Featuring a diverse and eccentric group of artworks by seventy artists from the United States, Europe, and Asia,About Painting explores the legacy and developments of the medium in the twenty-first century. Displayed in themed sections, the artworks range from the realistic to the abstract, from the surreal to the conceptual, and from Pop art iconography to stark geometries. The exhibition includes a range of works, including pieces by well-known artists such as Philip Guston and On Kawara and younger artists like Amy Cutler and Todd Herbert, as well as works in pencil, pen, oils, acrylics, encaustic, DayGlo, glitter, modeling paste, thread, herbs, and even vegetable oil. Some of the artists exhibited have perfected the craft of mixing pigment, while others create conceptual frameworks for the fabrication of the images; still others refer to past imagery and art historical styles for inspiration. Painting, at times framed and static, is loosening its bonds — and we are the witness to its metamorphosis.
The exhibition features artworks from the Tang Collection and on loan by artists Matthew Antezzo, Eve Aschheim, Michael Banicki, Matthew Benedict, Bert de Beul, Ashley Bickerton, Martin Borowski, Lowell Boyers, Scott Brodie, Alex Brown, Tom Burckhardt, Peter Cain, Amy Cutler, Stephen Dean, David Diao, Lydia Dona, Jeronimo Elespe, Jeff Gauntt, Mark Greenwold, Philip Guston, Peter Halley, Todd Herbert, Julie Heffernan, YZ Kami, On Kawara, Robert Klümpen, Michael Lazarus, Marko Lehanka, Sherrie Levine, Roy Lichtenstein, Marcin Maciejowski, Gina Magid, Allan McCollum, Heather McGill, John Miller, David Moreno, Victoria Morton, Carrie Moyer, Hiroko Nakao, Robert Olsen, Richard Pettibone, Bernard Philippeaux, Ann Pibal, Gert Rappenecker, Michael Raedecker, Scott Richter, Matthew Ritchie, Julie Roberts, Steve Roden, Alexander Ross, Paul Sattler, Sandra Scolnik, Jonathan Seliger, Nancy Shaver, Jim Shaw, James Siena, Amy Sillman, John Sonsini, Joan Snyder, Rudolf Stingel, Elaine Sturtevant, Barbara Takenaga, Padraig Timoney, Luc Tuymans, Richard Upton, Michael van Ofen, Cornelius Völker, Mark Wallinger, and Kevin Wolff.
About Painting accompanied by a foldout replica of the gallery walls with stickers of the artworks, inviting visitors to recreate and rearrange the exhibition on their own.
About Painting is organized by Tang curator Ian Berry and made possible with support from the Friends of the Tang.