George Adams Gallery

‘Essay & Interviews’ comprises multiple video series’, artist interviews, reminiscences, highlights from our archives, and more. Initially produced remotely during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, this platform now hosts a variety of material relating to the programming of the gallery’s physical space and beyond. Read more on our website, at the link below: https://www.georgeadamsgallery.com/essays-interviews

George Adams Gallery is pleased to present 'Loose Screws: 1974-1989,' a survey of works on paper and paintings by Luis Cruz Azaceta, on view from June 6 through August 9, 2024. This is Azaceta’s seventeenth exhibition with the gallery. George Adams will host an opening reception for the artist on Thursday, June 6, from 6 to 8 PM. Luis Cruz Azaceta (b. 1942) was born in Havana, Cuba, and experienced the violence of the Cuban revolution before emigrating to New York at 18 in 1959. He worked odd jobs and studied, earning a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in 1969. Azaceta's early work, characterized by cartoon-like caricatures, addressed the moral and ethical issues of the time, focusing on urban violence with the intention of inspiring empathy: “The vehicle for compassion is the aesthetic that draws one into looking closely at what are, perhaps, sometimes horrific subjects and embracing them.” He used humor to mask the atrocities he witnessed in New York. In 1975, Azaceta debuted with his “Subway Series” at Allan Frumkin Gallery in “New Talent”, depicting the New York City subway and its passengers as animal-like creatures shaped by an unsympathetic environment. His colorful palette almost distracts from the grim subjects, such as dismembered limbs in a hotdog box in 'Ji Ji Ji Express,' (1974-75) or the figures hanging from nooses in 'No Parking Any Time' (1978), creating a “tragi-comic outcry at Man’s Condition.” Azaceta's work, influenced by both his experiences in Cuba and New York, was violent and rough, often compared critically to Goya and Daumier, coming out of a tradition of cartoon-like social commentary. His 1979 solo debut with Allan Frumkin focused on the brutality of city life, leading the New York Post to title their review "Canvas filled with terror." Throughout the 1980s, Azaceta's work continued to tackle the dark realities of inner-city life, emphasizing the experiences of marginalized people. He developed a raw, expressionistic style of painting on a massive scale to channel the anguish and fear around him. In 1987, in response to the growing crisis of AIDS, Azaceta began making paintings directly addressing the senseless loss of the epidemic. Over the next few years, he completed several works directly addressing the disease - bleakly illustrating the toll in human lives through piles of skulls and ticking clocks seen in 'The Plague: Aids Epidemic' (1987). He utilized a humanistic and sympathetic approach, where often his figures are self-portraits. By equating himself with those affected, his message is one of empathy. Luis Cruz Azaceta currently lives and works in New Orleans. Azaceta has exhibited internationally and was the subject of a career retrospective organized by the American Museum of the Cuban Diaspora, Miami in 2016. He has been the recipient of several major grants and awards including a Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Grant in 1985, a Mid-Atlantic Grant for special projects in 1989, and a Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant in 2009. His work is included in major public collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Blanton Museum of Art, Austin; El Museo del Barrio, New York; the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC; the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento; and the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, Monterrey, Mexico, among others.

The George Adams Gallery is pleased to present 'Visual Koans: Sculpture and Works on Paper,' a survey exhibition of works by Noel Neri. Neri's debut exhibition with the gallery will be on view from April 12 through May 24, 2024. The gallery will host an opening reception with the artist on Friday, April 12, from 6 to 8 PM. Noel Neri's sculptures, though initially appearing abstract, are meticulously crafted based on precise measurements derived from bodily proportions. Coated in auto body paint on steel, Neri’s sculptures stand as imposing monuments to introspection and enlightenment. For example, 'Govardhana Mountain' (2019) is a self-portrait—its dimensions correspond directly to Neri's overall proportions. In his pursuit to strip away vanity and ego, Neri reduces the human form to austere geometric shapes, ensuring that each dimension corresponds precisely to a bodily reference. Through this process, Neri's sculptures transcend mere representations of physical bodies, instead serving as reflections of the mind and spirit, evoking the ephemeral nature of corporeal existence. Approaching the figure as non-representational, Neri offers an alternative means of selfrepresentation, eschewing traditional depictions in favor of abstract forms that examine the essence of being. His work functions akin to visual koans—riddles used in Zen Buddhism to transcend logical reasoning and stimulate enlightenment. Like a koan, Neri's intention is for his sculptures to pose profound questions, encouraging viewers to contemplate personal growth and the shared human condition. Through introspection, Neri's works invite individuals to contemplate their own evolution and the interconnectedness of humanity. Noel Neri (b. 1962, San Francisco, CA) received his BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1995 and his MFA from the Rinehart School of Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1998. His work is in public collections including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Neri lives and works in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

George Adams Gallery is pleased to present 'Real Estate Developments: New Paintings,' an exhibition of paintings and a site-specific mural by Chris Ballantyne, on view from April 12 through May 24, 2024. This is Ballantyne’s second exhibition with George Adams Gallery. The gallery will host an opening reception with the artist on Friday, April 12, from 6 - 8 PM. The exhibition features a selection of recent paintings that depict contemporary landscapes, exploring the intersection of manufactured structures and natural environments. Using acrylic on birchwood panels, Ballantyne juxtaposes renderings of crowded suburban homes and cityscapes with the depth of an ocean or the ruggedness of a steep ravine. The inherent texture of the birchwood grain enhances the depth of his compositions, infusing his landscapes with a tangible, tactile quality. Ballantyne's childhood was marked by frequent moves due to his father's career with the Coast Guard, often to coastal suburbs across the US. These experiences left him with a strong connection to suburbia – for example, the painting 'Housetops' (2023), which captures the sprawling nature of suburban development and the monotony of endless, interlocking rooftops. In 'Rooftop with Lounge Chair' (2023), Ballantyne renders an urban apartment building in tranquil light. By deliberately omitting descriptive details, the artist encourages viewers to project their own experiences onto the scene, utilizing the raw, unfinished wood panel as the primary backdrop for his composition. Notably, while Ballantyne's subjects are often the urban and suburban landscapes, a human presence is implied but never depicted, infusing them with an unsettling sense of stillness. Serving as a counterpoint to the built-up environments of his paintings, Ballantyne will create a site-specific work for the exhibition: a mural embodying the depths of a body of water, painted directly on the gallery wall. Chris Ballantyne (b. 1972, Mobile, AL) has been the subject of over fifteen solo exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. He was the recipient of several awards including the Tournesol Award and Residency at the Headlands Center for the Arts in 2004, a Joan Mitchell Foundation Grant in 2005, and a Tamarind Institute Invitational Residency in 2013. His work is included in public collections such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, the Art Rotterdam Foundation, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and the Judith Rothschild Foundation, New York, among others. Ballantyne received his BA from the University of South Florida, Tampa in 1997 and his MFA from San Francisco Art Institute in 2002. Ballantyne lives and works in Manhattan, New York.

The George Adams Gallery is pleased to present Going Our Way, a group exhibition of paintings, drawings, and sculptures by Robert Arneson, Joan Brown, Roy De Forest, Viola Frey, M. Louise Stanley, and William T. Wiley. Known for its enduring commitment to art from the San Francisco Bay Area, the exhibition maintains the gallery’s tradition of championing the region’s artistic heritage. The artists included are connected through the unique influence of the Bay Area on their work, and the title reflects each artist's response to prevailing trends over a span of three decades. While they worked in different styles and across media, the six artists are united in their rejection of the impersonal, “objective” attitude that informed the dominant West Coast trends of Formalism, Photorealism and New Abstraction. Instead, each in their own way celebrates an intimate, subjective, and idiosyncratic autobiographical expression – an approach that the exhibition traces from their earliest work in the 1960s and continues through the 1970s and 1980s. The artists included in the exhibition all lived and worked in the San Francisco Bay Area. Arneson, Brown and Frey were born in California, while De Forest, Stanley and Wiley all moved to the Bay Area to study art. Brown, De Forest and Wiley attended the San Francisco Art Institute (then the California School of Fine Arts) while Arneson, Frey and Stanley studied at the California College of Arts and Crafts. From the early 1960s through the 1980s Arneson, De Forest and Wiley were on the faculty at the University of California, Davis. Brown taught at UC Berkeley, where she eventually chaired the Art Department. Frey and Stanley both taught at the California College of Arts and Crafts. Not to be overlooked, Arneson, Brown, De Forest and Wiley were represented by the same galleries on both coasts. The educational and professional connections between the exhibited artists highlight the collaborative and supportive environment that flourished in the Bay Area during this period. Their shared experiences at institutions (such as the San Francisco Art Institute and the California College of Arts and Crafts), as well as their subsequent roles as educators, highlight the symbiotic relationship between their artistic development and the nurturing community they helped cultivate. Robert Arneson (b. 1930, Benicia, California, d. 1992, Benicia, California), is known as one of the pre-eminent American sculptors of his generation. Arneson earned his BFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts and his MFA in ceramics from Mills College. He founded the ceramics program at the University of California, Davis where he would remain on faculty for nearly thirty years. In the early 1960s, Arneson developed an irreverent and humorous approach to sculpture, later dubbed as “Funk.” He used self-portraiture as a method to examine the human condition: a theme present throughout his work until the end of his life. Arneson exhibited widely during his career and is recognized as a key figure in the re-consideration of ceramics as a sculptural medium. His work can be found in the collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.; and Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois, among others. He has been the subject of several traveling retrospectives, in 1974, organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; in 1986-87, organized by the Des Moines Art Center, Iowa, and posthumously in 1993, at the Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, California. Joan Brown (b. 1938, San Francisco, California, d. 1990, Puttaparthi, India) is considered a leading figure in the second generation of the Bay Area Figurative movement. Early on in her career, she received praise for dense Abstract Expressionist paintings, however she ultimately pivoted from the style in favor of autobiographical, figurative paintings. Her portraits and self-portraits were painted in a purposefully flat and colorful style. Brown earned both her BFA and MFA at the California College of Arts and Crafts and was a professor emeritus at UC Berkeley. Brown’s work is represented in many institutional collections across the country, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.; and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Arkansas. Her work is currently on tour in her most comprehensive retrospective to date. It opened at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California in 2022 before traveling to the Carnegie Museum of Art, Philadelphia. Its last stop will be at the Orange County Museum of Art, California, where it will be on view from February 1 - May 7, 2024. Roy De Forest (b. 1930, North Platte, Nebraska, d. 2007, Vallejo, California) was a painter, sculptor, and educator, and is considered a major contributor to both the Funk art and Nut art movements. De Forest earned his BA from the California School of Fine Arts and his MFA from San Francisco State University. De Forest was a professor at UC Davis for nearly three decades. He is known for his paintings depicting richly colored and textured fantasy worlds containing flat, stylized landscapes in juxtaposition with cartoon-like animals and human figures. He exhibited widely during his lifetime, and was the subject of two major retrospectives, one in 1974, and posthumously in 2017, organized by the Oakland Museum, California. His work can be found in major public collections internationally, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, among others. Viola Frey (b. 1933, Lodi, California, d. 2004, Oakland, California) was an artist known for her monumental ceramic sculptures, smaller figural groupings, and plates, though her practice also encompassed painting, drawing, and photography. She received her BFA from the California College of Arts and Crafts and her MFA from Tulane University. Frey returned to the California College of Arts and Crafts as a professor in 1965, ultimately becoming chair of the ceramics program. Frey’s artistic style is characterized by an emphasis on the human figure, a robust visual vocabulary, and energetic color and line. Her work has been exhibited extensively and is included in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California, among others. M. Louise Stanley (b. 1942, Charleston, West Virginia) is known for work that explores narratives of both current and fictitious events and often incorporates social commentary and satire. She moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1965, where she received her BFA and MFA in painting from the California College of Arts and Crafts. She often employs “real” space juxtaposed with caricature to create an edgy effect. Similarly, she utilizes humor to connect with darker themes. Stanley’s involvement in the Women’s Artist movement inspired paintings relating to gender issues and sexual politics in the art world. She developed an alter ego who frequently appears in her paintings as an “Archetypal Artist”. Most recently, her work reflects research she conducted during her travels in Europe, where she led and organized the “Art Lover’s Tours” for 14 years. Her work has been exhibited widely throughout California, such as the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art; Richmond Art Center; and California College of Arts, among others. Stanley currently lives and works in Emeryville, California. William T. Wiley (b. 1937, Bedford, Indiana, d. 2021, Kentfield, California) was a multidisciplinary artist and educator known for his experimental approach and open personality. He was a key contributor to the Funk movement, and his interest in Americana led to his work being coined “Dude Ranch Dada.” While he initially focused on sculptures and assemblages, he is best known for dense landscapes and interior scenes overlaid with humorous text. Wiley exhibited widely throughout his career and his work can be found in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California; and the Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, among others.

Craig Calderwood, Bad Panacea, 2023. Upholstery fabric, acrylic, wrought iron, One Shot enamel paint, 59 1/2 x 36 inches.

Peter Saul, Marfak, 1965. Crayon, ink on museum board, 30 x 40 inches.

To inaugurate George Adams Gallery’s new Tribeca space, we are pleased to present drawings, prints and illustrated letters by H. C. Westermann, exploring his depictions of America.

A group exhibition of paintings and drawings from the 1970s to the present.