Robert Ryman and Rudolf Staffel “White Magic”
David Nolan Gallery
This event has ended.
David Nolan Gallery presents White Magic: Robert Ryman, Rudolf Staffel. The exhibition brings together two masters – painter, Robert Ryman (b. Nashville, Tennessee, 1930) and ceramicist, Rudolf Staffel (b. San Antonio, Texas, 1911-2002) – who, within their respective media of paint and porcelain, each strictly reduced their aesthetic vocabularies to a palette almost exclusively of white, thereby allowing themselves to realize highly complex bodies of work that celebrate form and gesture. There is little in these artists’ lives that directly link them to one another. Yet, over the course of parallel careers – Staffel working principally in Philadelphia, Ryman in New York City – they became fascinated and intent on similar ideals and goals, pursuing them to remarkably correlative ends, each achieving a supreme degree of innovation and mastery in their respective practices. Alongside a group of paintings by Ryman, we will exhibit over 40 ceramic vessels created by Staffel from the 1950s through the early 1990s, making this the first major presentation of Staffel’s work in 16 years. This exhibition will provide an opportunity to look at the work of both artists in dialogue, imparting a deeper understanding of each.
Media
Schedule
from September 10, 2014 to October 25, 2014