Galleries

New York, NY (September 28^th, 2016) — Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation is proud to present 21st Century Abstract Painting and Sculpture, curated by Gerald Jackson. 21st Century Abstract Painting and Sculpture highlights over a dozen female abstract artists. The show is on view from September 29-October 21, 2016 at Rush Arts Gallery, 536 West 26^th Street, Suite 311, New York, NY 10001.

The curator sought to reframe the history of American abstract art, particularly the New York School in the mid-twentieth century. The artists included in 21st Century Abstract Painting and Sculpture represent Jackson’s selection of some today’s best practitioners in the genre of abstraction. Jackson calls them The Essentialists, named after The Irascibles–a group of artists from the twentieth century New York School. The Essentialists inherit and reimagine the values of abstraction from the New York School.

Jackson states:

“Nina Leen’s iconic photo of The Irascibles was reproduced in Life magazine, January 15, 1951. It pictured a group of fourteen heavy hitting male painters, DeKooning, Rothko, Pollock, etc. and one woman – Hedda Sterne, posed at a meeting of the New York School. But that was yesterday and this is today. I wanted to flip that script and represent the artists as all women except for one man. This is only appropriate given the age we now occupy – an age in which 21st century abstraction is increasingly defined by women and ethnic diversity.”

The artists include: Rai Alexandra, Pat Badt, Linda Geary, Elizabeth Hazan, Cecily Kahn, Annika Kappner, Marthe Keller, Addie Langford, Jill Nathanson, Jennifer Riley, Julie Shapiro, Rebecca Smith, Kim Uchiyama, Lynn Umlauf, and Gerald Jackson.

An opening reception will be hosted at Rush Arts Gallery on Thursday, September 29^th from 6-8pm. During the exhibition’s duration the gallery will host an artist talk on Saturday, October 15^th from 4-6pm. For more information, please email olayne@rushphilanthropic.org.

About Gerald Jackson

Born in Chicago, Jackson gained notice when his work was included in two influential 1970s exhibitions–the 1970 Afro-American Artists: New York and Boston at the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists, Boston, and the 1971 Black Artists: Two Generations at the Newark Museum. Recently, his works have been in group exhibitions at the Phillips Museum of Art, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, and Rush Arts Gallery, the Chelsea Art Museum, and Kenkeleba House, all New York. A 1973 illustrated book of his is also in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

About the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation

Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation was founded in 1995 in New York City by media mogul Russell Simmons and his brothers, artist and activist Danny Simmons and Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons, and committed to bettering the lives of underserved inner-city youth through meaningful exposure to the arts and hands-on art education programs, and to as providing professional support to artists at the beginning of their careers, mostly artists of color. The Rush Gallery Program provides open calls, residencies, professional support and exhibition opportunities to artists and curators focusing on those that are emerging and frequently marginalized, especially artists of color, by the commercial art field. Rush’s rich 20 year exhibition history has exhibited nearly 2,000 artists and aided in supporting the careers of artists.