In Paris this month, galleries around town are putting on solo and duo shows you won’t want to miss. Here, we’re sharing some of the best exhibitions in Paris on view this January, including Richard Avedon or Stanley Whitney at Gagosian, Seyni Awa Camara and John McAllister at Almine Rech, and Richard Deacon at Thaddaeus Ropac.
Richard Deacon’s New Works at Thaddaeus Ropac
January 13-February 24, 2024
Richard Deacon, “Tread #6,” 2020, stainless steel, 4.69 x 8.62 x 4.72 inches, courtesy of the artist and Thaddeus Ropac.
British sculptor Richard Deacon brings a series of sculptures and drawings to Thaddeus Ropac with his latest exhibit, “New Works.” Each of the three groups of work on view employs a different material, be it glazed ceramic, stainless steel, or pencil on synthetic vellum. Thus, “New Works” is a continuation of Deacon’s career-long effort to critically study various materials and their craftsmanship. “The work in this show, which has several different materials, is all about colour, surface and shape,” said Deacon.
Sculpting Earth, Painting Sensations: Seyni Awa Camara and John McAllister at Almine Rech
January 11-February 24, 2024
Installation view of Sculpting Earth, Painting Sensations, Seyni Awa Camara – John McAllister, Almine Rech Paris, Turenne, 2024 / Courtesy of the Artists and Almine Rech – Photos: Nicolas Brasseur
“Sculpting Earth, Painting Sensations” is a collaboration between sculptor Seyni Awa Camara and painter John McAllister, currently up at Almine Rech. Together, the artists’ work seems to emanate from the Earth. Camara’s sculptures comprise bodies carved from terracotta, column-like and solid. McAllister’s paintings stand in stark contrast to the minimalism of Camara’s bodies: they are rich and luxurious, with a color palette evocative of sunrises. Installed together in the gallery, they offer a feeling of wholeness.
Stanley Whitney’s “Dear Paris” at Gagosian
January 10-February 28, 2024
Stanley Whitney, “Dear Paris,” 2023, oil on linen, 80 × 100 inches (203.2 × 254 cm) © Stanley Whitney. Photo: Rob McKeever
This month, Stanley Whitney debuts his painting Dear Paris (2023) at Gagosian. Whitney is known for colorful, abstract grids with a certain whimsy to them, and his newest piece is no different. Dear Paris was inspired by the artist’s extended stay in Paris and is both structured and playful, with an air of spontaneity looming in the uneven blocks of color.
“There’s a history of African Americans going to Paris that dates back to after the First World War. Jazz musicians, writers, and artists like Beauford Delaney, James Baldwin, and more recently, Ed Clark, went to Paris for a creative freedom they couldn’t find in the United States. I’ve always wanted to spend more time in Paris, and in 2023, I finally did so. It was incredible to be in the city where so many of the great artists of the twentieth century, artists who were integral to my development as a painter, had lived and worked. In Paris, there’s a play between different periods in a long history; you just don’t have that in the States,” said Whitney.
Dear Paris coincides with the artist’s first comprehensive retrospective, “Stanley Whitney: How High the Moon,” which will be on display at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum in New York starting February 9.
Iconic Richard Avedon at Gagosian
January 22-March 4, 2024
Also on view at Gagosian is a stunning set of photographs by Richard Avedon. “Iconic Avedon: A Centennial Celebration of Richard Avedon” marks a century since the photographer’s birth, centering on his connection to the city of Paris. It is fitting that this exhibition opens during the spring/summer 2024 Haute Couture Week in Paris, too. Beginning in 1947, Avedon often photographed collections for Harper’s Bazaar during couture week. The photographer infamously subjected himself to intense self-scrutiny, taking self-portraits which obscured his features during the early stages of his career. Avedon once said, “Photography for me has always been a sort of double-sided mirror. The one side reflecting my subject, the other reflecting myself.” Widely imitated and immensely influential, the word “iconic” most certainly fits a collection of works by this photographer.
