Robert Longo: The New Beyond

Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac presents the grand charcoal drawings of American artist Robert Longo, on view through December 23. In tribute to the European leaders of post-war art—Karel Appel, Jean Dubuffet, Arshile Gorky, Asger Jorn, Yves Klein, Willem de Kooning, Maria Lassnig, Piero Manzoni, Joan Mitchell, Pierre Soulages, Wols,and Zao Wou-Ki—and heavily influenced by their experimental practices in the wake of crushing war, Longo examines the theme of transcendence in our challenging, modern world. The presentation’s title is derived from the 1952 essay of French art critic Michel Tapié, which identified a revolution in European Art. Longo reinterprets iconic works into meticulous charcoal drawings, invoking the past and analyzing the present through extremes of light and dark, shadow and highlight.