On January 12, 2023 Nancy Hoffman Gallery opens Abstractions, a show of paintings, sculpture, and watercolors by Linda Mieko Allen, Rupert Deese, Nicole Phungrasamee Fein, Lynn McCarty, Frank Owen, Peter Plagens, Rick Purdy and Jesse Small. In conjunction with the exhibition the gallery asked each artist to write a statement about Abstraction and its importance to them. These statements speak to the impetus for the show and the abiding life and vitality of abstraction in the painting of today. Below are just a few excerpts from some of the artists as an introduction to the work and the show. Each of the artists will be represented by three or more works to provide the viewer with a window into the range of the seven artist’s visions. 

While there are many definitions of abstraction, a simple one says it all: Abstract art deals with ideas and frees the artist from issues of representation. Abstract art is about shape, form, color and space, not about depicting the real world. Many say abstract art is a 20th century invention, a modern movement. After World War II, abstract art became a dominant form of art in the United States, followed by Abstract Expressionism, an American phenomenon. Abstraction has been and continues to be part of the American art vernacular since it blossomed in the early 20th century.