The Road to Here
February 23 - March 20, 2010Statement
The Road to Here
Robert Bechtle, Ed Ruscha, Wayne Thiebaud, Zoe Crosher, Dave Muller, and Jonas Wood
Curated by Nicole Archibeque
February 23 – March 20, 2010
John Berggruen Gallery is pleased to present a group exhibition featuring work by Robert Bechtle, Ed Ruscha, Wayne Thiebaud, Zoe Crosher, Dave Muller, and Jonas Wood on view from February 23 – March 20, 2010. A reception for the artists will be held on Tuesday, February 23rd between 5:30 and 7:30 pm.
The Road to Here is presented on two floors; Robert Bechtle, Ed Ruscha, and Wayne Thiebaud on the second floor, and Zoe Crosher, Dave Muller, and Jonas Wood on the third floor. Although the artists in The Road to Here express themselves through a variety of media, they all share the artistic heritage of having lived and worked in California. Robert Bechtle, Ed Ruscha, and Wayne Thiebaud have all helped to shape the vision of contemporary California. Each artist is instantly recognized by their distinctive styles; Bechtle's quiet, classic San Francisco street-scapes, Ruscha's clever use of the language of advertising and the ubiquitous road-side sign, and Thiebaud's lush, colorful city views, often seen from an unexpected vantage point. In The Road to Here, the John Berggruen Gallery is proud to include classic examples of each artist's work, such as Bechtle's North Slope (2009) a complete set of Ruscha's Standard Station prints (1969), and Thiebaud's Park Place (1993).
The works of Zoe Crosher, Dave Muller, and Jonas Wood continue the exploration of the distinctive experience of living and working on the West coast. Like Ruscha's enigmatic signs, Zoe Crosher's photographs speak to the sense of impermanence experienced by the traveler. In her Out the Window [LAX] series (2001-2006), the artist observes the comings and goings at one of the country's busiest airports from the perspective of shabby hotel interiors. Jonas Wood's still-life drawings and paintings speak to a more personal, immediate landscape. Wood's work, such as New Pot Still Life (2009), recalls the graphic tradition of Robert Bechtle, as well as Wayne Thiebaud's interest in the close examination of inanimate objects. Dave Muller makes interesting use of text in his work, calling to mind Ruscha's sign paintings in works such as Sprawling (Hollywood) (2002). Muller, like many of the artists in The Road to Here, engages the idea of travel. Liftoff (2001), a delicate depiction of a jet engine aloft in a clear blue sky rendered in acrylic on paper, relates to Crosher's LAX series, as well as calling to mind technically Bechtle's watercolors.
The Road to Here is a snapshot of contemporary California art, past, present, and future, and a celebration of the vitality of the West coast scene.
For further information and photographs, please contact the gallery at 415.781.4629 or info@berggruen.com
Gallery hours: Monday - Friday: 9:30-5:30, Saturday: 10:30-5:00
Artists
Robert Bechtle
Edward Ruscha
Wayne Thiebaud
Exhibition Works
Robert Bechtle Sunset Street, 1982 Etching on paper 15 3/4 x 23 3/4 inches Edition of 50
Zoe Crosher LAX Courtyard by Marriott, 2005 Lightjet print 27 x 27 inches Edition of 5
Zoe Crosher LAX Dai Ichi, 2002 Lightjet print 27 x 27 inches Edition of 5
Zoe Crosher LAX Embassy Suites, 2003 Lightjet print 27 x 27 inches Edition of 5
Zoe Crosher LAX Microtel, 2005 Lightjet print 27 x 27 inches Edition of 5
Zoe Crosher LAX Radisson, 2001 Lightjet print 27 x 27 inches Edition of 5
Zoe Crosher LAX Topper Motel, 2004 Lightjet print 27 x 27 inches Edition of 5
Ed Ruscha Cheese Mold Standard with Olive, 1969 Color screenprint 25 3/4 x 40 1/8 inches Edition of 150
Ed Ruscha Double Standard, 1969 Color screenprint 25 3/4 x 40 inches Edition of 40
Ed Ruscha Mocha Standard, 1969 Color screenprint 24 7/8 x 40 inches Edition of 100
Ed Ruscha Standard Station, 1966 Color screenprint 25 5/8 x 40 inches Edition of 50
Ed Ruscha Drivers with Two Streets, 1998 Acrylic and ink on paper 30 x 40 inches
Ed Ruscha Hollywood, 1968 Silkscreen 121/2 x 40 3/4" image
Wayne Thiebaud Park Place, 1995 Oil on canvas 60 1/4 x 54 1/4 inches
Wayne Thiebaud River Boats, 2001 Oil on canvas 36 x 60 inches
Jonas Wood New Pot Still Life, 2009 Oil and acrylic on linen 48 x 49 inches
Jonas Wood Pot with Plant, 2009 Color pencil on paper 30 x 22 inches
Jonas Wood Triangle Pot with Blue Background, 2009 Graphite and color pencil on paper 22 x 17 1/2 inches
Robert Bechtle '68 Cadillac 1970 Acrylic on canvas 22 x 24 inches
Robert Bechtle 20th and Texas, Early Evening 2004 Oil on linen 32 3/4 x 38 1/2 inches
Robert Bechtle Bolinas Mustang 1974 Watercolor on paper 10 x 15 inches
Robert Bechtle North Slope 2009 Watercolor on paper 22 1/4 x 30 inches
Robert Bechtle Two Volvos 2001 Oil on linen 32 x 50 inches