A Thing for the Mind
Six decades after Philip Guston (1913 鈥� 1980) first shocked the art world, the sweeping ambition of his vision continues to reshape the realm of the possible for artists who have followed in his wake. His paintings blend a precise vocabulary of concerns then without precedent in American painting: mundane domestic objects, body parts and cityscapes within abstract fields of paint. As humorous and personal as they are politically incisive, his paintings draw a vivid picture of Guston鈥檚 own muddled dreamscape of fears and anxieties as well as of society鈥檚 worst impulses.
Taking one of Guston鈥檚 most celebrated paintings 鈥� his 1978 masterpiece Story 鈥� as the heart of the exhibition, A Thing for the Mind presents work by twelve contemporary artists whose work continues to be influenced by Guston鈥檚 ideas: Louise Bonnet, George Condo, Woody de Othello, Carroll Dunham, Armen Eloyan, Maria Lassnig, Chris Martin, Eddie Martinez, Daisy Parris, Walter Price, George Rouy, and Antonia Showering. 鈥楢 painting should be a thing for the mind,鈥� Guston declared of his philosophy, paraphrasing Leonardo da Vinci.
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Six decades after Philip Guston (1913 鈥� 1980) first shocked the art world, the sweeping ambition of his vision continues to reshape the realm of the possible for artists who have followed in his wake. His paintings blend a precise vocabulary of concerns then without precedent in American painting: mundane domestic objects, body parts and cityscapes within abstract fields of paint. As humorous and personal as they are politically incisive, his paintings draw a vivid picture of Guston鈥檚 own muddled dreamscape of fears and anxieties as well as of society鈥檚 worst impulses.
Taking one of Guston鈥檚 most celebrated paintings 鈥� his 1978 masterpiece Story 鈥� as the heart of the exhibition, A Thing for the Mind presents work by twelve contemporary artists whose work continues to be influenced by Guston鈥檚 ideas: Louise Bonnet, George Condo, Woody de Othello, Carroll Dunham, Armen Eloyan, Maria Lassnig, Chris Martin, Eddie Martinez, Daisy Parris, Walter Price, George Rouy, and Antonia Showering. 鈥楢 painting should be a thing for the mind,鈥� Guston declared of his philosophy, paraphrasing Leonardo da Vinci.
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Our ever-evolving guide to the best London art exhibitions, and those around the UK, as chosen by the Wallpaper* arts desk.
A group exhibition at London鈥檚 Timothy Taylor gallery 鈥� featuring artists including George Rouy, Antonia Showering, Louise Bonnet and Daisy Parris 鈥� proves that Guston鈥檚 legacy lives on in both paint and politics
Our ever-evolving guide to the best London art exhibitions, and those around the UK, as chosen by the Wallpaper* arts desk.
Our ever-evolving guide to the best London art exhibitions, and those around the UK, as chosen by the Wallpaper* arts desk
