"Three Sheets to the Wind", 1964, Francis Hewitt "Sea Shapes (#1)", 1960, Beatrice Mandelman 26A, 1965, Paul Reed
The cross-fertilization of ideas and inspiration between art and design continues apace. Exhibit A: “The Responding Eye: ’60s Now,” one of the most intriguing fine art exhibitions to hit Manhattan in recent months, which is currently on view at the Greenwich Village decorative arts gallery Maison Gerard.
The show celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Museum of Modern Art’s landmark 1965 exhibition “The Responsive Eye,” which presented the work of nearly 100 international artists engaged in Op Art, Geometric Abstraction, Hard-Edge Painting, and other forms of expression that turned away from the raw emotion of an earlier generation of gestural abstract painters.
The artists represented in the exhibit may not be as familiar as, say, Mark Rothko or Jackson Pollock, but they nevertheless exerted a profound influence on the Minimalism and Conceptual movements that were beginning to coalesce in the 1960s and early ’70s. For art aficionados who may not happen to possess a Ph.D. in 20th-century painting, this show offers a concise yet compelling introduction to the work of Leon Berkowitz, Francis Hewitt, Beatrice Mandelman, Paul Reed, and others.
The good news for collectors is that, unlike the astronomical sums that canvases by Rothko, Pollock, and their peers typically fetch, the prices for the works on view at Maison Gerard are decidedly more accessible. In any case, they’re well worth seeing.
Artwork curated by David Richard Gallery through May 27, Maison Gerard, 43 & 53 East 10th Street, New York; maisongerard.com