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To Bend the Ear of the Outer World

Conversations on contemporary abstract painting

June 1–August 25, 2023
Grosvenor Hill, London

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Installation video

Installation view Artwork, left to right: © Tomma Abts, © Cecily Brown. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork, left to right: © Tomma Abts, © Cecily Brown. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork, left to right: © Stanley Whitney; © 2023 Frank Bowling. All rights reserved/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/DACS, London; © Tomma Abts. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork, left to right: © Stanley Whitney; © 2023 Frank Bowling. All rights reserved/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/DACS, London; © Tomma Abts. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view with Brice Marden, Rivers (2020–21) Artwork © 2023 Brice Marden/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view with Brice Marden, Rivers (2020–21)

Artwork © 2023 Brice Marden/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork, left to right: © Gerhard Richter 2023 (13032023); © Stanley Whitney; © 2023 Frank Bowling. All rights reserved/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/DACS, London. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork, left to right: © Gerhard Richter 2023 (13032023); © Stanley Whitney; © 2023 Frank Bowling. All rights reserved/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/DACS, London. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork, left to right: © Stanley Whitney, © Suzan Frecon. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork, left to right: © Stanley Whitney, © Suzan Frecon. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view with David Reed, #593-3 (2005–22) Artwork © David Reed/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view with David Reed, #593-3 (2005–22)

Artwork © David Reed/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view with Charline von Heyl, Circus (2022) Artwork © Charline von Heyl. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view with Charline von Heyl, Circus (2022)

Artwork © Charline von Heyl. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view with Albert Oehlen, Martin Rev or Alan Vega (2022) Artwork © Albert Oehlen. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view with Albert Oehlen, Martin Rev or Alan Vega (2022)

Artwork © Albert Oehlen. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view with Richard Aldrich, Untitled (2019/2022–23) Artwork © Richard Aldrich. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view with Richard Aldrich, Untitled (2019/2022–23)

Artwork © Richard Aldrich. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view with Suzanne Jackson, Palimpsest Grit (2022–23) Artwork © Suzanne Jackson. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view with Suzanne Jackson, Palimpsest Grit (2022–23)

Artwork © Suzanne Jackson. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork, left to right: © Oscar Murillo, © Jadé Fadojutimi. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork, left to right: © Oscar Murillo, © Jadé Fadojutimi. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork, left to right: © Jadé Fadojutimi, © Thilo Heinzmann. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork, left to right: © Jadé Fadojutimi, © Thilo Heinzmann. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork, left to right: © Thilo Heinzmann, © Ryan Sullivan. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork, left to right: © Thilo Heinzmann, © Ryan Sullivan. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork, left to right: © Ryan Sullivan, © 2023 Jennie C. Jones. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork, left to right: © Ryan Sullivan, © 2023 Jennie C. Jones. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork, left to right: © Ryan Sullivan, © Oscar Murillo. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork, left to right: © Ryan Sullivan, © Oscar Murillo. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork, left to right: © John Zurier, © 2023 Jennie C. Jones. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork, left to right: © John Zurier, © 2023 Jennie C. Jones. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork, left to right: © Tauba Auerbach, © John Zurier: Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork, left to right: © Tauba Auerbach, © John Zurier: Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view Artwork, left to right: © Nathlie Provosty, © Tauba Auerbach. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Installation view

Artwork, left to right: © Nathlie Provosty, © Tauba Auerbach. Photo: Lucy Dawkins

Works Exhibited

Frank Bowling, Passtheball, 2022 Acrylic, acrylic gel, and found objects on canvas with marouflage, 127 ¾ × 73 ½ inches (324.5 × 186.7 cm)© Frank Bowling. All rights reserved/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/DACS, London, 2023. Photo: Anna Arca

Frank Bowling, Passtheball, 2022

Acrylic, acrylic gel, and found objects on canvas with marouflage, 127 ¾ × 73 ½ inches (324.5 × 186.7 cm)
© Frank Bowling. All rights reserved/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/DACS, London, 2023. Photo: Anna Arca

Cecily Brown, It’s not yesterday anymore, 2022 Oil on linen, in 3 parts, overall: 67 × 123 inches (170.2 × 312.4 cm)© Cecily Brown. Photo: Genevieve Hanson

Cecily Brown, It’s not yesterday anymore, 2022

Oil on linen, in 3 parts, overall: 67 × 123 inches (170.2 × 312.4 cm)
© Cecily Brown. Photo: Genevieve Hanson

Jadé Fadojutimi, And willingly imprinting the memory of my mistakes, 2023 Acrylic, oil, oil pastel, and oil stick on canvas, 118 ⅛ × 196 ⅞ inches (300 × 500 cm)© Jadé Fadojutimi. Photo: Mark Blower

Jadé Fadojutimi, And willingly imprinting the memory of my mistakes, 2023

Acrylic, oil, oil pastel, and oil stick on canvas, 118 ⅛ × 196 ⅞ inches (300 × 500 cm)
© Jadé Fadojutimi. Photo: Mark Blower

Suzan Frecon, persian mare mars, 2022 Oil on linen, in 2 parts, overall: 108 × 87 ⅜ inches (274.3 × 221.9 cm)© Suzan Frecon. Photo: Robert McKeever

Suzan Frecon, persian mare mars, 2022

Oil on linen, in 2 parts, overall: 108 × 87 ⅜ inches (274.3 × 221.9 cm)
© Suzan Frecon. Photo: Robert McKeever

Suzanne Jackson, Palimpsest Grit, 2022–23 Acrylic, canvas, graphite, aluminum, raw silk, shredded mail, twine, string, wood, braided string, acrylic detritus, and mesh, 105 × 62 × 2 ½ inches (266.7 × 157.5 × 6.4 cm)© Suzanne Jackson. Photo: David Kaminsky

Suzanne Jackson, Palimpsest Grit, 2022–23

Acrylic, canvas, graphite, aluminum, raw silk, shredded mail, twine, string, wood, braided string, acrylic detritus, and mesh, 105 × 62 × 2 ½ inches (266.7 × 157.5 × 6.4 cm)
© Suzanne Jackson. Photo: David Kaminsky

Brice Marden, Rivers, 2020–21 Oil and graphite on linen, 96 × 72 inches (243.8 × 182.9 cm)© 2023 Brice Marden/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Bill Jacobson Studio

Brice Marden, Rivers, 2020–21

Oil and graphite on linen, 96 × 72 inches (243.8 × 182.9 cm)
© 2023 Brice Marden/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo: Bill Jacobson Studio

Oscar Murillo, manifestation, 2020–22 Oil, oil stick, graphite, and spray paint on canvas and linen, 110 ¼ × 106 ¼ inches (280 × 269.9 cm)© Oscar Murillo. Photo: Tim Bowditch and Reinis Lismanis

Oscar Murillo, manifestation, 2020–22

Oil, oil stick, graphite, and spray paint on canvas and linen, 110 ¼ × 106 ¼ inches (280 × 269.9 cm)
© Oscar Murillo. Photo: Tim Bowditch and Reinis Lismanis

Albert Oehlen, Martin Rev or Alan Vega, 2022 Acrylic, spray paint, oil, and enamel on canvas, 72 × 69 inches (182.9 × 175.3 cm)© Albert Oehlen. Photo: Jeff McLane

Albert Oehlen, Martin Rev or Alan Vega, 2022

Acrylic, spray paint, oil, and enamel on canvas, 72 × 69 inches (182.9 × 175.3 cm)
© Albert Oehlen. Photo: Jeff McLane

David Reed, #593-3, 2005–22 Acrylic on polyester, 105 × 49 inches (266.7 × 124.5 cm)© David Reed. Photo: Robert McKeever

David Reed, #593-3, 2005–22

Acrylic on polyester, 105 × 49 inches (266.7 × 124.5 cm)
© David Reed. Photo: Robert McKeever

Gerhard Richter, Abstraktes Bild (Abstract Painting) (952-1), 2017 Oil on canvas, 78 ¾ × 78 ¾ inches (200 × 200 cm)© Gerhard Richter 2023 (13032023)

Gerhard Richter, Abstraktes Bild (Abstract Painting) (952-1), 2017

Oil on canvas, 78 ¾ × 78 ¾ inches (200 × 200 cm)
© Gerhard Richter 2023 (13032023)

Charline von Heyl, Circus, 2022 Oil, acrylic, and charcoal on canvas, 82 × 78 inches (208.3 × 198.1 cm)© Charline von Heyl. Photo: Jason Mandella

Charline von Heyl, Circus, 2022

Oil, acrylic, and charcoal on canvas, 82 × 78 inches (208.3 × 198.1 cm)
© Charline von Heyl. Photo: Jason Mandella

About

Gagosian is pleased to announce To Bend the Ear of the Outer World: Conversations on contemporary abstract painting, an exhibition of new and recent works by more than forty artists from the Americas, United Kingdom, and Germany. The exhibition has been organized by guest curator Gary Garrels, who, in collaboration with the artists, has selected a single painting by each, with most works presented here for the first time. This is Gagosian’s first exhibition to be sited across its two galleries in Mayfair, at Grosvenor Hill and Davies Street.

The exhibition in London examines the significance of abstract painting today, from Garrels’s perspective. Juxtaposing a diverse range of approaches to contemporary abstraction, the exhibition brings together works by three generations of artists, including some never before shown by Gagosian.

Participating artists include Tomma Abts, Richard Aldrich, Tauba Auerbach, Frank Bowling, Mark Bradford, Cecily Brown, Vija Celmins, Matt Connors, Tomm El-Saieh, Jadé Fadojutimi, Suzan Frecon, Katharina Grosse, Mark Grotjahn, Wade Guyton, David Hammons, Mary Heilmann, Thilo Heinzmann, Richard Hoblock, Jacqueline Humphries, Suzanne Jackson, Jennie C. Jones, Brice Marden, Helen Marden, Julie Mehretu, Oscar Murillo, Albert Oehlen, Laura Owens, Nathlie Provosty, David Reed, Gerhard Richter, Amy Sillman, Pat Steir, Ryan Sullivan, Lesley Vance, Charline von Heyl, Mary Weatherford, Stanley Whitney, Pamela Helena Wilson, Terry Winters, Christopher Wool, and John Zurier.

To Bend the Ear of the Outer World is the conceptual successor of Oranges and Sardines (200809), an exhibition of abstract painting organized by Garrels at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, which included work by some of the same artists. The titles of both exhibitions are derived from verses by Frank O’Hara.

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Artists

Tomma Abts
Richard Aldrich
Tauba Auerbach
Frank Bowling
Mark Bradford
Cecily Brown
Vija Celmins
Matt Connors
Tomm El-Saieh
Jadé Fadojutimi

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Press

Gagosian
press@gagosian.com

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Toby Kidd
tkidd@gagosian.com

Ashleigh Barice
abarice@gagosian.com

Bolton & Quinn
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Erica Bolton
erica@boltonquinn.com

Daisy Taylor
daisy@boltonquinn.com

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News

Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, London. Photo: Philip Vile

Visit

London Gallery Weekend 2023

June 2–4, 2023
Various locations in London
londongalleryweekend.art

As part of London Gallery Weekend, Gagosian will have extended hours at all London locations, including the Gagosian Shop in Burlington Arcade. Visitors can view the group exhibition To Bend the Ear of the Outer World: Conversations on contemporary abstract painting, organized by guest curator Gary Garrels, sited across the Grosvenor Hill and Davies Street galleries in Mayfair, as well as Andy Warhol’s Insiders—featuring Warhol prints, publications, merchandise, and rare books and posters—at the Shop.

The gallery will host several activities, including exhibition tours, drop-in drawing hours for visitors of all ages, and a pop-up bookshop at Grosvenor Hill. To celebrate the recent release of Gagosian’s six hundredth title, the pop-up will offer six hundred Gagosian publications for £10 each, as well as a 20% discount on the To Bend the Ear of the Outer World exhibition catalogue, releasing on June 1, which will also be honored at the Shop.

Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill, London. Photo: Philip Vile