For the summer of 2023 I am proud to present a sound installation by the conceptual artist On Kawara. The gallery is currently only open by appointment. To make an appointment simply contact me here.
On Kawara (1932 - 2014) was a conceptual artist whose work focused on the concept of time and its relationship to human existence. One of his most notable series was the Date Paintings, where he meticulously painted the date of each day on monochromatic canvases, following strict rules and methods. These paintings captured the ephemeral nature of time and served as visual records of the passing days. Kawara's work also included telegrams, postcards, and books that documented his everyday life, emphasizing the banality and transience of human experience.
Like his forerunner Marcel Duchamp, Kawara retreated from the art scene, avoiding his own exhibition openings and declining to be interviewed, so that his public persona came to be defined solely through his work. But that work itself seems - at first sight - to offer little more reward to biographers. Instead, it methodically and meticulously documents the trajectory of On's life, without apparent ornament, an art based on ideas rather than aesthetics.
The extraordinary duration of Kawara's process-based projects - one of which, his date-painting series Today mentioned here, lasted almost fifty years, producing almost 3,000 individual works - and the meditative consistency with which he applied himself to his tasks, sets his oeuvre apart and links his work to his background in Buddhist and Shinto philosophy. By drawing attention to the minutiae of daily existence, Kawara's work focuses our attention on the most basic elements of our experience of the world: our location on the planet, and our passage through time.
One Million Years exhibited here, originally consisted of two books, One Million Years: Past (For All Those Who Have Lived and Died) and One Million Years: Future (For The Last One). The books list, respectively, the one million years before the artwork was conceived, and the one million years afterwards, and are composed of text cut, pasted and photocopied by the artist. On the occasion of Kawara's solo exhibition at the Dia Art Foundation in 1993, the project added a performance element involving a male speaker and a female speaker reading dates from the book, aloud, in turn.
]]>Featuring work by Francis Bacon, Ed Ruscha, Swoon, Josef Albers, Juane Quick-to-See Smith, Mark Francis, Robert Colescott, Richard Meier, and others.
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Sam Gilliam Part 2 - Paintings & Collage
Private view available by appointment.
Online preview of available works here.
After a nearly sold exhibition of his historic prints and monotypes, I am extremely excited to offer these paintings and collage works by the master colorist painter Sam Gilliam.
Spanning nearly 30 years of artistic output, the works on view are offered for the first time.
Sam Gilliam (b. 1933, Tupelo, Mississippi) is one the great innovators in postwar American painting. Early in his career, he made clean-edged abstractions, in line with Washington Color School painters such as Kenneth Noland and Morris Louis. He gradually loosened up his style, soaking or pouring colors directly onto his canvases and folding them before they dried—a technique which created accordion lines and a deep sense of texture. Around 1965, he made his greatest stylistic innovation: He got rid of the stretcher bars that traditionally underpin a painting and draped his canvases from the wall like sheets from a clothesline.
In 1972 Gilliam became the first black artist to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale, in 2005 the Corcoran Gallery of Art organized a traveling retrospective of the artist’s work, and just last year Dia: Beacon presented a semi-permanent installation of Gilliam’s paintings which I had the pleasure of seeing on a recent trip out east.
His work is represented in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.; the Kunstmuseum, Basel; and many others.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or to arrange for a private view.
Sam Gilliam - Prints & Monotypes from the 1970s
Exhibition opens Friday, October 11. 5 to 9 pm.
Other times by appointment.
Preview available works here.
1495 N Harding Street
Indianapolis, IN (map)
I am extremely excited to present a selection of print works and monotypes from the 1970s by the master colorist painter Sam Gilliam.
Sam Gilliam (b. 1933, Tupelo, Mississippi) is one the great innovators in postwar American painting. Early in his career, he made clean-edged abstractions, in line with Washington Color School painters such as Kenneth Noland and Morris Louis. He gradually loosened up his style, soaking or pouring colors directly onto his canvases and folding them before they dried—a technique which created accordion lines and a deep sense of texture. Around 1965, he made his greatest stylistic innovation: He got rid of the stretcher bars that traditionally underpin a painting and draped his canvases from the wall like sheets from a clothesline.
Gilliam began his printmaking in the 1970s where he was encouraged to work in the area between painting and prints, sculpture and prints. He would occasionally use traditional techniques such as screenprinting, but would also take his prints back to the studio, cut them apart and stitch them back together with a heavy nylon filament resulting in a series of highly innovative and unique works. Bill Weege, the founder of Tandem Press, said of Gilliam’s printmaking process: “There is almost no way to reconstruct the creation of these prints, so many were the means.”
In 1972 Gilliam became the first black artist to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale, in 2005 the Corcoran Gallery of Art organized a traveling retrospective of the artist’s work, and just last month Dia: Beacon presented a semi-permanent installation of Gilliam’s paintings which I had the pleasure of seeing on a recent trip out east.
His work is represented in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.; the Kunstmuseum, Basel; and many others. All works will soon be posted online. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or to arrange for a private preview.
Modern: Highlights from
the estate of Catharine Lichtenauer
Exhibition Opening Thursday, August 8th
6 to 9 pm
Christopher West Presents
1495 N Harding Street
Indianapolis, IN (map)
Including works by:
Josef Albers
Enrico Baj
Marc Chagall
Jean Dubuffet
Jeff Koons
Sol Lewitt
Robert Motherwell
Moving Image
A Solo Exhibition by Ben Murray
Opening Reception for the Artist:
Friday, May 10th. 5 pm - 9 pm.
Additional Hours:
Saturday, May 11th. Noon - 4pm
and always by appointment.
I am extremely excited to announce Moving Image, a solo exhibition of new paintings and works on paper by Indiana native Ben Murray.
Murray's most recent large-scale paintings and works on paper continue to expand the artist's interests in memory by creating abstract observational paintings that look to motion pictures as the subject. According to the artist, "It is an attempt to suspend a film’s duration by painting it while being played in real time."
A review in Chicago's New City from his most recent exhibition at Monique Meloche Gallery says "Murray’s process of constructing space parallels the way in which memory defies chronological conventions and retrieves uncontrollable shifting associations."
His work has been recently exhibited at venues across the country and highlighted in solo exhibitions at Monique Meloche Gallery in Chicago and Sidecar Gallery in Hammond. This will be his first solo exhibition in Indianapolis since 2006.
I am extremely proud to represent the works of modern art and design from the Estate of Catharine Lichtenauer.
Catharine was a passionate supporter of the arts. She was a trustee and volunteer with the Indianapolis Museum of Art for more than 45 years, serving as a docent and chair of the docent class, member and chair of the Fine Arts Committee, and member of the Collections Committee.
Over the coming weeks I will be highlighting many pieces from the collection. Should you know of anyone who might be interested, or to request a private viewing, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Pictured: Gerrit Rietveld’s Zig-Zag Chair for Cassina with Hello Kitty by Tom Sachs.
]]>Featuring works on paper from 1957 to yesterday.
Artists include:
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Ann Hamilton; book weight zz (human carriage); 2009-2010;
Archival inkjet print; 44 x 34 in. $6,000
View all works in exhibition here.
I am extremely excited to announce an exhibition of Ann Hamilton’s book weights (human carriage), an outgrowth from her installation commissioned by the Guggenheim Museum, New York in 2009. An opening reception will be held on December 7th from 5 to 9 pm. This will be the first presentation of this series in Indiana.
This body of work is based on hand-sized book stacks that were cut and rejoined by the artist. These book stacks served as the counterweights to Hamilton’s human carriage installation, which descended the entire spiral ramp of Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous rotunda. In an effort to record and document the individual components of the installation, Hamilton began digitally recording these book weights on an Epson Perfection 4870 scanner. The result - a series of monumental archival inkjet prints, compelling and extremely beautiful, rooted in the artist’s fascination with text and textiles.
Ann Hamilton represented the United States in the 1999 Venice Biennale. In addition to Guggenheim installation, her major commissions include projects for the Museum of Modern Art, New York; The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.; The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, St. Louis; and many others. Her work is included in the permanent collections of the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Indianapolis Museum of Art to name just a few.
To arrange for a private preview please contact me here.
James Yakimicki
Opening Reception for the artist: October 12 -- 5 to 8 pm
Christopher West Presents
1495 N Harding Street, Indianapolis (map)
It’s not often I’m encouraged to go on a studio visit to Greenwood, Indiana. It’s also not common that I get a tap on my shoulder at my neighborhood Starbucks’ from a friend, curator and art writer from the east coast who has been hired to write the catalogue essay for a local artist’s solo debut in New York.
Such is the story of how I met James Yakimicki.
Through large-scale oil paintings and intimately-scaled drawings, Indiana native James Yakimicki blends layers of the natural and civilized world, disregarding traditional scale or perspective to craft worlds of his own.
Yakimicki was born in Beech Grove, Indiana in 1980. He earned a BFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder (2007) and an MFA from Columbia University in New York City (2012), where his talent was recognized with the Andrew Fisher and Leroy Neiman Fellowships. The environments he’s inhabited – from the flat planes of Indiana to the dizzying heights of Boulder, Colorado to the urban sprawl of New York City – are layered into his works.
In addition to his physical surroundings, his works reflect his own mental state and perceived overstimulation, becoming what art critic Amanda York has deemed "psychological portraits of the physical, imagined, and technological landscapes that we inhabit daily.”
Yakimicki explores the theme of technology frequently in his illustrations, often manifesting as abstract figures that seem to have originated in a dystopian Sci-Fi film. This reflection on the overstimulation of the often overly-saturated world in which we live is also a symbol for the inescapable “confines of capitalism” and the socioeconomic injustice that ensues.
To aid in his societal commentary, Yakimicki was invited by renowned artist Rirkrit Tiravanjia to participate in Tropical Lab 6: LAND in Singapore and in apexart’s Outbound Fellowship program in Thailand by the legendary artist Sanford Biggers.
I am happy to announce a solo exhibition at my gallery with an opening reception for the artist on October 12th. Two weeks later we will celebrate the artist’s New York solo debut with an exhibition at the Cue Art Foundation curated by Gregory Amenoff on October 25th.
I would be extremely proud to see you at either of the above openings. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.
Exhibition Opening September 14, 5 - 8 pm.
1495 N. Harding Street, Indianapolis
Preview all work available in the exhibition by following this link.
Milton Glaser (b.1929) is among the most celebrated artists and graphic designers in the United States. Among his most iconic designs are the I Love NY logo and his 1975 Bob Dylan poster. If you’ve spent time in downtown Indianapolis, you’ve likely driven by his largest work to date, "Color Fuses" – the 600 ft. rainbow mural for the New Federal Office Building on Pennsylvania St.
Glaser's education in art and design began at the High School of Music and Art and the Cooper Union art school in New York. After being awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, he traveled to the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, Italy. There, he studied with Giorgio Morandi, an Italian painter and printmaker who specialized in still life.
Glaser became a prolific creator of posters and prints. When he returned to the states, he co-founded the revolutionary Pushpin Studios in 1954, founded New York Magazine with Clay Felker in 1968 and opened Milton Glaser, Inc. in 1974. To this day, he continues to produce an astounding amount of work in many fields of graphic design and fine art. His works demonstrate his fascination with texture and patterns, inspired both by iconic artists of the past and the halftone comic books of his youth.
“It’s good to understand that design has a purpose and art has another purpose,” Glaser said of separating his design and artwork. "Art’s power is mysterious and cannot be quantified, while design’s efficacy is measured by how well it delivers on a clients’ goal. As you get older you get clearer about that distinction."
His artwork has been featured in exhibitions worldwide, including one-man shows at both the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His work is in the permanent collections of many museums, and he has been recognized with countless awards and honorary degrees. Most notably, he received a lifetime achievement award for the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in 2004 and The National Medal of Arts in 2009, awarded by President Barack Obama.
Milton Glaser: New Work + Iconic Drawings will open at the gallery on September 14. His latest fine art and a selection of signed posters he has created over his illustrious 50+ year career will be on view and available for purchase. Most posters are priced under $200.
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When: Friday May 18, 2018. 5 pm - 8 pm.
Where: Christopher West Presents
1495 N Harding Street (map)
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Additional Gallery Hours: Saturday May 19. Noon - 5 pm.
I am extremely excited to announce an exhibition and sale dedicated to the work of Gordon & Jane Martz.
I cordially invite you to a reception at my new gallery space near downtown Indianapolis. On view will be a number of rare and unique pieces on view for the first time, including a large selection of lamps, furniture and textiles.
Gordon & Jane Martz joined Marshall Studios in Veedersburg, IN in 1951. Over the course of nearly four decades they transformed the company from one that focused almost exclusively on lampshades to one that would epitomize what we now know as Mid Century Modern. Primarily ceramicists, Gordon & Jane became best known for their now iconic lamps. Lesser known are the furniture, textiles and housewares which were all produced during their time in Veedersburg. Examples of all of the above will be included in this exhibition.
Please follow this link to see examples of the work on view. Additional listings will be added throughout the week.
I look forward to seeing you on Friday, May 18th, or during additional gallery hours on Saturday May 19th.
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Vito Acconci - Four Works from the 1970s
Reception: Friday, May 19, 6 - 8 pm
Where: PRINTtEXT
652 E 52nd Street
Indianapolis, IN (map)
Please join me to celebrate four early and important works by American artist Vito Acconci (b. 1940). Acconci came of age in the politically agitated years when artists began trying to find ways around the making and selling of objects. They turned to their bodies, their ideas and their actions as the currency of a new realm. According to a recent New York Times article, Acconci’s work grew out of an experience as an aspiring poet and fiction writer whose fascination with the physical space of the page eventually led out into the world.
By the late 1960s, Acconci had transformed himself into a performance and video artist, often using his own body as the subject matter. Much of his work was highly confrontational and incorporated subversive social commentary. In 1969 he began using photography to document various actions, four examples of these photographs comprise this exhibition.
In 1976 Acconci abandoned the gallery world and remade himself as an architect and designer - a practice he continues to this day. Klaus Biesenbach, director of MOMA PS1, once said “He’s challenging our limits about what we want to be private and what we want to be public, and those questions have only become more important.” That sentiment is as evident in his current architectural practice as it is here in these four photographs.
Acconci’s work is held by numerous prestigious institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Met and the Guggenheim in New York, as well as the Tate Museum in London, the Indianapolis Museum of Art and many others.
I look forward to seeing you on May 19.
About the Venue
PRINTtEXT is a project space, design studio, events venue, and periodicals shop. Our Shop carries magazines from fashion, literature, travel, architecture, food, art, and beyond. Through our Studio, we offer a variety of creative services including art direction, production, publishing, set design, and photography. In the Space, we host exhibitions, readings, discussion groups, and launch events, collaborating with various cultural organizations.
]]>Works from Victor Vasarely and Richard Anuszkiewicz
]]>The term ‘Op Art’ (or Optical Art) was first coined by Time Magazine in 1964 in response to the exhibition Optical Paintings at the Martha Jackson Gallery. The term became synonymous with abstract art that uses optical illusions. It was an exhibition at MOMA in 1965 called The Responsive Eye that solidified Op Arts place in Art History.
Many trace the movement’s roots back to Futurism and Constructivism. I, however, find its comparisons to the Pop Art movement most compelling. Op Art took the bold colors of Pop and completely abstracted them - think Warhol’s paintings of Marilyn Monroe or Campbell’s Soup and remove the mass media imagery.
Victor Vasarely (of which we have two examples offered in the store) is often considered the father of Op Art. He, along with Bridget Riley in England and Richard Anuszkiewicz in America (also available in the store) would become the foremost champions of the movement.
Vasarely was a Hungrarian-French artist who began his career as a graphic artist in Paris in the 1930s. He would spend the next three decades developing a style of geometric art that would use a minimal number of forms and colors. Richard Anuszkiewicz an American painter who studied under Josef Albers at Yale University. He was called “one of the wizards of Op” by Life magazine in 1964.
Although Vasarely and Anuszkiewicz were an ocean apart, their influence was global as can be seen in the work of Yugoslavian born Marco Spalatin found at this link.
Despite the movements relatively short life, it remains highly influential and permanently enshrined in the permanent collections of museums throughout the world. In his review from 2000 in the New York Times, Holland Cotter said of Anusziewicz’s paintings that “there’s something like the wry, meditative alertness one finds in Alber’s most close-valued color studies and in the work of the archangel of artificial illumination, Dan Flavin.” Spend some time with one of these prints and you’ll see why.
At the time of writing, we had five exemplary examples of Op Art by Vasarely, Anuszkiewicz and others. Please visit the multiples section of our website.
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100 Variations by Jonathan Nesci
New Reflections on Eliel Saarinen and the Golden Ratio
Curated by Christopher West
Location: First Christian Church, Eliel Saarinen, architect
Autumn 2014
This site-specific installation consists of 100 unique aluminum-polished tables by the celebrated American designer, installed in the courtyard of First Christian Church by architect Eliel Saarinen. Each table profile follows a parametric grid based on the golden ratio.
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[Un]conventional
Curated by Christopher West
Location: Indiana University J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program
Featuring Taryn Cassella, Jack Craig, Glen Fuller, Steven Haulenbeek, Emily Kennerk, Gaetano Pesce, Tejo Remy, Chris Schanck, Christopher Stuart, Colin Tury, Marijn van der Poll and Lauren Zoll.
Adam Pendleton - Rendered in Black and Events Are
Curated by Christopher West
Location: Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art
Robert Boyd - Xanadu
2006
4-channel video installation
28 minutes
Curated by Christopher West
Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art
Ron Arad: Volumes & Voids
Curated by Christopher West
Location: Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art
An exhibition of new work by the designer.
An exhibition of new pastel paintings by Canadian Artist Tim Gardner
Curated by Christopher West
Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art