ARTISTS
William Allan: Negotiations With Eden
William Allan 鈥� painter and leading figure of the Bay Area鈥檚 Funk scene in the 1960s and 70s 鈥� receives his first major museum show in thirty years at di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art. Opening February 11th and running through May 4th, 2023, 鈥淣egotiations with Eden鈥� explores the twists and turns of Allan鈥檚 long career.
鈥淲e are bringing at least one example from each period of Allan鈥檚 work from the surrealist paintings that propelled him to fame to more recent work few have seen,鈥� explains di Rosa鈥檚 chief curator, Kate Eliertsen.
Known primarily as a painter, this survey reveals the true breadth of Allan鈥檚 practice with the inclusion of installation art, photography and a series of masterfully rendered miniature paintings on lima beans. His intense focus on the natural world is the thread that binds this exhibition and his career.
The title 鈥淣egotiations with Eden鈥� comes from a large mixed media piece showing a coiled snake in what appears to be a basement, wind billowing the curtains above. Instead of appearing to be a threat to human innocence, the snake seems vulnerable. In a twist of metaphors, maybe it represents the garden itself, threatened by the built environment.
Allan鈥檚 work is defined by an undisputed technical mastery of painting and drawing. But it鈥檚 his irreverent sense of humor and fixation on the natural world that make an ideal fit for di Rosa where art and nature are equally valued. It鈥檚 been 25 years since Allan鈥檚 work has been in a major show, so why now? Twyla Ruby, associate curator of di Rosa explains, 鈥淭his generation is facing the reality of the natural world in crisis that William Allan has been investigating for decades. Looking at Allan鈥檚 work in total, we see a through-line of questioning what role we play in creating or averting ecological disaster. Allan鈥檚 work is more relevant now than ever. 鈥�
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William Allan 鈥� painter and leading figure of the Bay Area鈥檚 Funk scene in the 1960s and 70s 鈥� receives his first major museum show in thirty years at di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art. Opening February 11th and running through May 4th, 2023, 鈥淣egotiations with Eden鈥� explores the twists and turns of Allan鈥檚 long career.
鈥淲e are bringing at least one example from each period of Allan鈥檚 work from the surrealist paintings that propelled him to fame to more recent work few have seen,鈥� explains di Rosa鈥檚 chief curator, Kate Eliertsen.
Known primarily as a painter, this survey reveals the true breadth of Allan鈥檚 practice with the inclusion of installation art, photography and a series of masterfully rendered miniature paintings on lima beans. His intense focus on the natural world is the thread that binds this exhibition and his career.
The title 鈥淣egotiations with Eden鈥� comes from a large mixed media piece showing a coiled snake in what appears to be a basement, wind billowing the curtains above. Instead of appearing to be a threat to human innocence, the snake seems vulnerable. In a twist of metaphors, maybe it represents the garden itself, threatened by the built environment.
Allan鈥檚 work is defined by an undisputed technical mastery of painting and drawing. But it鈥檚 his irreverent sense of humor and fixation on the natural world that make an ideal fit for di Rosa where art and nature are equally valued. It鈥檚 been 25 years since Allan鈥檚 work has been in a major show, so why now? Twyla Ruby, associate curator of di Rosa explains, 鈥淭his generation is facing the reality of the natural world in crisis that William Allan has been investigating for decades. Looking at Allan鈥檚 work in total, we see a through-line of questioning what role we play in creating or averting ecological disaster. Allan鈥檚 work is more relevant now than ever. 鈥�
Artists on show
