Following the success of last year’s solo booth of works by Jack Early at Art Basel Miami Beach, Fergus McCaffrey is pleased to present new large-scale paintings by Early, which also will serve as a preview of his largest exhibition to date at Fergus McCaffrey, New York, on view in February. Inspired by the American pop culture of his youth, Early’s works reflect both a personal and cultural nostalgia about growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina, during the 1960s and 1970s. Early’s larger-than-life canvases reveal strategically chosen subject matter reminiscent of everyday objects from his past, laid upon a thoughtful manipulation of his deliberately chosen childhood wallpaper to knit together a wonderfully elaborate story of growing up as a gay man in the South.

A further booth highlight is a selection of works by Marcia Hafif from the 1960s that have never before been exhibited in the United States. During the 1960s, Hafif was living and working in Rome creating boldly colorful works she called “Pop-Minimal.” New to the United States, these paintings represent a large and critical omission from the history of American art of this period and are a vital element in the lack of reception that her work has received. In 1971, she moved to New York City, where she started the development of her Pencil on Paper drawings, which in turn led to her “color study” paintings that she is now so widely known for. Our presentation of her exciting, previously unseen works additionally acts as a precursor to Hafif’s April 2016 exhibition at Fergus McCaffrey, New York.

Concurrent with the exhibition of works by Tavares Strachan in St. Barth, Fergus McCaffrey will present a new 8 foot wide neon work by the artist. Strachan studied the properties and manufacture of glass at the Rhode Island School of Design and Yale University, and characteristically, the material qualities and narrative possibilities of glass have inspired him. Through color, text, and structure developed in his neon works, Strachan explores the multiracial and multicultural diversity of the Caribbean that emerged from the duress of politics, trade, and slavery centuries ago.

Art Basel Miami Beach
267 leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa show significant work from the masters of Modern and Contemporary art, as well the new generation of emerging stars. Paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs, films, and editioned works of the highest quality are on display in the main exhibition hall. Ambitious large-scale artworks, films, and performances become part of the city's outdoor landscape at nearby Collins Park and SoundScape Park.