Painted Sculptures and the Bennington Sprays
An exhibition of works by two former faculty members and iconic figures in contemporary art—sculptor Sir Anthony Caro and painter Jules Olitski—is currently on view at Paul Kasmin Gallery in New York City.
As explained in the Gallery’s press release, “Caro and Olitski’s decades-long friendship took root in 1963 when, after years of mutual admiration, both artists joined the faculty of the Art Department at Bennington College in Vermont, an area also home to David Smith and Kenneth Noland. During their time teaching in Bennington, the Fire Department lent its garage to Caro for studio space. Olitski and Caro would participate in each other’s discussions with students about various topics of art."
“At Bennington, these artists opened up new areas in abstraction, exploring novel methods and materials that established them as radically distinct from their peers. Caro and Olitski’s achievements in surface, color and form through unusual, industrial elements enabled them to emerge as successors of the first generation of the New York School, and, in turn, inspire later generations of abstract artists.”
The exhibition, Caro & Olitski: 1965 – 1968, Painted Sculptures and the Bennington Sprays, is on view through October 25.
Photo credit to Christopher Stach (Paul Kasmin Gallery).