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Summer At Its Best

June 24 – August 3, 2022


34 of 46
Benny Andrews (1930-2006) Heaven, 1967 oil on canv...

Benny Andrews (1930-2006)
Heaven, 1967
oil on canvas
44 1/8 x 50 inches / 112.1 x 127 cm
signed

Milton Avery (1885-1965) Dunes and Blue Sea, 1961...

Milton Avery (1885-1965)
Dunes and Blue Sea, 1961
oil on canvasboard
24 x 29 7/8 inches / 61 x 75.9 cm
signed

Mary Bauermeister (b.1934) Needless Needles, 1972...

Mary Bauermeister (b.1934)
Needless Needles, 1972
ink, lithograph, watercolor, colored pencil, glass, glass lens and

painted wood construction
16 x 19 x 4 7/8 inches / 40.6 x 48.3 x 12.4 cm

Harry Bertoia (1915-1978) Untitled (Bush), c.1960...

Harry Bertoia (1915-1978)
Untitled (Bush), c.1960
bronze with patina
11 ½ x 13 x 10 inches / 29.2 x 33 x 25.4 cm

Harry Bertoia (1915-1978) Untitled, c.1965 welded...

Harry Bertoia (1915-1978)
Untitled, c.1965
welded bronze on melt-formed base
26 1/8 x 17 5/8 x 17 5/8 inches / 66.4 x 44.8 x 44.8 cm

Norman Bluhm (1921-1999) Unknown Nature, 1956 oil...

Norman Bluhm (1921-1999)
Unknown Nature, 1956
oil on canvas
50 3/4 x 76 1/2 inches / 128.9 x 194.3 cm
signed

Robert Colescott (1925-2009) Hot Dawg! An Impressi...

Robert Colescott (1925-2009)
Hot Dawg! An Impression, 1981
acrylic on canvas
84 x 72 inches / 213.4 x 182.9 cm
signed

Joseph Cornell (1903-1972) Untitled (Grand Hotel d...

Joseph Cornell (1903-1972)
Untitled (Grand Hotel des Voyageurs), c.1956
wood box construction with printed paper collage, sand, metal and found objects in glass
18 3/8 x 10 3/8 x 3 3/4 inches / 46.7 x 26.4 x 9.5 cm
signed

James Daugherty (1887-1974) Untitled (Joys of the...

James Daugherty (1887-1974)
Untitled (Joys of the Surf), c.1914
gouache and ink on paper
12 1/4 x 16 1/2 inches / 31.1 x 41.9 cm
signed

Willem de Kooning (1904-1997) Untitled (Self-Portr...

Willem de Kooning (1904-1997)
Untitled (Self-Portrait as Mariner), 1961
tempera on board
21 1/2 x 14 1/2 inches / 54.6 x 36.8 cm
 

Elaine de Kooning (1918-1989) Black Mountain #12,...

Elaine de Kooning (1918-1989)
Black Mountain #12, 1948
enamel on paper mounted on canvas
32 1/4 x 37 inches / 81.9 x 94 cm
signed

Dorothy Dehner (1901-1994) Sail, 1975 bronze on wo...

Dorothy Dehner (1901-1994)
Sail, 1975
bronze on wood base
14 1/2 x 16 1/4 x 5 3/4 inches / 36.8 x 41.3 x 14.6 cm
signed

Beauford Delaney (1901-1979) Untitled (Sailboat, V...

Beauford Delaney (1901-1979)
Untitled (Sailboat, Vinalhaven, Maine), 1951
oil on canvas
29 7/8 x 38 inches / 75.9 x 96.5 cm
signed

Beauford Delaney (1901-1979) Untitled, c.1961 oil...

Beauford Delaney (1901-1979)
Untitled, c.1961
oil on canvas
51 ¼ x 38 1/8 inches / 130.2 x 96.8 cm
signed

Thornton Dial (1928-2016) Ice Cream (Some of Them...

Thornton Dial (1928-2016)
Ice Cream (Some of Them Had it Good, Some of Them Didn't Eddie Murphy), c.1993
charcoal, pastel and graphite on paper
30 x 22 1/4 inches / 76.2 x 56.5 cm
signed

Louis Eilshemius (1864-1941) Shining Waters, c.192...

Louis Eilshemius (1864-1941)
Shining Waters, c.1920
oil on paperboard mounted to Masonite
15 x 20 inches / 38.1 x 50.8 cm
signed

Claire Falkenstein (1908-1997) Interpenetration, 1...

Claire Falkenstein (1908-1997)
Interpenetration, 1944-45
wood and sisal rope
35 ¼ x 61 ½ x 4 inches / 89.5 x 156.2 x 10.2 cm

Jared French (1905-1988) Prose, c.1948 casein on p...

Jared French (1905-1988)
Prose, c.1948
casein on panel
19 1/2 x 13 5/8 inches / 49.5 x 34.6 cm
signed

Sam Gilliam (1933-2022) Blue, 1970 oil on canvas 7...

Sam Gilliam (1933-2022)
Blue, 1970
oil on canvas
70 x 64 inches / 50.2 x 50.8 cm
signed

Michael Goldberg (1924-2007) Untitled (4/00-S), 20...

Michael Goldberg (1924-2007)
Untitled (4/00-S), 2000
oil and oil stick on canvas
56 5/8 x 53 1/2 inches / 143.8 x 135.9 cm
estate stamp

Morris Graves (1910-2001) Waterfall, 1943 watercol...

Morris Graves (1910-2001)
Waterfall, 1943
watercolor and tempera on paper
30 5/8 x 26 3/4 inches / 77.8 x 67.9 cm
signed

Robert Gwathmey (1903-1988) Winter's Playgroun...

Robert Gwathmey (1903-1988)
Winter's Playground, c.1947
oil on canvas
25 1/2 x 36 inches / 64.8 x 91.4 cm
signed

David Hare (1917-1992) Sun, Clouds, Mountain, c.19...

David Hare (1917-1992)
Sun, Clouds, Mountain, c.1952

welded steel, brass, copper and epoxy

71 1/2 x 51 x 18 inches / 181.6 x 129.5 x 45.7 cm

Alfred Jensen (1903-1981) Twin Children of The Sun...

Alfred Jensen (1903-1981)
Twin Children of The Sun #14, 1974
oil on canvas
45 x 68 inches / 114.3 x 172.7 cm
signed

Lee Krasner (1908-1984) Water No. 2, 1968 gouache...

Lee Krasner (1908-1984)
Water No. 2, 1968
gouache on Douglas Howell paper
18 x 22 inches / 45.7 x 55.9 cm
signed

Yayoi Kusama (b.1929) Stamens, 1983 mixed media as...

Yayoi Kusama (b.1929)
Stamens, 1983
mixed media assemblage with sewn and stuffed fabric, plastic fibers, and painted wood box
23 5/8 x 13 7/8 x 5 7/8 inches / 60 x 35.2 x 14.9 cm
signed

Blanche Lazzell (1878-1956) Some Flowers from Corn...

Blanche Lazzell (1878-1956)
Some Flowers from Cornelius Ridgeway’s, 1932
oil on canvasboard
16 x 18 inches / 40.6 x 54.7 cm
signed

Norman Lewis (1909-1979) Seachange, 1976 oil on ca...

Norman Lewis (1909-1979)
Seachange, 1976
oil on canvas
50 1/8 x 72 inches / 127.3 x 182.9 cm
signed

Norman Lewis (1909-1979) Untitled, c. 1951 oil on...
Norman Lewis (1909-1979)
Untitled, c. 1951
oil on canvas
21 x 59 3/8 / 53.3 x 150.8
 

 

Boris Margo (1902-1995) Separating, 1962 oil on ca...

Boris Margo (1902-1995)
Separating, 1962
oil on canvas
58 x 52 inches / 147.3 x 132.1 cm
signed

Reginald Marsh (1898-1954) Coney Island Beach, 193...

Reginald Marsh (1898-1954)
Coney Island Beach, 1939
ink and watercolor on paper mounted on board
30 x 50 inches / 76.2 x 127 cm
29 1/2 x 49 1/2 inches / 74.9 x 125.7 cm sight size

Agnes Pelton (1881-1961) Ascent (aka Liberation),...

Agnes Pelton (1881-1961)
Ascent (aka Liberation), 1946
oil on canvas
32 x 21 inches / 81.3 x 53.3 cm

Charles Ethan Porter (1847-1923) Untitled (Roses),...

Charles Ethan Porter (1847-1923)
Untitled (Roses), c.1885
oil on canvas
22 1/8 x 18 inches / 56.2 x 45.7 cm
signed

Fairfield Porter (1907-1975) Harbor Beach, 1968 oi...

Fairfield Porter (1907-1975)
Harbor Beach, 1968
oil on canvas
28 x 32 inches / 71.1 x 81.3 cm
signed

Fairfield Porter (1907-1975) Daffodils and Pear Tr...

Fairfield Porter (1907-1975)
Daffodils and Pear Tree, 1973
oil on Masonite
22 1/2 x 18 1/2 inches / 57.1 x 47 cm
signed

Esphyr Slobodkina (1908-2002) Ancient Sea Song, c....

Esphyr Slobodkina (1908-2002)
Ancient Sea Song, c.1943-45
oil on Masonite
35 1/4 x 43 1/8 inches / 89.5 x 109.5 cm
signed

Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011) Untitled (Ocean's...

Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011)
Untitled (Ocean's Edge), c.1992
glazed porcelain
22 x 9 1/2 x 8 5/8 inches / 55.9 x 24.1 x 21.9 cm
signed

Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011) Untitled (Ocean's...

Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011)
Untitled (Ocean's Edge), c.1994
glazed porcelain
7 3/4 x 5 x 5 inches / 19.7 x 12.7 x 12.7 cm
signed

Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011) Untitled (Ocean's...

Toshiko Takaezu (1922-2011)
Untitled (Ocean's Edge), c.1994
glazed porcelain
7 5/8 x 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches / 19.4 x 14 x 14 cm
signed

Lenore Tawney (1907-2007) Untitled (Shield Series)...

Lenore Tawney (1907-2007)
Untitled (Shield Series), c.1967-70
fiber weaving with paper and feather collage
13 3/4 x 6 1/2 x 1 inches / 34.9 x 16.5 x 2.5 cm
signed

Alma Thomas (1891-1978) Summer at Its Best, 1968 a...

Alma Thomas (1891-1978)
Summer at Its Best, 1968
acrylic and graphite on canvas
49 x 28 inches / 124.5 x 71.1 cm
signed

Bob Thompson (1937-1966) Untitled, 1961 oil on can...

Bob Thompson (1937-1966)
Untitled, 1961
oil on canvas
19 5/8 x 24 1/8 inches / 49.8 x 61.3 cm
signed

Mark Tobey (1890-1976) Untitled, 1969 tempera on p...

Mark Tobey (1890-1976)
Untitled, 1969
tempera on paper
42 1/2 x 23 1/2 inches / 108 x 59.7 cm
signed

Jack Tworkov (1900-1982) Kin, 1963-4 oil on canvas...

Jack Tworkov (1900-1982)
Kin, 1963-4
oil on canvas
60 x 79 inches / 152.4 x 200.7 cm
signed

William T. Williams (b.1942) July Doors, 2018 acry...

William T. Williams (b.1942)
July Doors, 2018
acrylic on canvas
28 1/8 x 20 1/4 inches / 71.4 x 51.4 cm
signed

William Zorach (1887-1966) Untitled (Floral Still...

William Zorach (1887-1966)
Untitled (Floral Still Life), 1914
oil on canvas
17 7/8 x 21 5/8 inches / 45.4 x 54.9 cm
signed



Artists


Press Release

Sunshine and shadow play amid the trees
In bosky groves, while from the vivid sky
The sun’s gold arrows fleck the fields at noon,
      Where weary cattle to their slumber hie.
How sweet the music of the purling rill,
Trickling adown the grassy hill!
While dreamy fancies come to give repose
When the first star of evening glows.
—“July” by Henrietta Cordelia Ray (1852–1916)

Michael Rosenfeld Gallery is pleased to present Summer At Its Best, a group exhibition that celebrates the halcyon days, sultry nights, and scenic vistas of our most beloved season. On view from June 24 through August 5, 2022, Summer At Its Best traces nearly a century of American painting, sculpture, and works on paper, providing visions of the season’s fleeting passions, leisurely idylls, and chromatic richness. The exhibition borrows its title from a 1968 painting by Alma Thomas included in the show that encapsulates the spirit of the presentation in both form and concept: arraying daubs of saturated, warm colors in rhythmic sequences across the canvas, Thomas masterfully captures the flitting light and vivid palette of summer’s landscape.

Summer At Its Best offers an abundance of juxtapositions that reveal unexpected harmonies in the eclectic selection of works on view. Expressionistic gestures inspired by the rise and fall of the sea are the prevailing formal and thematic concerns of ceramicist Toshiko Takaezu’s Ocean’s Edge vessels from the early 1990s, as well as Beauford Delaney’s fauvist portrayal of a day spent sailing off the coast of Maine (1951) and Norman Lewis’ masterful abstraction of the sea’s upheavals, Seachange (1976). A standout example of Delaney’s swirling, allover paintings of pure light is situated in conversation with a Joseph Cornell box of the late 1950s, where an anthropomorphic sun excerpted from the compulsive collector’s library of printed matter beams down over a collage dedicated to the souvenirs of distant travelers. Other exhibition highlights include Heaven (1967) by Benny Andrews, a psychedelic scene of an otherworldly paradise that anticipates the fantastical landscape of his monumental 1975 collage painting Utopia, the sixth and final work in his landmark Bicentennial Series. Reginald Marsh’s depiction of Coney Island’s clamorous midsummer crowds presents a roiling, baroque scene of urban leisure, which is offset by more intimately-scaled seaside works by Milton Avery, James Daugherty, Dorothy Dehner, Louis Elshemius, Robert Gwathmey, and Fairfield Porter.

Masters of abstraction Sam Gilliam, Jack Tworkov, Michael Goldberg, Mark Tobey, and William T. Williams provide vision-encompassing canvasses of high-keyed color and exacting materiality, while a “bush” bronze by Harry Bertoia (1915–1978) and a verdant, hedge-sized Norman Bluhm (1921–1999) painting provide overtones of flourishing botanical life. Bask in the sunshine of solar-themed works by American Surrealists Boris Margo and David Hare (1917–1992), or contemplate the mathematically precise concretism of a major diptych by Alfred Jensen (1903–1981), Twin Children of The Sun #14 (1974). Emphasizing the profusion of life brought about by its titular season, the exhibition is bookended with floral-themed works by Blanche Lazzell, Charles Ethan Porter, William Zorach, and—in her singularly inventive way—Yayoi Kusama.

Five artists included in Summer At Its Best are the subject of major institutional exhibitions open across the country this summer. Bob Thompson: This House Is Mine is on view at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia through September 11, 2022, and has received resounding critical acclaim at each of its previous venues. Originally curated by Diana Tuite for the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine, the exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue published in association with Yale University Press.

On view at The Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut through November 21, 2022, is a stunning group of paintings by Charles Ethan Porter as a primary component of the exhibition David Hartt: A Colored Garden. In conjunction to this exhibition, Hartt has designed and planted a circular garden on the property’s south lawn, populated by sequentially blooming flowers that correspond to the varieties represented in the nine Porter works hanging in the House’s Painting Gallery.

Michael Rosenfeld Gallery’s successful exhibition Be Your Wonderful Self: The Portraits of Beauford Delaney, which opened at the gallery in September 2021, has traveled to the Ogden Museum of Southern art in New Orleans, Louisiana, where it will be on view through July 17, 2022. An accompanying catalogue of the exhibition with a comprehensive chronology and new scholarship by Delaney scholar Mary Campbell is now available.

Celebrating Sam Gilliam’s sixty-year-long career based in Washington, DC, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden recently opened Sam Gilliam: Full Circle, an exhibition of the eighty-eight-year-old artist’s most recent body of paintings; open through September 11, 2022, the new works are contextualized among select historical works demonstrating his recursive yet unfailingly innovative practice.

Finally, Art and Race Matters: The Career of Robert Colescott will open at the New Museum in New York, New York Thursday, June 30, closing October 9, 2022. Curated by Lowery Stokes Sims and Matthew Weseley for the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, Art and Race Matters comprises over fifty Colescott paintings and works on paper that represent the breadth of the artist’s career, in which “he combined appropriation with transgressive attitudes in a way that nobody else has done,” Sims asserts.

After a year of intensive looks at some of our most pioneering artists, we are pleased to offer this respite dedicated to the joys and pastimes of the season. 

Summer At Its Best includes work by Benny Andrews (1930–2006), Milton Avery (1885–1965), Mary Bauermeister (b.1934), Harry Bertoia (1915–1978), Norman Bluhm (1921–1999), Robert Colescott (1925–2009), Joseph Cornell (1903–1972), James Daugherty (1887–1974), Elaine de Kooning (1918–1989), Willem de Kooning (1904–1997), Dorothy Dehner (1901–1994), Beauford Delaney (1901–1979), Thornton Dial (1928–2016), Louis Eilshemius (1864–1941), Claire Falkenstein (1908–1997), Jared French (1905–1987), Sam Gilliam (1933–2022), Michael Goldberg (1924–2007), Morris Graves (1910–2001), Robert Gwathmey (1903–1988), David Hare (1917–1992), Alfred Jensen (1903–1981), Lee Krasner (1908–1984), Yayoi Kusama (b.1929), Blanche Lazzell (1878–1956), Norman Lewis (1909–1979), Boris Margo (1902–1995), Reginald Marsh (1898–1954), Agnes Pelton (1881–1961), Charles Ethan Porter (1847–1974), Fairfield Porter (1907–1975), Esphyr Slobodkina (1908–2002), Toshiko Takaezu (1922–2011), Alma Thomas (1891–1978), Bob Thompson (1937–1966), Mark Tobey (1890–1976), Jack Tworkov (1900–1982), William T. Williams (b.1942), and William Zorach (1887–1966).

Michael Rosenfeld Gallery Summer Hours
JUNE
Tuesday–Saturday, 10AM–6PM

JULY AND AUGUST
Monday–Friday, 10AM–6PM