The Pop Object: The Still Life Tradition in Pop Art
April 10 - May 24, 2013Gouache and pastel on paper
24 x 17 3/4 inches (61 x 45.1 cm)
Courtesy of Gretchen and John Berggruen, San Francisco
Art © Wayne Thiebaud / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Oil on canvas and leather suitcase
14 1/2 x 18 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches (36.8 x 47 x 16.5 cm)
Private Collection, New York
Art © John Wesley
Oil on shaped canvas
71 1/2 x 67 inches (181.6 x 170.2 cm)
Courtesy The Estate of Tom Wesselmann
Art © Estate of Tom Wesselmann / Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
Press Release
The Pop Object: The Still Life Tradition in Pop Art
April 10 - May 24, 2013The Pop Object: The Still Life Tradition in Pop Art at Acquavella Galleries
(NEW YORK, NY) Acquavella Galleries is pleased to announce The Pop Object: The Still Life Tradition in Pop Art on view from April 10th to May 24th, 2013. Curated by renowned art historian John Wilmerding, the Pop art survey will include over 75 important works by Robert Arneson, Vija Celmins, Jim Dine, Robert Indiana, Jasper Johns, Alex Katz, Edward Kienholz, Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein, Marisol, Claes Oldenburg, Ed Ruscha, Robert Rauschenberg, Larry Rivers, James Rosenquist, George Segal, Marjorie Strider, Wayne Thiebaud, Andy Warhol, John Wesley, Tom Wesselmann, and H.C. Westermann. In addition to significant loans from prestigious private collections and institutions such as the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, The Museum of Modern Art in New York and The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the exhibition will include seminal work from several of the artists’ personal collections.
The central focus of the exhibition is the development of Pop art in the United States and still life’s role in the context of Pop. “Still life also has long been treated as a minor preoccupation for artists, yet has turned out to be the occasion for some of Pop’s most innovative and witty expressions,” said Wilmerding. Each featured artist views the still life as an important vehicle of expression in capturing themes of contemporary life reflective of a post-war consumerist society. Though Pop artists did not consider themselves as being a part of a unified movement, the still life object has been of shared interest to both canonical Pop artists and lesser-known artists. Two major innovative ideas will be explored in the exhibition: the expansion of still life beyond painting into multidimensional sculptural forms, and the presentation of a variety of new media as modes of expression. To achieve
this, Wilmerding has organized the exhibition into four major themes: food and drink, the garden, body parts, and clothing and housewares. For example, Tom Wesselmann’s laser-cut steel drawings of flower bouquets are presented alongside Roy Lichtenstein’s graphic black flowers in oil on canvas. The juxtaposition reveals the various pioneering styles and techniques each artist employed while paying homage to earlier traditions of painting.
John Wilmerding is the Sarofim Professor of American Art, Emeritus, at Princeton University. He has written more than twenty books on American art and artists, including most recently monographs and catalogues on Tom Wesselmann, Robert Indiana, Roy Lichtenstein and George Segal. The fully illustrated catalogue The Pop Object: The Still Life Tradition in Pop Art will be co-distributed and published by
Rizzoli and will contain a forward by William R. Acquavella and an essay by curator John Wilmerding.
For more information please contact Prentice Art Communications
(212) 228-4048 or Danielle@PrenticeArt.com
Download Press Release PDF (2.7 MB)
Selected Press
ARTNews Review of "The Pop Object: The Still Life Tradition in Pop Art" October 2013 PDF (340 K)
The Millbrook Independent Pop art to brighten your day at Acquavella May 7, 2013 PDF (418 K)
The New York Times Review of "The Pop Object: The Still Life Tradition in Pop Art" May 10, 2013 PDF (57 K)
PBS Thirteen NYC-ARTS Video: At the Acquavella Galleries http://watch.thirteen.org/video/2365001669
The New York Observer Review of The Pop Object: The Still Life Tradition in Pop Art April 29, 2013 PDF (492 K)
Bloomberg Million-Dollar Still Lifes by Pop Artists: Uptown Art April 20, 2013 PDF (111 K)
Time Out New York Critics' picks April 18, 2013 PDF (411 K)
Interview Magazine Pop Art, Still April 10, 2013 PDF (283 K)
Du jour This Week in Culture April 10, 2013 PDF (0.9 MB)
The Huffington Post The Pop Object: New Book and Exhibit Explores the Still Life Tradition of Pop Art April 10, 2013 PDF (2.9 MB)
Vogue First Things First: "The Pop Object" Show at Acquavella Galleries April 5, 2013 PDF (104 K)
Modern Painters Hit List April 2013 PDF (1.8 MB)
DETAILS The Last Word on Pop Art April 2013 PDF (1.1 MB)
Guest of a Guest Everything You Need To Know This Week On New York's Art Scene March 6, 2013 PDF (313 K)
Works in Exhibition Checklist April 10 - May 24, 2013 PDF (12.6 MB)
More Info
Jasper Johns
Roy Lichtenstein Artist Page View
Claes Oldenburg Artist Page View
Robert Rauschenberg
James Rosenquist Artist Page View
Ed Ruscha Artist Page View
Andy Warhol Artist Page View
Tom Wesselmann Artist Page View
Catalogues
The Pop Object: The Still Life Tradition in Pop Art View
Download PDF (2.7 MB)
Acquavella Galleries
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