Galerie Gmurzynska

20th Century American Masters highlights the important contribution American Art of the 20th century has made on 20th Century Art, by selecting artists and works that are both highly representative of what would be expected with such a title, as well as surprising discoveries. Thereby taking a supposedly well known theme and giving it a US / European twist.

Considering the earlier part of the 20th century, artists such as David Smith and Louise Nevelson took still inspiration from European art while crating a distinctly new, all American Art. Smith drew inspiration from Picasso and Gonzalez while Nevelson looked at Schwitters and Rodchenko. Whereas Robert Indiana and Tom Wesselmann drew their inspiration from an all American spirit and themselves in turn highly influencing European Art. And then there are the two discoveries to be made in this exhibition: Ronnie Cutrone and Dan Basen. Cutrone having been highly influential in the context of his close collaboration with Andy Warhol was a well known figure in the New York art world of the 1970’s and 1980’s before going into hiding over the fear of being sued by Hollywood film studio’s for his use of well known Cartoon-Figures in his art. Dan Basen, who showed in the late 1960’s and 1970’s with the Allan Stone Gallery in New York, was himself a significant influence on Jean Michel Basquiat. Basen being an introversive, much respected “artists artist”, he died by his own hand at a very young age.

It has always been our goal with every exhibition we mount for the visitor to take away from it something he did not know before and to make curious to learn more. This summer exhibition in the mountains of Switzerland attempts to point out what is all too familiar to us and what is still as fresh and challenging in American Art of the 20th Century to an European audience.

Galerie Gmurzynska

VIA SERLAS 22
7500 ST. MORITZ – SWITZERLAND
TEL: +41 (81) 8 33 36 51
FAX: +41 (81) 8 33 36 58

JULY – AUGUST

TUES – SAT, 11:00 – 19:00