

NERI MANUEL

Les premières œuvres en papier mâché de Manuel Neri ont ouvert la voie à la technique sculpturale, et son approche de la peinture de ses sculptures reflète son profond engagement dans le potentiel expressif de la couleur et de la forme. Le choix et la disposition des couleurs dans Hombre Colorado II créent une réponse particulièrement viscérale qui reflète sa compréhension nuancée de la dimension psychologique et émotionnelle de la couleur. Conçu et produit en 1958, Hombre Colorado II reflète une époque où Neri et sa femme Joan Brown étaient engagés dans un riche échange artistique et contribuaient de manière significative à l'évolution de leurs styles respectifs et du mouvement figuratif de la Bay Area, dans lequel ils jouaient un rôle essentiel.

NERI MANUEL

MEL RAMOS - Tomato Catsup ; A.C. Annie ; Lola Cola ; Tobacco Red - quatre lithographies offset imprimées en couleurs - 30 3/4 x 25 1/4 in. ea.

MEL RAMOS

AI WEIWEI - Chaises "Fairytale" - bois - 49 x 45 x 17 1/2 in.

AI WEIWEI

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<div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Clyfford Still occupies a monumental position in the history of modern art, often heralded as the earliest pure abstract painter to work on an expansive scale. By the early 1940s, Still had already arrived at a radically abstract visual language that transcended the aesthetic frameworks of his peers, rejecting representational imagery and producing canvases that were immense in size and conceptual ambition. Pollock famously confessed that “Still makes the rest of us look academic,” and Rothko once kept a Still painting in his bedroom as a guiding inspiration. His work was, as critic Clement Greenberg remarked, “estranging and upsetting” in its genuine originality, a raw and elemental confrontation of form and color that defied conventional expectations.<br><br></font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>For viewers familiar with Still’s oeuvre, his paintings typically evoke a powerful physicality: vast canvases covered in richly textured layers of pigment—earthy blacks, ochres, siennas, and cadmiums—applied with a trowel-like rigor that recalls weathered geological formations. These thickly encrusted surfaces often alternate with more thinly painted passages, all juxtaposed against large swaths of bare canvas that lend his compositions a sense of immense scale and open-ended possibility. This aesthetic, rooted in the grandeur of raw and elemental presence, often manifests as jagged, opaque forms whose stark contrasts convey a primal energy.<br><br></font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black><em>“PH-589”,</em> on the other hand, marks a transition in Still’s career, where his already profound engagement with abstraction began to evolve toward greater spareness and a deeper exploration of the expressive potential of voids and open space. Painted in 1959, the expected density of his earlier surfaces gives way to a lighter touch and a more restrained use of paint. Against largely unpainted ground, two jagged shapes of continental significance hang suspended, their edges torn and irregular, as if wrested from the canvas itself. The bare canvas, which had served as a compositional counterpoint in Still’s earlier works, now asserts itself as a dominant feature, heightening the power of the painted forms while introducing an ethereal sense of light and space.<br><br></font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>This shift was both aesthetic and philosophical. By the late 1950s, Still had grown increasingly disenchanted with the art world, distancing himself from its commercial and critical structures<em>. “PH-589”</em> is an anticipatory event before his move to rural Maryland in 1961 that coincided with a period of introspection and formal refinement when Still began to strip his compositions down to their essential elements. As Still explained, he sought to fuse color, texture, and form into “a living spirit,” transcending their materiality to evoke the human capacity for transcendence.</font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black><br><br>This painting signals the burgeoning openness of Still’s later works, where the interplay of painted forms and unpainted ground would become a defining characteristic. By the 1960s and 1970s, Still’s palette grew lighter, his gestures sparser, and his use of emptiness more deliberate, creating compositions that were at once monumental and ephemeral. Yet the seeds of that evolution are already present here in the restrained yet powerful interplay of color and space. His revolutionary approach to abstraction—both in scale and in spirit—provided a foundation upon which the Abstract Expressionists built their legacy. At the same time, his work resists easy interpretation, demanding instead an unmediated confrontation with its raw, elemental presence. With its terse eloquence and rhythmic vitality, this painting is both a culmination of Still’s early achievements and a momentous portent of his later innovations.</font></div>

CLYFFORD STILL

Cottonwood Tree (Near Abiquiu), New Mexico (1943) by celebrated American artist Georgia O’Keeffe is exemplary of the airier, more naturalistic style that the desert inspired in her. O’Keeffe had great affinity for the distinctive beauty of the Southwest, and made her home there among the spindly trees, dramatic vistas, and bleached animal skulls that she so frequently painted. O’Keeffe took up residence at Ghost Ranch, a dude ranch twelve miles outside of the village of Abiquiú in northern New Mexico and painted this cottonwood tree around there. The softer style befitting this subject is a departure from her bold architectural landscapes and jewel-toned flowers.<br><br>The cottonwood tree is abstracted into soft patches of verdant greens through which more delineated branches are seen, spiraling in space against pockets of blue sky. The modeling of the trunk and delicate energy in the leaves carry forward past experimentations with the regional trees of the Northeast that had captivated O’Keeffe years earlier: maples, chestnuts, cedars, and poplars, among others. Two dramatic canvases from 1924, Autumn Trees, The Maple and The Chestnut Grey, are early instances of lyrical and resolute centrality, respectively. As seen in these early tree paintings, O’Keeffe exaggerated the sensibility of her subject with color and form.<br><br>In her 1974 book, O’Keeffe explained: “The meaning of a word— to me— is not as exact as the meaning of a color. Color and shapes make a more definite statement than words.” Her exacting, expressive color intrigued. The Precisionist painter Charles Demuth described how, in O’Keeffe’s work, “each color almost regains the fun it must have felt within itself on forming the first rainbow” (As quoted in C. Eldridge, Georgia O’Keeffe, New York, 1991, p. 33). As well, congruities between forms knit together her oeuvre. Subjects like hills and petals undulate alike, while antlers, trees, and tributaries correspond in their branching morphology.<br><br>The sinewy contours and gradated hues characteristic of O’Keeffe find an incredible range across decades of her tree paintings. In New Mexico, O’Keeffe returned to the cottonwood motif many times, and the seasonality of this desert tree inspired many forms. The vernal thrill of new growth was channeled into spiraling compositions like Spring Tree No.1 (1945). Then, cottonwood trees turned a vivid autumnal yellow provided a breathtaking compliment to the blue backdrop of Mount Pedernal. The ossified curves of Dead Cottonweed Tree (1943) contain dramatic pools of light and dark, providing a foil to the warm, breathing quality of this painting, Cottonwood Tree (Near Abiquiu). The aural quality of this feathered cottonwood compels a feeling guided by O’Keeffe’s use of form of color.

GÉORGIE O'KEEFFE

WILLEM DE KOONING - Femme dans une barque - huile sur papier couché sur masonite - 47 1/2 x 36 1/4 in.

WILLEM DE KOONING

<div>The stands are: 32 H x 19-3/4 W x 19-3/4 D in.  Rat: 27 7/8 x 12 7/8 x 20 7/8 in. Ox: 29 1/8 x 20 1/8 x 16 7/8 in. Tiger: 25 7/8 x 14 7/8 x 16 7/8 in. Rabbit: 27 7/8 x 9 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. Dragon: 35 7/8 x 18 1/8 x 25 7/8 in. Snake: 27 7/8 x 14 1/8 x 6 3/4 in. Horse: 29 1/8 x 12 1/4 x 22 in. Ram: 25 1/4 x 20 7/8 x 16 1/8 in. Monkey: 27 1/8 x 12 7/8 x 14 7/8 in. Rooster: 24 x 9 x 16 7/8 in. Dog: 25 1/4 x 14 7/8 x 18 7/8 in. Boar: 27 1/8 x 16 1/8 x 20 7/8 in.  World-renowned Chinese contemporary artist Ai Weiwei is a sculptor, installation artist, architectural designer, curator, and social and cultural critic who has been exhibiting his work internationally since the late 1990s. His artistic practice is inextricably linked with cultural engagement and willingly crosses barriers between different media—cultural, artistic, and social. It was perhaps his detention from 2011 until August 2015 by the Chinese government that brought his views to the greatest audience. Ai Weiwei now lives in Germany and continues to create new works and uses his significant international profile to promote artistic and personal freedom.  These twelve sculptures depict the animals associated with the traditional Chinese zodiac. Ai Weiwei’s cycle references a European rendering of the zodiac animals designed by the Italian Jesuit Giuseppe Castiglione. The original sculptures were built in the eighteenth century for an elaborate water-clock fountain at the Yuanming Yuan (Old Summer Palace), which was ransacked in 1860. By recreating the lost and displaced statues, Ai Weiwei engages issues of looting, repatriation, and cultural heritage while expanding upon ongoing themes in his work concerning the “fake” and “copy” in relation to the original.  Ai Weiwei now works in Berlin, Germany.</div>

AI WEIWEI

Between Île-de-France and Burgundy and on the edge of the Fontainebleau Forest lies the medieval village of Moret-sur-Loing, established in the 12th century. When Alfred Sisley described its character to Monet in a letter dated 31 August 1881 as “a chocolate-box landscape…” he meant it as a memento of enticement; that its keep, the ramparts, the church, the fortified gates, and the ornate facades nestled along the river were, for a painter, a setting of unmatched charm. An ancient church, always the most striking townscape feature along the Seine Valley, would be a presence in Sisley’s townscape views as it was for Corot, and for Monet at Vétheuil. But unlike Monet whose thirty views of Rouen Cathedral were executed so he could trace the play of light and shadow across the cathedral façade and capture the ephemeral nature of moment-to-moment changes of light and atmosphere, Sisley set out to affirm the permanent nature of the church of Notre-Dame at Moret-sur-Loing.  Monet’s sole concern was air and light, and Sisley’s appears to be an homage keepsake. The painting exudes respect for the original architects and builders of a structure so impregnable and resolute, it stood then as it did in those medieval times, and which for us, stands today, as it will, for time immemorial.<br><br>Nevertheless, Sisley strived to show the changing appearance of the motif through a series of atmospheric changes. He gave the works titles such as “In Sunshine”, “Under Frost”, and “In Rain” and exhibited them as a group at the Salon du Champ-de-Mars in 1894, factors that suggest he thought of them as serial interpretations. Nevertheless, unlike Monet’s work, l’église de Moret, le Soir reveals that Sisley chose to display the motif within a spatial context that accentuates its compositional attributes — the plunging perspective of the narrow street at left, the strong diagonal recession of the building lines as a counterbalance to the right, and the imposing weight of the stony building above the line of sight.

ALFRED SISLEY

<div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>From the earliest days of painting during the nineteenth century, which was precipitated by the advent of Impressionism, Renoir established a reputation as the finest portrait painter among the emerging landscapists. Works such as Lise with a Parasol (1867) demonstrated his ability to capture the essence of his subjects with a distinctive flair, setting him apart from his peers. Inspired by a transformative trip to Italy in 1882, Renoir shifted his approach, emphasizing modeling and contours with smooth, blended handling, integrating a new found rigor and clarity reminiscent of the old masters. Often referred to as Renoir’s “Ingres period,” he retained the reputation of the painter best suited to manage the traditional process of recording a sitter's likeness with the distinctive flair and vibrancy of an Impressionist. </font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3> </font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>By 1890, Renoir’s style evolved again. He thinned his pigments to achieve a jewel-like translucence, infusing his works with a tender, ethereal quality. This final phase reflects the physical limitations of encroaching rheumatoid arthritis but also a deeper, more reflective approach to his subjects, capturing their inner light and character with subtle, luminous strokes. </font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3> </font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>No longer obliged to rely upon society portrait commissions, by 1900, Renoir began to focus on portraits and studies of family, close friends, and neighbors. “Fillette à l’orange”, painted in 1911, extends our appreciation of his very personal, intimate style and reputation for imbuing his portraits of children with all the affectionate charm he could muster. It avoids the softer, generalized approach that prompted his son Jean’s remark that “we are all Renoir’s children, ”idealized versions of beauty and sensuality expressed in universal rather than with physiognomic specifics. We may never know her identity, but her likeness is vivid because Renoir concentrates on her face and expression. Nevertheless, the interplay of light and color highlights her features and brings to life the tender and affectionate nature characteristic of Renoir’s later portraits. An orange as an accessory is often included in portraiture as a symbol of fertility. Yet, here, it seems to serve as a formal element for the artist to demonstrate his skill at displaying its size, shape, and heft in this young girl's hand.</font></div>

RENOIR PIERRE-AUGUSTE

Au début des années 1870, Winslow Homer a souvent peint des scènes de la vie à la campagne près d'un petit hameau agricole réputé depuis des générations pour ses remarquables champs de blé, situé entre la rivière Hudson et les Catskills, dans l'État de New York. Aujourd'hui, Hurley est bien plus célèbre pour avoir inspiré l'une des plus grandes œuvres d'Homer, Snap the Whip, peinte au cours de l'été 1872. Parmi les nombreuses autres peintures inspirées par la région, Girl Standing in the Wheatfield est riche en sentiments, mais sans sentimentalisme excessif. Elle est directement liée à une étude peinte en France en 1866 et intitulée In the Wheatfields (Dans les champs de blé), ainsi qu'à une autre étude peinte l'année suivante, après son retour en Amérique. Mais Homère aurait sans doute été le plus fier de celle-ci. Il s'agit d'un portrait, d'une étude de costume, d'une peinture de genre dans la grande tradition de la peinture pastorale européenne, et d'un tour de force atmosphérique dramatiquement rétro-éclairé, imprégné de la lumière de l'heure qui s'estompe rapidement, avec des notes lambda et fleuries et des touches d'épis de blé. En 1874, Homer a envoyé quatre tableaux à l'exposition de la National Academy of Design. L'une d'entre elles était intitulée "Girl". Ne serait-ce pas celle-ci ?

WINSLOW HOMER

Widely recognized as one of the most consequential artists of our time, Gerhard Richters career now rivals that of Picasso's in terms of productivity and genius. The multi-faceted subject matter, ranging from slightly out-of-focus photographic oil paintings to Kelly-esque grid paintings to his "squeegee" works, Richter never settles for repeating the same thought- but is constantly evolving his vision. Richter has been honored by significant retrospective exhibitions, including the pivotal 2002 show,  "Gerhard Richter: Forty Years of Painting," at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.  <br><br>"Abstraktes Bild 758-2" (1992) comes from a purely abstract period in Richter's work- where the message is conveyed using a truly physical painting style, where applied paint layers are distorted with a wooden "Squeegee" tool. Essentially, Richter is sculpting the layers of paint, revealing the underlayers and their unique color combinations; there is a degree of "art by chance". If the painting does not work, Richter will move on- a method pioneered by Jackson Pollock decades earlier.  <br><br>Richter is included in prominent museums and collections worldwide, including the Tate, London, The Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among many others.

GERHARD RICHTER

<div>In the mid-1920s, Rufino Tamayo embarked on the crucial development phase as a sophisticated, contemporary colorist. In New York, he encountered the groundbreaking works of Picasso, Braque, and Giorgio de Chirico, along with the enduring impact of Cubism. Exploring painterly and plastic values through subjects sourced from street scenes, popular culture, and the fabric of daily life, his unique approach to color and form began to take shape. It was a pivotal shift toward cosmopolitan aesthetics, setting him apart from the nationalist fervor championed by the politically charged narratives of the Mexican Muralist movement.  By focusing on the vitality of popular culture, he captured the essential Mexican identity that prioritized universal artistic values over explicit social and political commentary. The approach underscored his commitment to redefining Mexican art on the global stage and highlighted his innovative contributions to the modernist dialogue. </div><br><br><div> </div><br><br><div>Like Cézanne, Tamayo elevated the still life genre to some of its most beautifully simple expressions. Yet high sophistication underlies the ease with which Tamayo melds vibrant Mexican motifs with the avant-garde influences of the School of Paris. As "Naturaleza Muerta" of 1935 reveals, Tamayo refused to lapse into the mere decoration that often characterizes the contemporary School of Paris art with which his work draws comparisons. Instead, his arrangement of watermelons, bottles, a coffee pot, and sundry items staged within a sobering, earthbound tonality and indeterminant, shallow space recalls Tamayo's early interest in Surrealism. An overlayed square matrix underscores the contrast between the organic subjects of the painting and the abstract, intellectualized structure imposed upon them, deepening the interpretation of the artist's exploration of visual perception and representation. In this way, the grid serves to navigate between the visible world and the underlying structures that inform our understanding of it, inviting viewers to consider the interplay between reality and abstraction, sensation and analysis.</div>

TAMAYO RUFINO

KENNETH NOLAND - Passage - acrylique sur toile - 69 1/2 x 140 1/2 in.

KENNETH NOLAND (EN)

The frame of reference for Irish American Sean Scully’s signature blocks and stripes is vast. From Malevich’s central premise that geometry can provide the means for universal understanding to Rothko’s impassioned approach to color and rendering of the dramatic sublime, Scully learned how to condense the splendor of the natural world into simple modes of color, light, and composition. Born in Dublin in 1945 and London-raised, Scully was well-schooled in figurative drawing when he decided to catch the spirit of his lodestar, Henri Matisse, by visiting Morocco in 1969. He was captivated by the dazzling tessellated mosaics and richly dyed fabrics and began to paint grids and stipes of color. Subsequent adventures provided further inspiration as the play of intense light on the reflective surfaces of Mayan ruins and the ancient slabs of stone at Stonehenge brought the sensation of light, space, and geometric movement to Scully’s paintings. The ability to trace the impact of Scully’s travels throughout his paintings reaffirms the value of abstract art as a touchstone for real-life experience.<br><br><br>Painted in rich, deep hues and layered, nuanced surfaces, Grey Red is both poetic and full of muscular formalism. Scully appropriately refers to these elemental forms as ‘bricks,’ suggesting the formal calculations of an architect. As he explained, “these relationships that I see in the street doorways, in windows between buildings, and in the traces of structures that were once full of life, I take for my work. I use these colors and forms and put them together in a way that perhaps reminds you of something, though you’re not sure of that” (David Carrier, Sean Scully, 2004, pg. 98). His approach is organic, less formulaic; intuitive painter’s choices are layering one color upon another so that contrasting hues and colors vibrate with subliminal energy. Diebenkorn comes to mind in his pursuit of radiant light. But here, the radiant bands of terracotta red, gray, taupe, and black of Grey Red resonate with deep, smoldering energy and evoke far more affecting passion than you would think it could impart. As his good friend, Bono wrote, “Sean approaches the canvas like a kickboxer, a plasterer, a builder. The quality of painting screams of a life being lived.”

SEAN SCULLY (EN)

Tom Wesselmann will undoubtedly be remembered for associating his erotic themes with the colors of the American flag. But Wesselmann had considerable gifts as a draftsman, and the line was his principal preoccupation, first as a cartoonist and later as an ardent admirer of Matisse. That he also pioneered a method of turning drawings into laser-cut steel wall reliefs proved a revelation. He began to focus ever more on drawing for the sake of drawing, enchanted that the new medium could be lifted and held: “It really is like being able to pick up a delicate line drawing from the paper.”<br><br>The Steel Drawings caused both excitement and confusion in the art world. After acquiring one of the ground-breaking works in 1985, the Whitney Museum of American Art wrote Wesselmann wondering if it should be cataloged as a drawing or a sculpture. The work had caused such a stir that when Eric Fischl visited Wesselmann at his studio and saw steel-cut works for the first time, he remembered feeling jealous. He wanted to try it but dared not. It was clear: ‘Tom owned the technique completely.’<br><br>Wesselmann owed much of that technique to his year-long collaboration with metalwork fabricator Alfred Lippincott. Together, in 1984 they honed a method for cutting the steel with a laser that provided the precision he needed to show the spontaneity of his sketches. Wesselmann called it ‘the best year of my life’, elated at the results that he never fully achieved with aluminum that required each shape be hand-cut.  “I anticipated how exciting it would be for me to get a drawing back in steel. I could hold it in my hands. I could pick it up by the lines…it was so exciting…a kind of near ecstasy, anyway, but there’s really been something about the new work that grabbed me.”<br><br>Bedroom Brunette with Irises is a Steel Drawing masterwork that despite its uber-generous scale, utilizes tight cropping to provide an unimposing intimacy while maintaining a free and spontaneous quality. The figure’s outstretched arms and limbs and body intertwine with the petals and the interior elements providing a flowing investigative foray of black lines and white ‘drop out’ shapes provided by the wall. It recalls Matisse and any number of his reclining odalisque paintings. Wesselmann often tested monochromatic values to discover the extent to which color would transform his hybrid objects into newly developed Steel Drawing works and, in this case, continued with a color steel-cut version of the composition Bedroom Blonde with Irises (1987) and later still, in 1993 with a large-scale drawing in charcoal and pastel on paper.

TOM WESSELMANN

ALBERT BIERSTADT - Le Golden Gate - huile sur toile - 27 3/8 x 38 3/4 in.

ALBERT BIERSTADT

<div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Irving Norman conceived and created <em>The Human Condition</em> at a time when he must have reflected deeply on the totality of his life. Given its grand scale and cinematic treatment, it impresses as a profound culmination of his artistic journey, synthesizing decades of themes, insights, and experiences into a single monumental work. A man of great humility and an artist of uncommon skill, he translated a horrendous war experience into impactful allegories of unforgettable, often visceral imagery. He worked in solitude with relentless forbearance in a veritable vacuum without fame or financial security. Looking to the past, acutely aware of present trends, he knew, given the human predicament, he was forecasting the future. As one New York Times reviewer mused in 2008, "In light of current circumstances, Mr. Norman's dystopian vision may strike some…as eerily pertinent," an observation that recalled recent events.<br><br></font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Irving Norman's figures, manipulated by their environment and physical space, are of a style that exaggerates the malleability of the human form to underscore their vulnerability and subjugation. This literal and symbolic elasticity suggests that these figures are stretched, compressed, or twisted by the forces of their environment, emphasizing their lack of autonomy and the oppressive systems that govern their existence. While these figures reflect vulnerability, Norman's structural choice in <em>The Human Condition</em> creates a stark juxtaposition that shifts attention toward the central tableau. A commanding female figure, rising above the calamitous failures and atrocities of the past, is joined by a man, forming a symbolic "couple,” suggesting the unity and shared responsibility of a new vision. Their hands, magnified and upturned, present these children as a vision offering hope and renewal for the future. The gesture, combined with the futuristic clothing of the diminutive figures, reinforces the idea of an alternative path—a brighter, forward-looking humanity. The central tableau acts as a metaphorical offering, inviting the viewer to consider a future untouched by the weight of darkness from which these figures emerge.<br><br></font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Here, Norman underscores a hopeful, if not optimistic, vision for generations ahead. The structural decision suggests a deliberate shift in focus: the darker scenes relegated to the sides represent the burdens, past and present. At the same time, the central figures embody the potential for a future shaped by resilience and renewal. This juxtaposition distinguishes <em>The Human Condition</em> as a reflection of Norman's later years, where a tempered hope emerges to claim the high ground over the war-mongering, abject corruption, frantic pleasure-seeking, and the dehumanizing effects of modern society.<br><br></font></div><br><br><div><font face=Lato size=3 color=black>Throughout his long career, Norman stood tall in his convictions; he turned, faced the large, empty canvases, and designed and painted complex, densely populated scenes. As for recognition, he rationalized the situation—fame or fortune risked the unsullied nature of an artist's quest. Ultimately, <em>The Human Condition</em> is a summation of Norman's life and work and a call to action, urging us to examine our complicity in the systems he so vividly depicted. Through meticulous craftsmanship and allegorical intensity, it is a museum-worthy masterwork that continues to resonate, its themes as pertinent today as they were when Norman painstakingly brought his vision to life.</font></div>

IRVING NORMAN (EN)

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