Past Exhibitions

3 September–18 December 2005

Christopher Wilmarth Gnomon’s Parade (Late) © Christopher Wilmarth, Courtesy Betty Cuningham Gallery, New York

Artist Frank Stella’s 1966 statement about his work, “What you see is what you see,” has become the unofficial slogan of minimalism, the American-born movement that emerged in the 1960s. Minimalist artists often—though certainly not always—are sculptors concerned with reducing form to its utmost simplicity. Opposed to any type of illusionism, they work with flat surface colors, factory finishes, and industrial materials. The minimalists featured in this exhibition, such as Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, and Donald Judd, intended to create works of art that would be the sole occupants of their presentation space—creating a self-referential environment. In Present Company demonstrates that sculptures by these artists also have the capacity for eloquence in the context of a mutual exchange with works that engage similar concerns of literalism as well as more personal, perhaps even symbolic, associations. The assertion that minimalist work presents itself in its entirety, that it is apprehended only in the purity of its form, minimizes the complexities of experiencing these art objects.

Return to list of Past Exhibitions