Cecily Brown
The Hunt, 2022
Gouache and watercolor on paper
18 x 24 inches
Anyone who has weaved through endless rows of booths at an art fair knows there is limited exhibition space in even the largest of stalls. While certain San Franciscan outposts will be bringing their program to this year’s edition of FOG Design + Art—including Et al., Berggruen, and Fraenkel Gallery—the full breadth of their capabilities is currently on view in a number of enticing local exhibitions.
Meanwhile, San Francisco’s institutions are championing both historical and contemporary names, with deep dives into the work of artists like Pacita Abad, Sandro Botticelli, and Hayv Kahraman. Anyone in town for the annual fair would be remiss to not get out into the city and, luckily, CULTURED has compiled the seven best stops around town.
Pacita Abad
October 21, 2023–January 28, 2024
SFMOMA
The first traveling retrospective of the late Filipino artist (1946-2004) will introduce many viewers to her technicolor oeuvre. Abad is best known for her trapunto paintings, quilted and elaborately painted canvases that reflect the time she spent traveling the world. In her 20s, Abad visited San Francisco and met her future husband, who would go on to work for the World Bank. Together, they traveled to 60 countries across six continents, all of which made an imprint on the artist’s rich, maximalist body of work.
Abstract Perspectives
January 11–February 29, 2024
Berggruen
After years of commercial and critical attention showered on figurative painting of all ilks, abstraction is back on the menu. Berggruen is presenting a group show of work by contemporary abstract painters including Julie Mehretu, Odili Donald Odita, and Sarah Crowner. These big names are coupled with lesser-known practitioners of the form, including Clare Kirkconnell, Sarah Blaustein, and Heather Day.
