NYAB Event - Philip Pearlstein Exhibition

Philip Pearlstein Exhibition

Betty Cuningham Gallery

This event has ended.

This most recent body of work continues Pearlstein’s distinct approach to realism. Since 1960 he has studied and painted the oddly ever-changing shape of the nude model, focusing on the technical characteristics of painting the figure rather than creating a storyline.

Around 1982, when he moved into a larger studio, the objects he had collected over the years entered into his view and resulted in more complex compositions. The collectibles ranged from toys to antiquities, Americana-themed novelties to African art. Similar to his models, each object is one element of an overall abstract painting, which has characterized Pearlstein’s canvases for decades. With all storyline removed, the composition and technicality of the painting quickly become the subject. In 2001, Desiree Alvarez, an artist and long time model for Pearlstein, wrote:

The tension in his work comes from the fact that we are not accustomed to perceiving the body as a territory for abstraction. We want a painting of the body to be visceral because our experience of our bodies is visceral. Therefore, we do not bring the language of abstraction, and especially not geometric abstraction, to nude figure painting. Pearlstein’s challenge is that we should.

Pearlstein’s work can be seen in a host of prestigious collections, most notably: The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; de Young Museum, San Francisco, CA; Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, DC; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA; and The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY.

Philip Pearlstein was born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1924. He received a BFA from Carnegie Institute of Technology in 1949 and an MA from NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts in 1955. That same year he had his first solo show at Tanager Gallery. Throughout his career, he has held posts as teacher and critic at various institutions, including Pratt Institute, Yale University, and Brooklyn College. From 2003 – 2006, Pearlstein served as the President of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He lives and works in New York City.