Exhibition Press Release

Brice Marden: A Retrospective Of Paintings And Drawings To Be Presented At SFMOMA

Exhibition dates: February 23 - May 13, 2007

Release date: October 26, 2006

Download PDF

Exhibition:
Brice Marden: A Retrospective of Paintings and Drawings

Dates:
February 23–May 13, 2007

Organization:
By Gary Garrels, senior curator, Hammer Museum, University of California, Los Angeles

Content:
Brice Marden: A Retrospective of Paintings and Drawings presents an unprecedented gathering of the artist's work. With more than 50 paintings and an equal number of drawings, the exhibition draws from all phases of the artist's career, beginning with works from the 1960s and ending with two new large-scale paintings. The gradual, deliberate evolution of the artist's work becomes evident through the chronological arrangement, as does his constant exploration of light, color, and surface. The work of the first 20 years, characterized by luminous monochrome panels that first won the artist acclaim, here are seen in balance with the celebrated work of the last 20 years, when Marden shifted to calligraphic gestures embedded in shimmering grounds and, most recently, to heightened color.

Curator:
Gary Garrels has been senior curator at UCLA's Hammer Museum since June 2005. Before joining the Hammer, he served as the Robert Lehman Foundation Chief Curator of the Department of Drawings and curator in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (2000–5); the Elise S. Haas Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (1993–2000); senior curator at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis (1991–93); and director of programs at the Dia Center for the Arts in New York (1987–91). The San Francisco presentation is organized by Madeleine Grynsztejn, SFMOMA's Elise S. Haas Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture.

Publication:
The accompanying catalogue, Plane Image: A Brice Marden Retrospective, features an introduction by Garrels on the issues addressed in and the development of Marden's work, as well as its historical significance. The publication also includes scholarly essays on the artist's influences, materials, and processes by Richard Schiff, Effie Marie Cain Regents Chair in Art, University of Texas at Austin; Brenda Richardson, independent scholar and former deputy director and curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art; and Carol Mancusi-Ungaro, associate director of conservation and research at the Whitney Museum of American Art and founding director of the Center for the Technical Study of Modern Art at Harvard University Art Museums. It additionally contains an interview with the artist Michael Duffy, paintings conservator at New York's Museum of Modern Art. These texts are supplemented by an extensive selection of color plates, a comprehensive chronology, an exhibition history, and a bibliography, making this monograph the most complete publication to date on Marden's career. The book is published by the Museum of Modern Art and will be available at the SFMOMA MuseumStore ($60).

Travel:
Following SFMOMA's presentation, the exhibition will travel to the Hamburger Bahnhof, Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin (June 12–October 7, 2007).

Media Contacts

  • Sandra Sloan, 415.357.4174,
  • Libby Garrison, 415.357.4177,
  • Robyn Wise, 415.357.4172,

***

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
151 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94103

Museum hours: Open daily (except Wednesdays): 11 a.m. to 5:45 p.m.; open late Thursdays, until 8:45 p.m. Summer hours (Memorial Day to Labor Day): Open at 10 a.m. Closed Wednesdays and the following public holidays: New Year's Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas. The Museum is open the Wednesday between Christmas and New Year's Day.

Koret Visitor Education Center: Open daily (except Wednesdays): 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; open late Thursdays, until 8:30 p.m. Summer hours: Open at 10 a.m.

Admission prices: adults: $18; seniors: $13; students: $11; SFMOMA members and children 12 and under: free. Admission is free the first Tuesday of each month and half-price on Thursdays after 6 p.m.

SFMOMA is easily accessible by Muni, BART, Golden Gate Transit, SamTrans, and Caltrain. Hourly, daily, and monthly parking is available at the SFMOMA Garage at 147 Minna Street. For parking information, call 415.348.0971.

Visit our Web site at www.sfmoma.org or call 415.357.4000 for more information.

SFMOMA is supported by a broad array of contributors committed to helping advance its mission. Major annual support is provided by Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, the Koret Foundation, and the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund. First Tuesdays are always free, thanks to AT&T. KidstART free admission for children 12 and under is made possible by Charles Schwab & Co.

###