“What’s for Dinner” is the inaugural exhibition of Galerie Gmurzynska’s ground floor expansion at its New York location on 78th and Madison.
The exhibition spans the 20th century and its movements, a unique journey through the artistic languages that have characterized the relationship between art and food, including among others:
Arman - Donald Baechler - Rudolf Bauer - Georges Braque - Will Cotton - Sonia Delaunay - Anh Duong - James Ensor - Robert Indiana - Wifredo Lam - Kazimir Malevich - Joan Miró - Louise Nevelson - Richard Pettibone - Jean Pigozzi - Otto Piene - Arnulf Rainer - Mel Ramos - Alexander Rodchenko - Antonio Saura - Victor Servranckx - Kurt Schwitters - David Smith - Daniel Spoerri - Wayne Thiebaud - Georges Vantongerloo - Theo van Doesburg - Bart van der Leck - Édouard Vuillard…
At its core the concept of this exhibition is related to and inspired by the seminal 2015 Expo Milan “Art & Food” Pavilion, hosted by the Palazzo Triennale and curated by Germano Celant, to which Galerie Gmurzynska was a substantial lender. The 2015 exhibitions motto was “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life” a topic more up to date today than ever. Several of the works lent to the Milan Expo are featured in “What’s for Dinner?”
Georges Braque’s (1882-1963) contributions to cubism are represented by the delightful 1917 Still Life, Sorgues, a work echoing some of the most important elements in the artist’s cubist oeuvre. This work was descended in an important family collection and acquired during his artist’s lifetime. It is featured in a publication by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.
Joan Miró’s (1893–1983) Metamorphosis is part of an exceptionally rich period in his career. It belongs to the artist’s series by the same name. Created between March 23rd and April 4th, 1936, these seminal works, of which there are only a few, mark a point of discovery for the artist, as he developed an emblematic pictorial language that would saturate the balance of his career, foreshadowing aspects of Pop Art.
First shown at the 1964 World’s Fair, Pop Artist Robert Indiana’s (1928–2018) spectacular work The Electric Eat, will make a return to NY. This iconic illuminated sculpture was on display outside Philip Johnson’s New York State Pavilion during the fair, alongside works by his contemporaries. Since then, it has been featured in numerous museum exhibitions, including the Robert Indiana retrospective at the Whitney Museum in 2013–14.
Sonia Delaunay (1885–1979) was a key figure in the Parisian avant-garde who was instrumental to abstract art. Along with her husband, Robert Delaunay and others, she co-founded the Orphism art movement, which was known for vivid color and geometric forms. An emblematic work, Projet pour l’affiche Chocolat (1916–1917) blends these together in an energetic feast that captures the joy that food brings.
Two untitled pieces by the German artist Rudolf Bauer (1889–1953) depict couples sitting across from one another, brought together by food. An intimate moment, perhaps a first date or a celebratory dinner, he captures the unifying power of a meal. Bauer’s work forms an integral part of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s Founding Collection.
The acclaimed Pop artist Mel Ramos (1935–2018) juxtaposes nude women with candy and other symbols of mass consumption, such as in Five Flavor Frieda (2010). These playful images are at once a commentary on mass media and the portrayal of women in advertising and a celebration of form and figure.
A work by Wayne Thiebaud (b 1920) presents a hallmark theme in the artist’s oeuvre. The colors vibrate next to one another and are emblematic of the sweetest parts of life. His depictions of sweets and pastries displayed in tasteful and nostalgic arrangements are in the collections of America’s top museums including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.