American Icons
With works by Alexander Calder, Robert Indiana, Louise Nevelson, Ed Ruscha, Mel Ramos, Tom Wesselmann, Ronnie Cutrone and others

Galerie Gmurzynska is pleased to present a comprehensive group exhibition titled “American Icons”. Featuring a vast array of post-war and contemporary American masters this exhibit shows Galerie Gmurzynska’s involvement in the discourse of reconsidering the big names of the 20th century American art and bringing them together with a new contextual perspective.

Being the first show, after Kurt Schwitters seminal retrospective, realized in the newly redesigned space by late Pritzker Price winning architect Zaha Hadid, the works blend very well into the architecture revealing new curatorial, spatial and material aspects. The exceptional selection ranges from works on paper by Alexander Calder and Edward Ruscha to pop-art luminary Robert Indiana represented with various works, most renowned with the unique LOVE sculpture – a sparkling example is facing the vitrine overlooking Zurich’s Paradeplatz.

Furthermore, this group survey of American Icons features works by Tom Wesselmann and Mel Ramos, whose symbolically loaded imagery has defined Post-War art’s appreciation and appropriation of early art historical nude portraits, advertising and the glorified everyday American lifestyle, with its Coke, Cigarettes and Pin-Up Girls. Moreover, the showcase displays work by female art superstar Louise Nevelson, whose estate is represented by Galerie Gmurzynska since many years. The seemingly dark assemblages and sculptures, which are oscillating between classical objet trouves and sculptural masterpieces of enormous power illustrate a welcome contrast to the mostly colorful works.

Besides the renowned luminaries of American art history Galerie Gmurzynska strives to introduce lesser known but therefore even more defining artists such as Ronnie Cutrone, Dan Basen and Marjorie Strider. All of them intellectually challenging exponents of the New York art scene:

Ronnie Cutrone was the assistant at Andy Warhol’s factory before focusing on his own rich oeuvre being known for its bold depictions of happy cartoon characters; Dan Basen started off his promising career participating at group shows at the Whitney, but unfortunately decided to part from his life in 1970 after severe mental illness problems; and finally Marjorie Strider, one of the most important female Pop-artist, who is known for her 3D paintings.