Pictures from Pieces
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
Hollis Taggart Galleries is presenting an exhibition on the important role of collage in Abstract Expressionism, featuring works by Mary Abbott, Conrad Marca-Relli, Robert Natkin, Robert Motherwell, and others of note.
“Collage was the quintessential twentieth-century art form with roots in Cubism, Surrealism and Dada, each movement putting their own distinct mark on its evolution,” says the gallery. “By mid-century, many Abstract Expressionists were surveying the aesthetic potential of collage, further propelling our understanding of this artistic practice.
“For many, collage provided a new sense of immediacy and an invigorated freedom with materials that allowed for new possibilities in abstraction. As an art form collage found monumental expression in the innovative and progressive hands of the Abstract Expressionists. It became a path for artistic renewal and a conduit for the expansion of twentieth century creative energies.”
“Constructing/Deconstructing: Abex Collage” runs through December 7 at Hollis Taggart Galleries, 958 Madison Avenue, between 75th and 76 streets, 212-628-4000, hollistaggart.com.
Franklin Einspruch is the art critic for The New York Sun. He blogs at Artblog.net.
