 |
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled (Scales of
Justice), 1982, Acrylic and oil paintstick on paper, 30 x 22 1/4 inches, The Schorr Family Collection, Art Ⓒ The
Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat / ADAGP, Paris / ARS, New York 2014. Image via rizzoliusa.com.
|
Jean-Michel
Basquiat Drawing: Work from the Schorr
Family Collection
May 1 – June 13, 2014
18 East 79th
Street (Between Madison and Fifth Avenues)
New York,
NY
From
Acquavella Galleries press release:
Acquavella
Galleries is pleased to present Jean-Michel
Basquiat Drawing: Work from the Schorr Family Collection, an exhibition of
works by Jean-Michel Basquiat curated by Fred Hoffman. The show will feature 22
works on paper and two paintings from the collection of Herbert and Lenore
Schorr, who were the artist’s devoted collectors, supporters, and friends.
"We have had the pleasure of knowing Herb and Lenore Schorr for over
thirty years, and are delighted to present the first exhibition on their
important collection of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat,” said William
Acquavella. “Focusing on the significance of drawing in Basquiat's practice, we
are pleased to show these remarkable works on paper, many of which are being exhibited
to the public for the first time."
Herbert
and Lenore Schorr began collecting the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1981,
before his first New York exhibition. “During the artist’s seminal years
1982-83 the Schorrs acquired several of his most important paintings, but in
contrast to virtually every other early collector, the Schorrs also pursued and
acquired a great number of works on paper both directly from the artist and
from his early dealers,” explained curator Fred Hoffman. “The Schorrs astutely
understood that working on paper was equally central to his practice as
painting on canvas. Their collection demonstrates both the focus and ambition
that the artist invested in the medium of drawing.”
Basquiat
showed an affinity for drawing at an early age and this practice was a central
component of his artistic output. Between 1980-88, the artist produced
approximately 1000 works on paper, which articulate complex narratives,
revealing flawed power structures and hinting at fundamental failings in social
discourse.
The
portrait of Herbert and Lenore Schorr that will be included in the exhibition
highlights the impact their support had on the artist’s short but prolific
career. “We had so much confidence in him from the beginning and couldn’t
understand why other people couldn’t see it,” explained Lenore Schorr. “A
wonderful exhibition that he did at Fun Gallery in 1983 didn’t receive a single
review and we were the only ones to buy a painting.” That painting, Leonardo da Vinci’s Greatest Hits is now
considered a seminal example of the artist’s work and will be one of two
paintings on view.
Curator
Fred Hoffman, Ph.D. met Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982 and worked closely with
him during the artist’s residency in Venice, California from 1982-84. With
Hoffman's help, Basquiat produced five editions of prints, published in 1983 by
New City Editions. Hoffman also assisted in the production of the artist’s 1984
silkscreen paintings and co-curated Basquiat’s retrospective at the Brooklyn
Museum in 2005. He is the Ahmanson Curatorial Fellow at the Museum of
Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.
Jean-Michel
Basquiat (b.1960 d.1988) has been the subject of numerous major museum
exhibitions throughout the United States and Europe. In 2005, a retrospective
exhibition, Basquiat, opened at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, and subsequently
traveled to the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and the Museum of Fine
Arts, Houston. A 2010 retrospective, organized by the Fondation Beyeler in
collaboration with the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, marked what
would have been Basquiat’s 50th birthday. His work is included in private and
public collections throughout the world, including The Broad Art Foundation,
Santa Monica; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Museu d' art Contemporani de
Barcelona, Spain; and The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
A fully
illustrated catalogue
with an essay by Fred Hoffman will accompany the exhibition.
No comments:
Post a Comment