Alicia Longwell, the chief curator of the Parrish Art Museum, will lead a tour and provide a detailed analysis of the exhibition “John Graham: Maverick Modernist” on Friday, June 16, with hopes that the topic will spark conversation among museum visitors. Mr. Graham’s work between the years of 1923 and 1950 is on display in chronological order at the museum in Water Mill through July 30.
The exhibition is described as the first comprehensive retrospective in 30 years of the provocative artist’s work. It features 65 paintings as well as works on paper.
Mr. Graham and his work contributed to the development of a distinctly American approach to art-making in the first half of the 20th century, according to the Parrish. His constant self-reinvention became representative of the desire for artists at the time to discover a new direction in their work. Starting in 1920, Mr. Graham’s work begins with cubist-influenced still lifes, nudes, landscapes and portraits. Then the exhibition leads into the 1930s, when his work became more abstract. By 1940, his portraits inspired by Renaissance and 19th-century French artists were representative of his drastic change in style. In his later pieces, Mr. Graham focused on interests such as mysticism and the occult.
Mr. Graham was known to have spent part of his time in Southampton and East Hampton during the 1950s, and is credited with discovering Jackson Pollock.
The Friday, June 16, the curator’s gallery talk begins at 6 p.m. Admission is $12, or free for Parrish members, children and students. Advance registration is encouraged. Visit parrishart.org.
on Jun 6, 2017