We are pleased to introduce the artist Peter Cain to Germany. In 1997 Peter Cain died at the age of 37, leaving behind a small but important œuvre. Gallery Aurel Scheibler now presents his masterful last series: The Los Angeles Pictures. This suite of six oil paintings assures Peter Cain a place among the great colorists of 20th century’s American art. Alongside we will show the complete group of The 98 Los Angeles Drawings.
Cain synthesized ideas from photorealism, minimalism, pop-art and surrealism and turned them into making great abstract paintings which were ahead of his time. He was interested in slowing and breaking down the act of painting and, therefore of perception, creating a kind of visual silence, as in the art of still life and in a cityscape without human presence. This gives his work a certain monumental appearance such as found in the work of Edward Hopper, Ed Ruscha and Barnett Newman.
Cain was educated in New York at the Parsons School of Design and the School of Visual Arts, and first exhibited his work in 1989. He participated in several important group shows, including the 1993 and 1995 biennial exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
In addition to our exhibition, three of Peter Cain´s Car Paintings from 1989 - 93 will be shown at the Open Space program at this year´s Art Cologne. We are grateful to Matthew Marks Gallery, New York for their cooperation.
To accompany the exhibition, we have published a two-volume bilingual catalogue with texts by Terry Myers and Jack Pierson.