Opening Reception: July 15th, 6-8pm
The Michael Kohn Gallery is
pleased to present new paintings
by New York-based artist, Joan
Nelson. In 1989, Nelson was
selected to be in the prestigious
Whitney Biennial. Known for
working within a Postmodern
sensibility, Nelson combined
minimalist form and art historical
content culled from artists ranging
from Titian to Turner.
Her choice to paint on a simple
form—a square, wooden box—is a
nod to such Modern Masters as
Donald Judd. Transcending into
the realm of sculptural objecthood,
Nelson’s paintings have a
distinctly contemporary feel
while cultivating their place
within a long history of landscape
painting.
Her newest work continues to combine Minimalist form and Post-historical subject matter while
capturing a complexity that brings new life to her unique practice. Inspired by the beautifully lush and
remote area in which she lives, Nelson keeps a visual database in her mind that she draws from for her
paintings. This process of internalizing her surroundings allows her to represent more the presence of
a tree or vine, for example, as opposed to its mere representation.
Playing with the idea of what nature is, and subsequently her role as an artist within it, Nelson
brilliantly and subtly manipulates paint and allows it to realize its own nature and materiality.
Joan Nelson’s work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the
Guggenheim Museum, New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, and the
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington DC, among many others.
For further inquiry please contact Laura Sumser at laura@kohngallery.com, or Lindsey Schiff-Abrams
at lsa424@gmail.com.