Event Listing - Galleries

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Thu Feb 14 - Sat Mar 29

Robert Arneson

from the 60's


Website

Location
Date and Time
Brian Gross Fine Art
49 Geary Street, 5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94108 map
district: Union Square/San Francisco Centre

Thu Feb 14 (10:30am-5:30pm)
Fri Feb 15 (10:30am-5:30pm)
Sat Feb 16 (11am-5pm)
Tue Feb 19 (10:30am-5:30pm)
Wed Feb 20 (10:30am-5:30pm)

Description
This exhibition will feature over 20 works made during Arneson’s formative years in the 1960’s and examines early figurative and abstract expressionistic works, explorations in porcelain and bronze, conceptual works, painting, and his transformation of every day objects with the humor and irreverence that became his hallmark. The exhibition will be on view through March 29.

Diet Cola and Flower Pot are quintessential examples of Arneson’s use of the ordinary objects that he embraced as expressive devices. Unlike the cool aesthetic of work by Pop artists such as Johns and Warhol, Arneson’s objects are formally expressionistic with rough-hewn textures and colorful glazes. Objects such as bottles, bricks, teapots, toasters and typewriters that populate the subject matter of these works are the beginning of his exploration of social and personal concerns and were at odds with the formalist tradition more often seen during the post-war era. Works like Scale, Molded Salad, Finger Brick and John Figure on display have a provocative quality that became an integral part of Arneson’s oeuvre.

She-Horse with Daughter, a rare early work from 1961 just over two feet tall, is a blend of figurative elements, sexuality and playfulness. Here, abstract expressionist overtones mix with a weighty, free-form sensibility. Wall Plaque and Coil similarly harken from this period with painterly textures and glazes, emphasizing rich surfaces and ambiguous biomorphic forms.

Also included are works from the Alice Street series, an important theme for Arneson inspired by his experience living in a ranch house in Davis, California in the 1960’s. The Alice Street house became a personal and symbolic icon of suburban life, and is exemplified by House Box and Alice Street Plate. Additionally, works like SMITE – Poorly Restored, Portrait of the Artist Sidestepping the Issue, and 2 Running Feet from an Unnecessary Race reflect the conceptual side of Arneson, evoking visual puns and word play.