SHADES OF GREY
Skarstedt is pleased to present Shades of Grey. The exhibition features work by Georg Baselitz, John Bock, George Condo, Hans Josephsohn, KAWS, Robert Mapplethorpe, Albert Oehlen, Richard Prince, Paula Rego, Gerhard Richter, Rudolf Stingel, Andy Warhol, Fischl & Weiss, James White and Christopher Wool.
July 17 – September 28, 2024
Richter used the stripped-back palette to investigate the paradoxes of painting, much like fellow German artist, Albert Oehlen. In Titankatze Mit Versuchstier (Titanium Cat with Laboratory Tested Animal) (1999) Oehlen pushes the boundaries of perception by restricting himself to grey to ‘artificially heighten the lust for colour,’ exposing the limitations of painting.
The purpose of painting has long been questioned within contemporary art, and artists like Christopher Wool, John Bock, Rudolf Stingel and Richard Prince approach the problem with ingenuity and humour. Prince’s What’s His Face (1989) belongs to the series of White Paintings which build upon and appropriate his earlier Joke Paintings (1984-1990).
Likewise, Christopher Wool eschews colour for a mechanical aesthetic. In Gate (P14) (1986) Wool consciously oscillates between the predictability of commercial reproduction and the inconsistency of artistic touch, using a ready-made pattern roller with alkyd paint to enforce its industrial qualities. In the same vein, Rudolf Stingel’s Untitled (2012) from the celebrated series of Carpet Paintings, offers a vast, painted recreation of a Middle Eastern rug, radiating opulence.
For James White and Robert Mapplethorpe, to withhold colour is to elevate the ordinary and capture the beauty in form. Whilst Mapplethorpe uses a camera lens to achieve his goals, White paints in a photorealistic style, capturing the quotidian moments from a film noir angle. White presents Double Glass (2018), a composition split in two, denoting the presence of time whilst focussing on the everyday effulgence of overlooked corners.
Whilst George Condo and Hans Josephsohn embrace the dignified colours of bronze and brass, KAWS lends his sculpture, GONE (2020) a distinctly modern finish. Known for his dark Pop aesthetic, KAWS emulates the stance of Michelangelo’s Pieta (1498-1499) through his famed characters COMPANION and BFF, instilling a humorous edge to a melancholic work.
Thus far, 256 shades of grey have been established and this exhibition highlights some of the many ways the colour has been used in painting, sculpture and works on paper. At times thought-provoking, and even amusing, the works on display offer a moment to consider the transcendent, banal and occasionally the contradictions of painting.