JOAN BROWN
PAINTED CONSTRUCTIONS
Exhibition extended through September 25, 2004

Continuing through September, George Adams Gallery presents painted constructions from the early 1970’s by Joan Brown (1938-90). The exhibition features five cardboard constructions and one metal cutout made between 1970 and 1975, accompanied by related large-scale paintings and drawings from the same period.

Brown’s painted constructions have been rarely exhibited and never before presented as a distinct body of work. According to Brown, she embarked on the cardboard sculptures out of creative necessity during the renovation of her studio in 1973. Working from her kitchen, she used readily available materials such as cardboard, string, and household paints fashioning roughly hewn sculptures that are at once whimsical and formally inventive.

Typically, Brown drew on her personal experiences for subject matter, and in these sculptures she depicts several of her favorite activities: dancing, swimming, and travel. In addition, as one might expect given the autobiographical nature of her work, many of the figures are self-portraits. Several of the works are elaborately constructed, notably Luxury Liner (1973), which features a ship with 8 couples dancing around the deck, while Divers (1974) is suspended from the ceiling to provide a view of a pool from above and below. In (1973), the artist presents herself in profile, a cigarette dangling from her mouth with a length of twisted wire forming the smoke.

Joan Brown: Painted Constructions will be on view through September 25th. The gallery is open Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 6:00pm. Images can be viewed on the gallery's website at www.artnet.com/gadams.html and on the Art Dealers Association website, www.artdealers.org.

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
OCTOBER
BUSHWHACK : A group show featuring work by Robert Arneson, Enrique Chagoya, Andrew Lenaghan, Peter Saul, among others.
NOVEMBER – DECEMBER
Yoan Capote: Young Cuban artist’s first one-man show in the U.S.
JANUARY-FEBRUARY
Arneson and the Object: Organized by the Palmer Museum of Art, Pennsylvania State University. Featuring sculptures and drawings by Robert Arneson (1930-92), the exhibition explores the importance of the everyday object in the artist’s work. A 48 page full-color catalogue accompanies the exhibition.