David Zwirner now represents former Mary Boone Gallery artist Barbara Kruger.
Barbara Kruger, Untitled (Shafted), 2008, Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Photo © Fredrik Nilsen. © Barbara Kruger. Courtesy Sprüth Magers and David Zwirner.
Barbara Kruger has been without a New York gallery ever since Mary Boone, who had represented the artist since 1987, was jailed earlier this year, forcing the once-iconic Mary Boone Gallery to shutter. The mega-gallery David Zwirner announced yesterday that it had taken on the artist, and will represent her along with Sprüth Magers, which has represented Kruger for 35 years and operates locations in Berlin, London, and Los Angeles.
David Zwirner himself said in a statement released yesterday:
I have greatly admired Barbara Kruger since I first saw her work at Monika Sprüth Galerie in Cologne more than thirty years ago. Her work has become even more essential in the decades since, speaking truth to power and transitioning from the museum into mainstream culture. We are honored to represent her and look forward to exhibiting her work.
Kruger has been an incredibly prominent art world figure since the 1980s, known for her iconic graphic work that typically employs white text in the font Futura Bold Oblique, laid out over a red or black background, or appropriated photographic imagery. (Fans of the wildly popular streetwear company Supreme may recognize these stylistic choices, as the company blatantly ripped Kruger off.)
Today, Kruger has signature works embedded into the architecture of such major museums as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, MOCA, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. At the 2005 Venice Biennale, the artist received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement.
