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Bernard Karfiol, The Chaise Lounge, oil on board, 1944, 12" x 16"
Downtown Gallery label verso
Exploring 100 Years of Figurative Art
Part I – The Edith Halpert Influence
September 10 – December 19, 2010
Reception:
Friday, September 10, 6-9PM
It gives me great pleasure to open this season with a three-part exhibition entitled “Exploring 100 Years of Figurative Art”. This four month series will combine contemporary and 20th century artwork dating from 1910 to 2010.
Inspiration for Part I of this series comes from Edith Halpert, Director of the Downtown Gallery, whose career is well documented in Lindsay Pollock’s “The Girl with the Gallery - Edith Gregor Halpert and the Making of the Modern Art Market”.
At the age of 26, Halpert founded the Downtown Gallery in 1926 and became one of the most influential dealers of modern American art for over four decades. She fostered and aggressively promoted countless American artists including Jack Levine, Bernard Karfoil, Alexander Brook, William and Marguerite Zorach, Stuart Davis, Jacob Lawrence and John Marin. Continually faced with personal and national obstacles, she creatively promoted and sold art through the Great Depression, WWII and the conservative 1950’s.
Unaware of her influence, I established my gallery using the Edith Halpert formula. I opened in a domestic setting that encourages a leisurely and comfortable environment for which to view works with her belief that everyone should own original works of art for their home. As Edith, I promote affordable artwork and offer payment plans for those wanting to stretch their budget for a piece of art they feel cannot live without.
Early in her career, Edith expanded her gallery to include American folk art. She would often showcase her contemporary artist’s work with these early period pieces to educate her patrons and diversify their collections. On a yearly basis, since opening Figureworks in 2000, I have exhibited group or individual exhibitions of 20th century artwork to honor and reference historic influences on figurative art in today’s market. Though my influences were Edith’s contemporaries, the message is the same - each new generation of artists is influenced by their predecessors. Comparing their differences and similarities is of great interest to me and will remain a focus for Figureworks.
In this initial exhibition, Edith Halpert’s Downtown Gallery artists, who were heavily influenced by figurative art, will be honored and combined with Figureworks contemporary artists. Downtown Gallery artists include Bernard Karfiol, Jack Levine, Reuben Nakian, Mitchell Siporin, Abraham Walkowitz, and William Zorach. Figureworks artists will include McWillie Chambers, Matthew Greenway, Meridith McNeal and Susan Newmark.
Covering 100 years of figurative work is very daunting and, as Figureworks is such an intimate space, a great deal of editing must be done to achieve a diverse overview. Armed with a vast collection of work to choose from, I will edit my series to reflect on influencial 20th century artists that compliment my fine stable of contemporary artists. As noted, Part I will address important American artists from the Edith Halpert collective. These artists, deriving inspiration from the figure, stylized and abstracted their work to challenge traditional views of fine art. Part II will address those artists who use the figure in more traditional and representational means to convey their message. Part III will explore how the figure has been used in commercial and decorative approaches. These artists will include illustrators, designers, and craftsmen.
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William Zorach, Standing Female, bronze, 1935, 13" H
Figureworks
168 North 6th Street
Williamsburg • Brooklyn, NY 11211
718-486-7021
Hours: Friday, Saturday, Sunday
1 - 6 pm or by appointment
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