On October 2nd, the Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills will open its abstract expressionism exhibit “Master of the Gesture.” It seems that MoMA is not the only one focusing on the movement this fall!
Abstraction expressionism, or “abex,” developed in America in the mid-20th-century. Seen as a response to the Great Depression and World War Two, abex developed from artists’ reassessment of the human condition. By applying concepts (or as Gagosian gallery would say, “gestures”) of individuality, simplicity, and strong emotion to their art through the manipulation of color, shape, and form into – needless to say – an abstract expression, abex artists redefined their field.
“Master of the Gesture” features paintings, sculptures, and drawings by artists like John Chamberlain, Willem de Kooning, Sam Francis, Arshile Gorky, Adolph Gottlieb, Franz Kline, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell, Mark Rothko, David Smith, and Clyfford Still, including Francis’ Red Over Gray (1953), Gottlieb’s Antipodes (1959), and Still’s 1955-d, Ph-387 (1955). Some of the works are on loan from private and public collections, so be sure to see these works while you can. They will be on view at the Gagosian from October 3, 2010 to April 25, 2011.
