'Shimon Okshteyn: The Artist Estate Part 2' on View in Southampton

On Saturday, June 7, from 6 to 8 p.m. Black & White Gallery/Project Space in Southampton will open “Shimon Okshteyn: The Artist Estate/Part 2.” The new exhibition remains on view through July 26, and features 23 works from 1984 to 2000 that showcase sculpture, collage, print, installation and painting produced by Shimon Okshteyn during a pivotal point in his career — when he moved away from the French-inspired academic approach of expressionism to create the complex body of work in diverse mediums centered on visual motifs that recurred throughout the four decades of art making.

With loans from private collections and works from the artist’s estate many of which will be presented to the public for the first time — the exhibition highlights a deep dive into Okshteyn’s practice and offers a well-rounded picture of the artist, his work and his legacy.

Born in Ukraine, Shimon Okshteyn lived and worked in the United States beginning in 1980. His work has been the subject of many exhibitions since his U.S. debut retrospective exhibition in 1987 at the G.W.V. Smith Museum, Springfield, Massachusetts. During his career Shimon Okshteyn was represented by several international galleries, most notably by OK Harris Works of Art, New York City; Robert Sandelson, London, U.K.; Le Centre d’Art Vaas, Vence, France; Triumph Gallery, Moscow; Russia, K Gallery, St. Petersburg, Russia; Venet House Gallery, Ulm Germany; Stux Gallery, New York City. Since Stux Gallery’s closing in 2016, the work of Shimon Okshteyn, who died in 2020, has been without representation.

The aim of The Shimon Okshteyn Estate is to promote and further the legacy of the artist, and by doing so, highlight his work and identity. Through the newly established exhibition space in Southampton, the estate is giving the public greater insight into the artist’s life and career. In doing so, the hope is to bring his work back into the spotlight and increase the visibility of his works within the local community and beyond.

Black & White Gallery/Project Space is at 4 North Main Street in Southampton. For details, visit blackandwhiteartgallery.com.