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THE LIVES OF THE ARTISTS. April 4th 2014- May 17th 2014.
For immediate release:
The title of Tom Sanford’s exhibition is taken from Italian artist and writer Giorgio Vasari’s groundbreaking first work of art history, written in 1550. Inspired by Vasari’s ambition to document his time in both painting and writing, Sanford painted portraits of his contemporaries, both artists and otherwise, that he admires, respects, and even loves. It is fitting that Sanford documents this moment for Gallery Poulsen, as he is viewed as the Godfather of Gallery Poulsen for having played such a large part in introducing the gallerist to the vibrant New York art scene.
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As in his past work, Sanford portrays current events and people. However, in this exhibition, the artist has directed his gaze and paintbrush toward something personal and familiar–namely the art world and his fellow artists in Denmark and New York. This show demonstrates that it is not simply the artist who brings New York art and American themes to Copenhagen. Sanford shows that it is a two way street, where he and other American artists have been influenced by the people and experiences they encountered in Denmark.
Sanford’s second solo show at Gallery Poulsen marks his longstanding connection to Copenhagen. This relationship started with his 2005 exhibition, “The Life and Times of TomPac,” at Galleri Faurschou. On his first visit, the Danish rapper Jokeren invited Sanford to create paintings that became the cover art of his album, Gigolo Jesus, which was released the same year. This marked one of the many enduring friendships that began during his first trip to Denmark and which led to this remarkable group of paintings.
The artworks in the exhibition are painted in Sanford’s distinctive pop art style, in which he portrays current events while referencing classical compositions from art history. The exhibition’s central piece, Cafe Copenhagen is inspired by Jörg Immendorff ’s Cafe Deutschland . In this piece, he portrays a group of individuals and artists of significance to Sanford (and Gallery Pouslen). The group is seen drinking at a classic Copenhagen institution, Cafe Victor. Sanford, always an unreliable narrator, depicts a scene that has never actually occurred, but one that could easily be real. Café Victor is in fact the first place to which Poulsen artists are introduced before they are let loose for an exhibition at the gallery.
The exhibition’s diverse portraits are inspired by the German artist Otto Dix, who painted his fellow artists and clients during the Weimar Republic. In Sanford’s version, Danish artists are portrayed in situations which are (at least for the artist) unmistakably Danish, painted from the artist’s memories of Copenhagen. The rest of the portraits are of American painters, colleagues of Sanford who also have strong ties to Denmark and its contemporary art scene.
In a reference to Philip Guston’s late works, Sanford painted a very personal portrait of a New York family in the year 2014. Here is the artist’s family, pictured in his Harlem studio, with the characteristic brownstones visible through a window in the background. In the piece, Sanford’s painterly heroes are given a nod: Peter Saul, Philip Guston, Ashley Bickerton and Otto Dix, all of whom are referenced throughout the exhibition.
Sanford has said of this exhibition: “I want to make paintings about the conflict between artistic aspiration and the real world. I want to create paintings that connect me to the artists whose work I admire and who make me feel that I am not alone.”
The exhibition features nine new oil paintings and three works on paper. At first glance, Sanford’s art appears straightforward, even easy, but a closer look reveals that they are anything but simple. Present in each painting is masterful and varied painting techniques combined with a vast knowledge of art history and keen observations and insights into contemporary culture. These pictures are layered with references and multiple meanings embedded in each scenario for the viewer to explore. In other words, with Tom Sanford, one cannot judge the book by its cover!