Installation view of California Dreaming. Photograph by Shaun Roberts.
Installation view of California Dreaming. Photograph by Shaun Roberts.
Installation view of California Dreaming. Photograph by Shaun Roberts.
Rounding up the best gallery exhibitions across the United States each month, Galerie journeyed from New York and Philadelphia to San Francisco and Los Angeles to discover the top solo shows for November. From Jean-Michel Othoniel’s American debut of his geometric flower paintings at Perrotin and Dana Schutz’s premier solo show of her allegorical paintings and sculptures at David Zwirner in New York to Alessandro Pessoli’s paintings and sculptures of idyllic figures in colorful settings at Nino Mier Gallery in Los Angeles, these are the not-to-be-missed exhibition this month.
7. Michael Craig-Martin at Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco
Starting out as a conceptual artist making minimalist sculptures in the late 1960s and then making wall drawings and installations in the 1980s and ‘90s and computer portraits in the 2000s, Michael Craig-Martin has been an influence on young British artists and the international art scene for generations. An inspirational teacher at London’s Goldsmiths College, he was a Tate Trustee from 1989 to 1999, was awarded a CBE in 2000 and was subsequently knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to art in 2016.
Represented internationally by Gagosian and in London by Cristea Roberts Gallery, the artist is having his first solo show with the San Francisco gallery. Aptly titled “California Dreaming,” the colorful exhibition presents 14 recent paintings that reference musical instruments, everyday objects, personal accessories, flowers and food. Flatly painted with vibrant acrylic colors on square sheets of aluminum, Craig-Martin employs precise lines, distinct graphics and bold compositions to lend visual stimulation to his seemingly simple yet impactful paintings. Untitled (yellow triangle) layers fragments of orchestra instruments in contrasting colors, while Untitled (Prada trainer) captures a stylish sneaker detailed in blue and red that’s harmoniously resting on a bright Fuschia-colored ground. In this show at least, California dreamin’ is becomin’ Sir Michael Craig-Martin’s reality.
Through December 22
