Lehmann Maupin is proud to present “Liza Lou: Painting,” an exhibition showcasing new works by the Los Angeles-based artist. Located at the gallery’s New York branch, this exhibition features a series of abstract canvases where Lou delves into the essence of painting—the brushstroke. By leveraging the intense chromatic and refractive qualities of glass beads, Lou transforms her signature material into a novel form of paint. She applies these beads in free-form gestures, creating dynamic and overlapping patterns on the canvas that reimagine the brushstrokes of mid-century American Abstraction.
Simultaneously, Lou’s landmark piece “Trailer” (1998–2000) will be displayed in the Brooklyn Museum lobby gallery. This recent addition to the museum’s permanent collection will debut in September, providing viewers the unique opportunity to experience Lou’s latest work alongside this rarely-seen immersive sculpture.
A Pioneering Career in Contemporary Art
With a career spanning three decades, Liza Lou has gained recognition for introducing beads as a medium in contemporary fine art. Her continuous experimentation has challenged traditional art hierarchies, infusing her work with humor and glamour through a feminist lens. Lou’s art explores the metaphorical potential of a modest material, drawing attention to the poetic and painful dimensions of labor, the artistic process, and the complexities of American life.
New Series: Beads as Paint
In this latest series, Lou’s paintings feature what appear to be quick, painterly gestures rendered in painstaking detail. Beads, resistant to blending or mixing, allow Lou to echo Frank Stella’s directive to “paint as good as in the tube,” applying pure color directly to the canvas. Each stroke’s placement and color are determined in the moment, creating an aesthetic call and response. Colors superimpose or juxtapose, celebrating vibrant contrasts. Bright chroma radiates across the canvas in vivid bursts, while intricate latticework builds up and extends outward. Up close, the tiny, individual three-dimensional pieces of factory-made color jostle against each other, creating micro explosions of surprise that offer a fresh perspective on American Abstract painting.
Solitude and Artistic Revelation
Lou’s current work emerges from a period of solitude in the Mojave Desert in Southern California, where she lived and worked alone. This undisturbed time in nature allowed Lou to focus intensely on the act of painting, magnifying granular gestures and “listening to the material.” This profound engagement with her medium is evident in her new works, which highlight her commitment to materiality, invention, and possibility.
Dual Exhibition Experience
The concurrent exhibitions at Lehmann Maupin and the Brooklyn Museum provide an in-depth look into the evolution of Lou’s practice. Together, they offer a comprehensive view of her innovative approach to art, inviting viewers to explore the intersections of material, process, and meaning in her work.
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