Hyman Bloom: American Master

HYMAN BLOOM

Hyman Bloom American Master PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS

Hyman Bloom American Master PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS

A l e x a n d r e Ga l l e r y 724 Fifth Avenue, 4th floor (at 57th) New York 10019 212.755.2828

www.alexandregallery.com

In the 1950s, Hyman Bloom (1913–2009) was described as “the first Abstract Expressionist,” and while few art historians would describe him as such today, the identity of the two figures who used this phrase should prompt us to give this thought some serious regard: Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, perhaps the two most important and influential artists of the Abstract Expressionist movement, who both clearly saw in Bloom’s painting something inspiring, something that prefigured their own artistic achievement. Franz Kline likewise singled out Bloom, along with Thomas Eakins and Albert Pinkham Ryder, as one of the few American artists whose work had a weight and gravitas that he admired. Surely if Pollock, de Kooning, and Kline admired Bloom, we also should take a second look at his work.

— Henry Adams

The art world, with its fast pace, ongoing turnover of interests, and voguish audiences, never held him. He always knew he was an anomaly. His only satisfaction was to mine the possibility for an art that could transcend temporal boundaries by alluding to a world beyond the material. — Debra Bricker Balken

Spiritual life cannot be delegated; true spiritual experience can only come from within, and it is only through individual effort to deepen the process that a state of grace can be achieved. — Hyman Bloom

Torso and Limbs, 1952, oil on canvas, 34Âź x 52 inches

Wooded Rocks, 1974, oil on canvas, 24 x 30 inches

Self-Portrait with Spider, ca. 1965, charcoal on paper, 65 x 30ž inches

A Leg With Skull, 1979, oil on canvas, 32 x 70 inches

Woods in Lubec, ca. 1975, oil on canvas, 72 x 48 inches

Untitled (Landscape), ca. 1975 oil on canvas, 72 x 55½ inches

Seascape IV (First Series), 1975, oil on canvas, 49 x 69 inches

Tree Study, ca. 1970, ink on paper, 20 x 24ž inches

Landscape, ca. 1963, charcoal on paper, 34 x 38½ inches

Seascape I, 1985, oil on canvas, 56½ x 43¼ inches

Christmas Tree, 1983, oil on canvas, 60¼ x 46 inches

Still Life with Turban Squash, ca. 1990, oil on canvas, 60 x 50 inches

The Red Bed Jacket, 1983, oil on canvas, 72 x 44 inches

Seance, ca. 1950, oil on canvas, 34 x 26 inches

Leg on Table, 1979, oil on canvas, 32 x 64 inches

This catalogue is published on the occasion of the exhibition Hyman Bloom, American Master June 27 through September 28, 2019 Alexandre Gallery 724 Fifth Avenue, 4th floor New York, New York 10019 212-755-2828 www.alexandregallery.com Front cover: Seascape IV (First Series) (detail) Frontispiece: Self-Portrait with Spider (detail)

Catalogue Š Alexandre Fine Art Inc. No portion of this catalogue, images or text may be reproduced, either in printed or electronic form, without the expressed written permission of the gallery.

Editorial Production: Marie Evans, Julia Benjamin, Maria Stabio and Hannah Salzer Photographic Production: Maria Stabio Design: Lawrence Sunden, Inc.