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
