Ed Moses: Cross-Cut

Christopher Grimes Gallery, in conjunction with LA Louver, is pleased to present a new body of work by celebrated California artist, Ed Moses. A reception will be held on Saturday, January 17 from 6 to 8 PM. The gallery is located at 916 Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica.

Ed Moses has contributed exponentially to a long tradition of contemporary painting on the West Coast and is considered by many to be the most innovative painter following the likes of John McLaughlin, Richard Diebenkorn and Sam Francis. The breadth of paintings that resulted from his particular exploration of self and spirit seem radical in the face of his contemporaries whose work became known for its rigorous formal approach.

Perhaps most influential to Moses’ work are his practices in Tibetan Buddhism, the aesthetic quality of gesture and the play of space/interval and color. The Buddhist concept of abandoning control is evident in Moses’ unique painting process – one that involves hosing down the canvas and applying paint. In Moses’ own words “Mine are direct acts of applying and removing paint from the belly to the hand.” These principals of chance and improvisation in his artistic process are informed by the history of abstraction as well as through his own formal practices. Moses, therefore, sets himself apart from other major movements – such a minimalism and abstract expressionism - and positions himself as a distinctly West Coast artist.

Cross-Cut, the title for this exhibition, will feature new paintings that carry on Moses’ hallmark use of the constructed canvas – works that may rely solely on the archetypal rectangle assembled from dissimilar sizes. It is activated by layered grounds and punctuated with looping forms resulting in a constant shift of focus. The surface texture is extremely controlled to keep the quantity of paint to a minimum.

Ed Moses is included in the collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Museum of Modern Art, New York; Art Institute of Chicago; Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Menile Foundation, Houston; Philadelphia Museum of Art; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, among others.

Pressetext

Ed Moses: Cross-Cut
Kooperation: LA Louver, Venice