Alexander Calder: Scaling Up

Berggruen Gallery</a> is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by New York-based <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Alexander-Calder--Scaling-Up/"/Artist/Peter-Halley/95F3F913655FA625">artist Peter Halley</a>. This show marks Halley’s first solo exhibition with the gallery and will be on view January 16 through February 27, 2025. The gallery will host a reception for the artist on Thursday, January 16 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.&nbsp;</p><p>A prominent figure of the Neo-Conceptualist movement of the 1980s, Peter Halley uses geometric abstraction to explore the social, technological, and spatial linkages of the modern world. Halley’s paintings are based upon a visual pun suggesting the square as a representation of urban confinement. Taking Malevich’s square, Halley added stucco and bars to transform the modernist square into a prison, creating a two-dimensional icon of the physical isolation produced by technologically determined space and urban architecture. Halley’s fluorescent cells, made up of glowing yellows, pinks, greens, blues, and oranges, are layered with the readymade texture of Roll-a-Tex and arranged purposefully into slightly skewed grids. Halley’s recurring geometric iconography frenetically evokes the glow of today's digital forms, yet astonishingly, it was conceived prior to the advent of the ubiquitous glowing squares currently shaping modern life, such as the computer and telephone screen.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>While Halley’s cells were once connected through his painted conduits, representing the infrastructure of networks, such as phone cords, television cords, building pipes, and roads, he unconsciously began to omit conduits as connective systems became cordless and fully digitized. Grounded in the theories of Foucault and Baudrillard, Halley's work parodies the hermetic spaces of modern existence, while embracing commercially manufactured materials and hyperreal color schemes. Playful and immersive, Halley’s day-glo colors distinguish him as an experimental and masterful chromatist, while his pictorial system which anticipated the burgeoning networks of contemporary life solidified the significance of the social commentary of his work. Inspired by the legacies of Andy Warhol, Piet Mondrian, Philip Guston, Donald Judd, Agnes Martin, and even Picasso, Halley draws from a wide range of cultural sources.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p>" />

Salvador Dalí</a> became a powerful conduit through which images from the unconscious made their way into the world. Although his art had a powerful impact on others, Dalí too was constantly in search of inspiration. In the 1950s his creativity was ignited through a friendship with Pierre Argillet, a renowned photographer, publisher and intellectual, who became Dalí’s muse and mentor. With Argillet’s guidance, Dalí created nearly 200 original prints from 1959 to 1974.</p><p>In our special exhibition, made possible with the assistance of Christine Argillet, we are pleased to present original works, hand-colored drypoints and Aubusson tapestries from the Argillet collection. It celebrates not only the genius of Dalí, but one of the greatest artistic collaborations of the 20th century.</p><p><br></p>" />

COL Gallery</a> is proud to present new works by Virginia based painter <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Alexander-Calder--Scaling-Up/"/Artist/Bruce-Wilhelm/9E27F409689A27F0">Bruce Wilhelm</a> (b.1981) alongside seminal <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Alexander-Calder--Scaling-Up/"/Artist/Martin-Kippenberger/EC5DAF10ACA8CB32">German artist Martin Kippenberger</a> (1953–1997).</p><p>Martin Kippenberger was renowned for his audacious, irreverent approach, blending painting, installation, sculpture, and performance. His critique of modern art conventions and his complex self-portraits challenged both the role of the artist and invited questions about the possibility of what art could be. This exhibition will present a selection of Kippenberger’s significant works, showcasing his ability to confront issues of identity, politics, and societal contradictions, often with sharp wit and bold humor.</p><p>In a unique dialogue, Bruce Wilhelm, will debut new works that explore themes of contemporary Americana through a lens of abstraction and vibrant color. Wilhelm’s compositions, while visually distinct from Kippenberger’s, share a conceptual depth that examine the nature of representation and the human experience in a rapidly shifting world. His loose, gestural style combined with narrative undertones offer a fresh contrast to Kippenberger's often biting satire, yet the two artists are bound by their willingness to shape shift; experimenting with both figuration and abstraction, exploring diverse formal strategies, incorporating various art historical references, and referencing their personal histories.</p><p>This exhibition is an exciting opportunity to bring together the work of two artists who, although from different generations and artistic contexts, both push boundaries and invite viewers to reconsider their assumptions. The combination of Kippenberger’s rebellious legacy and Wilhelm’s evolving voice will create an engaging conversation on the possibilities of contemporary painting.</p><p><br></p>" />