PHILIP GUSTON: SINGULARITIES
Hauser & Wirth is pleased to present Singularities by the artist Philip Guston. Opening during Zurich Art Weekend 2024, is an exhibition of late figurative Philip Guston paintings dated between 1968 and 1979 will be on view at the gallery’s second floor Limmatstrasse space
June 7 - September 7, 2024
The exhibition opens with ‘Painter’s Forms’ (1972), one of Guston’s masterpieces and according to the art historian Dore Ashton a ‘true distillation of Guston’s late oeuvre into a single painting.’ A few of his most familiar objects spew out of the painter’s mouth against a washed-out pink background: a boot, a bottle, a cigarette, the sole of a shoe, the top of an easel and a nameplate bearing his initials. It is a painting about the act of painting.
In many of these enigmatic late works, the distinction between interior and exterior space largely disappears, as domestic elements merge with outdoor scenes. In the allegorical landscapes in which these strange dramas unfold, Guston’s signature cadmium red medium dominates the lower terrain, while the upper sections are a tranquil cloudless blue.
In ‘Feet on Rug’ (1978), two feet are stranded in a barren red landscape against a sky-blue horizon, standing on a rug whose fringes morph into crawling insect legs. The bug-amoeba form is echoed in ‘Future’ (1978), where it appears to rotate alongside a snail like creature as a despairing human figure sinks into a postapocalyptic ground or sea.
‘Door and Room’ (1978), on view for the first time, suggests a story of forced entry into the artist’s studio. The realities of the world intrude into his sanctuary, leaving the artist as witness to perpetual acts of war. The red and black scene is relieved only by the narrow strip of blue at the top, like a slight breath of air or a hope for peace.
A demonstration of Guston’s ability to introspectively capture the struggles of his time with meticulous composition and nuanced detail is ‘Aegean’ (1978). In this large painting, the convergence of outstretched hands, arms and shields in the form of trash can lids recalls his early work from the ‘40s, in which he depicted childhood street fights that mimicked the theatrics of warfare. But these games are clearly more than child’s play; they are precursors of war.
Philip Guston’s late paintings retain a mysterious quality and all are driven by the artist’s desire to tell stories that not only reflect his state of mind but also provide insights into the social and political climate of his time. When seen together, they show the singular depth and complexity of his rich personal iconography.