Cake Slices

THI-007-MM

Hackett Freedman Gallery presents a selection of exceptional master works by several principal artists of the modern era August 2 - September 1, 2001. "Selected Modern Works" is a rare opportunity to view many singularly beautiful paintings, drawings and works on paper by artists whose talent and influence is recognized by a global audience.

The show includes an outstanding early Joan Mitchell abstraction, Untitled (1960); a superb David Park drawing, Woman Ironing (c. 1955-59); a classic David Hockney pen and ink drawing, Henry & Eugene (1978); and three stunning abstract works: Willem de Kooning's East Hampton IV, (1968), Frank Lobdell's January 1974, and Adolph Gottlieb's Echo #2, (1966). Additionally, there are three particularly noteworthy works to highlight.

Wayne Thiebaud's wonderful mixed media piece, Cake Slices (c. 1965) is a unique work that stands in marked contrast to the more rigid compositions and thickly applied paint typical of his other dessert paintings. However, this clean, frosty image with its pale, watery blue washes is quintessential Thiebaud. Here, the beauty of the artist's brush and intuitive paint handling contrasts with the "assembly line" composition of a series of cake slices (seen only partially). In works such as this, Thiebaud radically and elegantly breaks from still-life tradition.

Alexander Calder's Center Ring #1 (1932) is an exceptional example of his unusual pen and ink drawings. Calder used lines exactly as if they were pieces of wire, drawing nothing that could not have been transformed into sculpture. The result is a work of exceptional precision, clarity and elegance. Calder’s dynamic composition depicting four acrobatic performers is derived from his love of the unique world of the circus and his mastery at depicting action.

Richard Diebenkorn's Valentine's Day (1951), is a striking and unusual work from his early abstract expressionist period. The broad, geometric fields of grays, blacks and whites, broken and bordered with black lines, are punctuated by the glowing, saturated red of a valentine heart peeking from its envelope. Diebenkorn's careful layering of pigment and strongly compartmentalized composition is testament to his singular approach to abstraction and to the use of color fields.