In Memory of My Feelings

American poet Frank O'Hara (1926-1966) moved fluidly in the art and literary circles of fifties and sixties New York, a key period in American cultural history. This groundbreaking exhibition traces the influence he had on a diverse group of artists and shows how their work affected his poetry.

In Memory of My Feelings: Frank O'Hara and American Art presents not only works of art that were influenced by O'Hara's poetry, but also those that were central to his own development as a poet. More than 100 works by twenty-six artists are featured, many of them associated with the East End of Long Island. The artists are Norman Bluhm, Joe Brainard, John Button, Wynn Chamberlain, Elaine de Kooning, Willem de Kooning, Jane Freilicher, Michael Goldberg, Philip Guston, Grace Hartigan, Jasper Johns, Larry Johnson, Howard Kanovitz, Alex Katz, Franz Kline, Lee Krasner, Alfred Leslie, Fred W. McDarrah, Robert Motherwell, Hans Namuth, Alice Neel, Claes Oldenburg, Jackson Pollock, Fairfield Porter, and Larry Rivers. Several works by O'Hara are also included.

O'Hara was not only one of the most important poets of his time, but also a highly respected art critic and a curator at the Museum of Modern Art. Simultaneously with his work within the New York art world, he produced a constant stream of poetry, which was often written on his lunch breaks from the museum. Mirroring O'Hara's own fluidity, the exhibition breaks down conventionally held divisions between the New York School and the early Pop movement, between Abstract Expressionists and figurative painters, to create a more nuanced interpretation of this period.

O'Hara's life was a dynamic part of an eclectic circle of artists and literary figures. He was a central member of the New York School of poets, a group that included John Ashbery, Kenneth Koch, and James Schuyler. O'Hara collaborated directly with the visual artists in his milieu who in turn made work that was inspired by his poetry. His worlds-art and poetry, friendship and work-were inseparable.

The Parrish is the only East Coast venue for this important exhibition, which is organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Accompanied by a fully illustrated 160-page catalogue with an essay by MOCA associate curator Russell Ferguson, the exhibition has been made possible in part by generous support from the Dedalus Foundation, Inc.; the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; Audrey M. Irmas; Beatrice and Philip Gersh; and the Thornton S. Glide, Jr. and Katrina D. Glide Foundation. Its presentation at the Parrish has been made possible in part by Linda and Gregory Fischbach; the Herman Goldman Foundation, Helene and Whitney Stevens; Del Laboratories; the Cowles Charitable Trust; and Dr. and Mrs. Werner Otto.

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In Memory of My Feelings: Frank O´Hara and American Art

Werke von Frank O´Hara, Norman Bluhm, Joe Brainard, John Button, Wynn Chamberlain, Elaine De Kooning, Willem De Kooning, Jane Freilicher, Michael Goldberg, Philip Guston, Grace Hartigan, Jasper Johns, Larry Johnson, Howard Kanovitz, Alex Katz, Franz Kline, Lee Krasner, Alfred Leslie, Fred W. McDarrah, Robert Motherwell, Hans Namuth, Alice Neel, Claes Oldenburg, Jackson Pollock, Fairfield Porter, Larry Rivers, u.a.