Opening night for an exhibition of paintings co-organized by Jeffrey Dietch and Larry Gagaosian
Unrealism celebrates the new revival of interest in figurative painting and sculpture. It features work of some of the strongest and most original figurative artists from the 1980s generation to the present, focusing on current work. After a decade when conceptually based abstraction dominated the art dialogue, an exciting new group of figurative painters and sculptors has emerged, who are also generating renewed interest in innovative figurative artists previous generations.
Figuration is perhaps the oldest art form, but it is continually evolving, reflecting contemporary concepts of human identity. Figurative art responds to technical innovations like printing, photography, and digital reproduction, but the ancient craft of rendering the figure renews itself with each generation. The artists featured in Unrealism work within the figurative canon without becoming academic. They are able to make the most venerable tradition in art look fresh and contemporary.