Jeffrey Kurland / New Paintings

Jeffrey Kurland / New Paintings
January 16 – February 16, 2020
Art of Our Century

Gagné Contemporary is excited to present Jeffrey Kurland / New Paintings, at Art of Our Century gallery, 137 West 14 Street, 3rd Floor, Greenwich Village, New York.

Please join us Thursday, January 16th, 2020 for the Opening Reception – 6-9pm. Jeffrey Kurland / New Paintings is the inaugural exhibition at Art of Our Century gallery.

Jeffrey Kurland's first solo exhibition of large canvases will feature new abstract paintings. Innovating technically, building structure on the canvas and pushing color abstraction forward on his own terms, Kurland works intuitively – bending, breaking, flowing and channeling color. Broad gesture and active, tactile surfaces emerge from the canvas through his experimental process and approach to materials, application and composition.

Kurland embraces spontaneity and intuition – essentially a tightrope act. There are no preparatory sketches or strategies. In this manner he pursues as much as captures the painting. Lewis Hyde, in his book "Trickster Makes This World", writes:

"Chance operations can change the mind because they circumvent intention. John Cage once said everyday life is more interesting than forms of celebration. Suddenly you notice that the world is magical. We are more likely to appreciate chance if we stop trying to control what happens. One way to do that is to cultivate non-intention. To do it totally is to realize how fully the world is already happening inside us and around us, as if by magic."

Jeffrey Kurland (b.1952) received his BFA in Painting and Printmaking from the University of Michigan, and an MFA in Painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan. He’s been living and working in New York City since 1976, developing his art practice which includes painting, drawing, collage, mono prints and book arts.

Art of Our Century gallery is inspired by Peggy Guggenheim's 1942-47 gallery of a similar name – and will likewise feature emerging artists alongside more established names. The gallery is open Wednesday-Sunday, noon-6pm, 137 West 14 Street, 3rd Floor, and by appointment.