The Art of the Discovery

On February 18th, Hollis Taggart Southport is pleased to present The Art of the Discovery, a group exhibition featuring paintings and sculpture from our post-war inventory with a focus on the development of Abstract Expressionism and its continued influence through-out the second half of the twentieth century. The exhibition showcases some of the familiar icons of this period, Hans Hofmann, Richard Pousette-Dart, and Theodoros Stamos, while spotlighting the works by influential artists that defined the era including, James Brooks, Nell Blaine, Friedel Dzubas, John Ferren, Perle Fine, Audrey Flack, Peter Halley, Knox Martin, William Scharf and Yvonne Thomas. The exhibition will open in our Southport, CT location (330 Pequot Avenue) and will be on view through March 27th. An opening reception will take place on February 18th, 5pm-8pm. Masks will be required and all COVID protocols will be followed.

New York City was the center of creative artistic activity after World War II. Displaced European and American artists debated and examined different philosophies, techniques, and expressions. Some artists held onto the tenets of the past, Surrealism, Cubism and Modernism. Others used the past as a springboard to probe new styles. They exploited the physical quality of their mediums to express emotions of desire, mystery, passion, and rhythm while abandoning conventional structured compositions and depictions of forms. No single school, style, theory, nor technique dominated. In 1958, the artist John Ferren, one of our exhibiting artists, stated in his essay titled Epitaph for an Avant-Garde, “We discovered instead that searching was itself a way of art.” He continued, “Our new arrangement was, quite simply, no arrangement. We kept all the elements of painting-those that we knew or felt-suspended, as it were. We faced the canvas with the Self, whatever that was, and we painted.” This exhibition featuring twenty-one artists is a visual experience that highlights this extraordinary post-war period of exploration of differing styles, themes, and techniques.

“We are thrilled to present an exemplarily collection of post-war works by distinguished artists that together illustrate the diversity and development of the Abstract Expressionist movement,” said Paul Efstathiou. “This exhibition, a study of historical works executed in second half of the twentieth century, also highlights the exceptional quality and scholarly themes that Hollis Taggart continues to bring to Fairfield County.”

For more information about The Art of the Discovery or to schedule an appointment, please contact us at info@hollistaggart.com or +1 212.628.4000.