Jackson

This New York Exhibition Brings Together Two Rare Complete Sets of Prints By Jackson Pollock


Every month, hundreds of galleries showcase new exhibitions on the Midnight Publishing Group Gallery Network—and every week, we shine a spotlight on the exhibitions we think you should see. Check out what we have in store, and inquire more with one simple click.

What You Need to Know: The new exhibition “Jackson Pollock: The Experimental Works on Paper” at Barbara Mathes Gallery in New York showcases Pollock’s little-known engravings and silkscreens from the 1940s and ‘50s. Pollock was first exposed to printmaking in the 1930s through his work in the Works Progress Administration, but his first experiments with engraving came in the mid-1940s with a series he produced at Atelier 17, a celebrated New York print studio that had relocated from Paris during World War II. On view here a set of those 1944 prints (available as a group) that show the influence of Surrealism on Pollock as he vacillated between abstraction and figuration. These early works are showcased by a later series of silkscreens (also available as a group) from the early 1950s produced with the help of his brother, Sanford McCoy, himself an esteemed printmaker. The prints were based on six of Pollock’s “black paintings,” made from 1951 to 1953, which largely abandoned color and the allover compositions of his drip paintings. 

Why We Like It: Though Pollock’s abstract paintings are his most famous works, these prints showcase Pollock’s lasting interest in figuration, visible in his early works of the 1940s and reemerging in his prints of the 1950s. Rather than the spontaneity of his drip painting, these prints speak to his interest in rhythmic, thought-through compositions and calligraphic mark-making. The set of prints from the 1950s also offers a rare collaboration between Pollock and McCoy, who together designed these prints as a suite. The complete portfolio presented here is a rare opportunity to see the works as the artists intended. What’s more, Pollock gifted this complete set to his brother, making these works particularly meaningful.

What the Gallery Says: “When seen side-by-side, these rare engravings and silkscreens are an exciting look at the development of Pollock’s style from the mid-1940s to the early 1950s. Even though they were made over half a century ago, the works feel contemporary and fresh,” said Barbara Mathes, founder of the gallery.

Jackson Pollock
Silkscreens (Set of 6) (1951)
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Jackson Pollock, Silkscreens (Set of 6) (1951). Courtesy of Barbara Mathes Gallery.

Jackson Pollock, Silkscreens (Set of 6) (1951). Courtesy of Barbara Mathes Gallery.

Jackson Pollock, Silkscreen (Set of 6: 3 of 6) (1951). Courtesy of Barbara Mathes Gallery.

Jackson Pollock, Silkscreen (Set of 6: 3 of 6) (1951). Courtesy of Barbara Mathes Gallery.

Jackson Pollock, Silkscreen (Set of 6: 5 of 6) ( 1951). Courtesy of Barbara Mathes Gallery.

Jackson Pollock, Silkscreen (Set of 6: 5 of 6) ( 1951). Courtesy of Barbara Mathes Gallery.

 

Jackson Pollock
Untitled (Set of 6) (1944–1945)
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Jackson Pollock, Untitled (Set of 6) (1944–1945). Courtesy of Barbara Mathes Gallery.

Jackson Pollock, Untitled (Set of 6) (1944–1945). Courtesy of Barbara Mathes Gallery.

Jackson Pollock, Untitled (ca. 1944-45). Courtesy of Barbara Mathes Gallery.

Jackson Pollock, Untitled (ca. 1944-45). Courtesy of Barbara Mathes Gallery.

Jackson Pollock, Untitled (ca. 1944). Courtesy of Barbara Mathes Gallery.

Jackson Pollock, Untitled (ca. 1944). Courtesy of Barbara Mathes Gallery.

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Meet Lawrence Jackson, the Photographer Chronicling Kamala Harris’s Historic Vice-Presidency + Other Stories


Art Industry News is a daily digest of the most consequential developments coming out of the art world and art market. Here’s what you need to know on this Thursday, January 21.

NEED-TO-READ

Disgraced Socialite Fêted With Two Museums – The local government of Cuenca, Spain, has financed the creation of two spaces to showcase the collection of the financier and Cuban-American art collector Roberto Polo. Officials have been noticeably quiet, however, about Polo’s shady past, which includes a prison term following his embroilment in a $130 million art-fraud lawsuit. The Spanish government has agreed to insure the collection and provide the exhibition space and an annual budget in return for a 15-year loan of nearly 450 works from Polo’s modern and contemporary art trove. (New York Times)

Vogue Releases Special Inauguration Edition Harris Cover – Following backlash over the cover image of its February issue, Vogue announced that it will publish a limited-edition inauguration version of the magazine featuring a more formal portrait of the new VP. “Obviously we have heard and understood the reaction to the [original] print cover,” editor-in-chief Anna Wintour said. “And I just want to reiterate that it was absolutely not our intention to, in any way, diminish the importance of the vice president-elect’s incredible victory.” (Complex)

Meet the Photographer Documenting Harris’s Historic Term – That’s not the only VP Harris photo news of the day. The photographer Lawrence Jackson has been named Vice President Kamala Harris’s official photographer. Jackson was staff photographer to Harris on the campaign trail, and was previously a staff photographer in the White House during Barack Obama’s administration. At the time, he was the only Black photographer on staff. President Obama penned the forward for his 2019 book, Yes We Did: Photos and Behind-the-Scenes Stories Celebrating Our First African American President. (Culture Type)

Penn Station Is Now an Art Destination – The new, art-filled Moynihan Train Hall has managed to thrill weary New Yorkers. “It’s like an icon of the city,” said one visitor. “Already.” Tourists have been drawn to the space after seeing photos of installations by artists such as Elmgreen & Dragset on Instagram. A week after the opening, one Amtrak police officer was overhead calling it “the coolest place in New York right now.” (New York Times)

ART MARKET

Almine Rech Opens a Second Paris Gallery – The contemporary art dealer is expanding her presence in Paris with a second space on the gallery-lined Avenue Matignon. The new space opens today with an exhibition of work by the market-ascendant American artist Kenny Scharf called “Vaxi Nation.” (WWD)

A Dealer’s Works on Paper Head to Christie’s – A trove of works on paper from the family of London art dealer Thomas Gibson are heading to the block on March 1 with a combined value of around $16 million. Highlights include Vincent van Gogh’s La Mousmé (1888), expected to fetch between $7 million and $10 million, and Lucian Freud’s Self-portrait (1974), estimated at $1.8 million to $2.5 million. (Financial Times)

COMINGS & GOINGS

Surrealist Trove Donated to Rotterdam Museum – Collectors Laurens Vancrevel and Frida de Jong have gifted the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen with a massive library of Surrealist books and paintings. The gift, which includes a whopping 4,000 publications as well as the 50 Surrealist paintings the pair has donated to the museum since 2017, will form the basis of a new research center focusing on Surrealism to open in 2026. (The Art Newspaper)

Chicago Pledges $2.5 Million to Local Arts – Chicago’s department of cultural affairs is giving out $2.5 million in grants to local artists and arts organizations. The newly launched Artist Response Program is now accepting proposals for public art commissions with budgets ranging from $50,000 to $100,000. (Hyperallergic)

FOR ART’S SAKE

Hank Willis Thomas Teams Up With Designer Sacai – The artist Hank Willis Thomas has joined forces with the fashion brand Sacai on its pre-spring and men’s spring/summer 2021 collections. Designer Chitose Abe wanted to work with the artist and activist to evoke themes of peace, love, and unity. Willis Thomas invited friends and family, including his wife, curator Rujeko Hockley, to pose for the campaign. (Yahoo News)

Rem Koolhaas Designs Constructivist Rooms for Prada – In other art-fashion crossover news, the Dutch architect and theorist has designed the set for Prada’s fall/winter 2021 menswear presentation. The abstract tableau is made up of four colorful geometric rooms in different shapes connected by square doorways. (Dezeen)

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The Everson Museum Sold a $13 Million Jackson Pollock to Diversity Its Collection. Here’s What It Has Bought So Far


The Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York, which last year controversially sold off a prized Jackson Pollock drip painting to shore up funds to diversify its holdings, has announced the first new slate of artworks to enter its collection.

Among the works are objects by the ceramicist Sharif Bey, the multimedia artist Ellen Blalock, and the painters Dawn Williams Boyd and Ellen Lesperance.

“The Everson’s collection has been steadily evolving in recent years, and this new group of purchases—the first of many more to come—signals an institutional commitment to building a collection that not only reflects the rich diversity of our community, but embodies the potential for exploring new and multiple narratives within the trajectory of art past, present, and future,” Elizabeth Dunbar, the museum’s director, said in a statement.

“These works, in particular, speak directly to some of the most pressing issues of our time, including the perpetuation of racist ideologies and violence against people of color, the global impact of climate change, and systemic inequities related to race and gender, among others,” she added.

Jackson Pollock, Red Composition (1946). Image courtesy Christie's.

Jackson Pollock, Red Composition (1946). Image courtesy Christie’s.

The decision to sell Pollock’s Red Composition (1946)—one of his earliest drip works, and a painting that had been part of the museum’s collection for almost three decades—was not without critics.

In a scathing article, the art critic Christopher Knight described the sale as “inexcusable,” arguing that the museum was “betraying its legacy” by “privatizing” a remarkable and historic painting. The work was donated to the museum in 1991 by Dorothy and Marshall Reisman; it was previously owned by Peggy Guggenheim.

But museum officials defended the decision. In an op-ed published last year by the Art Newspaper, Jessica Arb Danial, the president of the museum’s board of trustees, said the sale would “enable the Everson to significantly intensify our strategic efforts, particularly during this critical time in our nation’s history.”

She added that those bent on “shaming” the museum were “echoing decades of status quo art history textbook and gallery etiquette, rather than the realities we are living today.”

The Pollock painting sold at Christie’s New York in October for $13 million, against an estimate of $12 to $18 million.

See images of the recent acquisitions below.

Ellen Lesperance, Black Gloves, Gods' Eyes (2020). Courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art.

Ellen Lesperance, Black Gloves, Gods’ Eyes (2020). Courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art.

Ellen Blalock, Bang Bang, You Dead! (from the series "Not Crazy"), (2018). Courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art.

Ellen Blalock, Bang Bang, You Dead! (from the series “Not Crazy”), (2018). Courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art.

Dawn Williams Boyd, Waiting for Medgar, Jackson, MS, 1963 (2004). Courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art.

Dawn Williams Boyd, Waiting for Medgar, Jackson, MS, 1963 (2004). Courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art.

Courtney Leonard, Breach #2 (2016). Courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art.

Ellen Blalock, Mary (from the series The Family Album: The Quilt Series), (2000). Courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art.

Ellen Blalock, Mary (from the series “The Family Album: The Quilt Series”) (2000). Courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art.

Susan Frackelton, Five-Handled Vase with Garlands (1901). Courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art.

Susan Frackelton, Five-Handled Vase with Garlands (1901). Courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art.

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