GALERIE BERTRAND & GRUNER

Storm Tharp: It's You

2011-05-14T13:07:00.001+02:00

Galerie Bertrand & Gruner is pleased to present new works by Portland-based artist Storm Tharp, in his second solo exhibition at the gallery.

Tharp’s latest suite of portraits marks a continuing creative departure for the artist. Previous works in ink and water offered portraits of fictional characters drawn from memory and popular culture that mixed delicate and meticulous figuration with
abstraction. Following a solo show of portraits of friend and artist Ashby Lee Collinson in late 2010, Tharp’s current work for the gallery features intimate portraits of two important figures in his life.

With finely attuned sense of colour and line, Tharp creates frank and honest portrayals of his models, Mike and David. Scenes of desire and closeness are underscored by an intense vitality translated via gouaches in soft pinks, earthy reds and mustard yellows. These forge a soft-focus, twilit mood in which pink torsos entwine, and speak, at low
volume, of tenderness and excitement.

Entitled “It’s You”, the exhibition celebrates the natural and the desirable, as well as intimacy. Eschewing sensationalism, Tharp’s erotically-charged yet sensitive portraits give a holistic view of a real relationship, and are complemented with large-scale, deeply expressive facial studies of his models. Where previous portraits hinted at wider narratives, of the history and psychology of his subjects relayed by accoutrements but also the suggestive titles of his works, these new pieces are more mysterious. They rather underscore the aliveness of the subjects and their personal significance to the artist. A controlled interplay between figuration and abstraction is also present, suggesting a degree of flux that is perhaps analogous to the way emotions can shift
and mutate.

The Pink of Sex, a gouache on paper work, presents 18 scenes that form a kind of cinematic progression of frames or snapshots. A camera is held aloft in the third frame but suggests intimacy rather than voyeurism, as well as, perhaps, a medium important to the artist. The bodies portrayed are sturdy, taut and represent idealized, anonymous forms – though an air of familiarity prevails. The overall impression from these frames is of vibrancy, of bodies in bloom. Gesture remains important for the artist; in the final frame, a male figure has his back to the viewer, wearing a striped shirt with the end of his tie peeping over his shoulder. The casual gesture of slinging his tie over his shoulder is suggestive of a particular, relaxed character but also of a mutual ease between artist and subject. It also speaks of the artist’s comfort in allowing the viewer a glimpse into his own world.

Presented in the exhibition alongside paintings are a portfolio of eight drypoint prints made in conjunction with the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) and master printer, Paul Mullowney. The title for these is “Health,” and they impress Tharp’s skill for fine detail: the stripes on a blanket; the hairs on an arm; ripples in water.

Tharp’s new works inevitably bring to the fore the history of portrait painting, with Pablo Picasso especially referenced in some of their chunky, tangled forms. Like a song or a work of fiction, his works have a directness that is fresh and intensely alive. Storm Tharp lives and works in Portland, Oregon. Recent solo exhibitions include Ashby Lee Collinson, Nicole Klagsbrun Gallery, New York (2010), Hercules, PDX Contemporary Art, Portland, OR (2010), High House, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art Time Based Art Festival, Portland, OR (2010), and Arrangement in Flesh Color and Black, galerie bertrand & gruner, Geneva, Switzerland (2008). Tharp was included in the 2010 Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY. His work is in several public and private collections.

Laura Allsop

Storm Tharp
It's You
April 14 - June 4, 2011

Mustafa Maluka in Art Dubai

2011-03-16T11:01:00.003+01:00

Mustafa Maluka
"Identity Loss Syndrome"

Art Dubai
March 15 - 19, 2011
booth B19
www.artdubai.ae

Cynthia Westwood

2011-03-03T15:00:00.005+01:00

Cynthia Weswtood
Solitude
February 10 - April 3, 2011

to see all the works click here

Sam Kaprielov: Expedition

2010-03-10T16:42:00.002+01:00

Sam Kaprielov
Expedition
October 14 - November 13, 2010

to see Sam Kaprielov's works please click here

Sage Vaughn: Human Nature

2010-03-04T16:27:00.002+01:00

Sage Vaughn
Human Nature
February 11 - March 27, 2010

Richard Kern

2010-03-03T16:11:00.003+01:00

Richard Kern
solo show
November 05 - December 19, 2009

Mustafa Maluka

2010-02-03T12:41:00.003+01:00

The Rhetoric of Sincerity / The Sincerity of Rhetoric
September 18 - October 31, 2009

Summer Group Show: July 2 - August 1, 2009

2009-07-02T00:24:00.001+02:00

new works by:
Tom Fruin - Gandalf Gavan - Hankang Huang - Jonathan Hartshorn
Richard Kern - Mustafa Maluka - Schandra Singh - Storm Tharp
Sage Vaughn - Cynthia Westwood - Yarisal & Kublitz

MB&F and Sage Vaughn for "Only Watch".

2009-06-05T11:29:00.004+02:00

MB&F and Sage Vaughn made a unique piece HM2 for Charity Auction "Only Watch".

There is a butterfly trapped in the movement of the latest watch to emerge from MB&F (Maximilian Büsser & Friends). And it has no hope of escaping, because the complicated movement is wrapped in barbed wire. This emotionally charged piece, a one-of-a-kind interpretation of MB&F’s Horological Machine No2, is signed by Sage Vaughn. It will be auctioned at Only Watch, the charity auction to benefit research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy to be held in Monaco on 24 September 2009.

The disease is a genetic disorder affecting boys. It causes a progressive weakening of the muscles that becomes fatal as the child gets older. The Monegasque Association against Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (AMM) is a leading force in the drive to find a cure.

For more information: www.mbandf.com

Storm Tharp in the Whitney Museum

2009-05-24T14:36:00.008+02:00

The gallery is happy to announce the recent acquisition of "Boom" by The Whitney Museum of American Art.The work was previously exhibited at Galerie Bertrand & Gruner's" Arrangement in Flesh Color and Black" and can be seen in the accompanying exhibition catalogue. http://www.whitney.org/

Schandra Singh at MoCA Shanghai

2009-05-24T14:25:00.007+02:00

Schandra Singh's work will be included in the show "India Xianzai" at the MoCA ShanghaiJuly 10 to August 30, 2009.
A group exhibition highlighting the works of contemporary Indian artists such as: Jitish Kallat, Probir Gupta, Subodh Gupta, Sudarshan Shetty, TV Santosh.

Yarisal & Kublitz: feature ArtReview May 09

2009-05-24T14:22:00.001+02:00

ArtReview May 2009 - feature written by Laura Allsop
To see the article click here

"MAYBE IT’S A SWISS THING”, SAYS RONNIE YARISAL, ONE HALF OF YARISAL & KUBLITZ (THE SWISS HALF, THAT IS; THE OTHER, KATJA KUBLITZ, IS DANISH), AS WE DISCUSS THEIR PRACTICE IN A CAFÉ IN BERLIN’S MITTE DISTRICT ON A BLISTERINGLY COLD DAY IN FEBRUARY (...)"

Yarisal & Kublitz: "Forever looks so good right now"

Mustafa Maluka included in "Younger than Jesus: The Artists Directory"

2009-05-24T14:21:00.001+02:00

New Museum & Phaidon Press, 2009

Edited by Lauren Cornell, Massimiliano Gioni, and Laura Hoptman and assembled by a worldwide team of curators, writers, teachers, critics, and artists during the research phase of the New Museum’s new Triennial exhibition, “Younger Than Jesus,” the publication captures an imminent generational change in art, exploring how artists from the same age group can and cannot develop similar interests and express similar—and dissimilar—concerns across geographies and nationalities.

For more information: newmuseum.org

Mustafa Maluka on the cover of "South Africa Art Now"

2009-05-24T14:20:00.003+02:00

Featured on the cover of the upcoming book by Sue Williamson "South Africa Art Now"Edition Harper Collins www.harpercollinscatalogs.com

Mustafa Maluka will have a solo show at Galerie Bertrand & Gruner, Geneva, in September 2009 and at Jack Tilton Gallery, New York, in November 2009

New artist represented: Richard Kern

2009-05-24T14:17:00.006+02:00

Galerie Bertrand & Gruner is pleased to announce that Richard Kern is now represented by the gallery in Switzerland.

His first solo show at the gallery is scheduled for November 2009.

Sage Vaughn at Richard Heller Gallery

2009-05-24T14:10:00.001+02:00

Sage Vaughn work is included in a group show at Richard Heller in Santa Monica, California.

Richard Heller Gallery
Bergamot Station #B-5A
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Group Show
June 5 - July 3, 2009
www.richardhellergallery.com

Sage Vaughn: N.A.S.A. "Way Down" (feat. RZA, Barbie Hatch, & John Frusciante)

2009-05-24T14:09:00.000+02:00

Hankang Huang in ArtReview, March issue

2009-02-24T10:03:00.012+01:00

ArtReview published a review of the solo show "Fragment of Numerous Impacts" in the March 2009 issue.

Hankang Huang doffs his hat to traditional Chinese imagery, setting refined linear forms within a pale mass of paper. His gently ironic take on the clash between old and new, however, firmly situates the work in China’s present: exotic animals and casually hip women wander through the paraphernalia of modern life, melding into one beast (...)
Skye Sherwin

Sage Vaughn solo show in Germany

2009-02-24T09:13:00.005+01:00

Sage Vaugh is having a solo show in Hamburg, Germany with Art Agents Gallery from 3rd of April to 29th of May, 2009.

Art Agents will show Sage Vaughn's work in Art Brussel 2009 (24 - 27 April 2009).

Bertrand & Gruner at Volta5, Basel

2009-02-23T23:50:00.000+01:00

Galerie Bertrand & Gruner will present works by:

Tom Fruin / Gandalf Gavan / Hankang Huang / Schandra Singh / Storm Tharp / Yarisal & Kublitz

For more information: voltashow.com

Schandra Singh at Volta NY

2009-02-23T09:33:00.002+01:00

Schandra Singh lives and works in Poughkeepsie, New York. The MFA Yale graduate will be featured in "The Empire Strikes Back" with the Saatchi Gallery in 2009. In 2008, she held a solo show with Galerie Bertrand & Gruner in Geneva (Switzerland), accompanied by a catalogue with an essay by Greg Tate.

As an artist whose cultural heritage stems from India and Austria, Schandra Singh uses the mode of storytelling of the Indian miniature painter juxtaposed with inspirations of the irony and satire found in Expressionism and Neo-expressionism.

On September 11th, 2001 Schandra Singh experienced and escaped the devastation of the World Trade Towers. Her home and studio were destroyed on that day. She had a large vertical blank canvas which remained unscathed. This is the canvas used for "Untitled". The right side is made up of a pattern of Muslims praying while the left side consists of every person she could gather who perished on that day, totaling 2915 victims. This is the first ever public viewing of "Untitled".

For more information, please see Volta NY website or galerie bertrand & gruner