Small is Beautiful

Small is Beautiful

Small is Beautiful

Van Doren Waxter is pleased to present Small is Beautiful, an exhibition of small-scale works by 21 artists, both familiar and new faces to the gallery’s program. The exhibition features works by Etel Adnan, Jennifer Bartlett, Rosemarie Beck, Max Bill, James Brooks, Marsha Cottrell, Richard Diebenkorn, Jeronimo Elespe, Tom Fairs, Louise Fishman, Judy Fishkin, Michael Goldberg, Zoe Longfield, Vera Molnar, Harvey Quaytman, Mariah Robertson, Jackie Saccoccio, Alan Shields, Hedda Sterne, Anne Truitt, and Jack Tworkov.

The title of this group show derives from the book Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics As If People Mattered by E.F. Schumacher, which challenges the mainstream ethos of “bigger is better” through a collection of essays that propose alternative views on technology and human needs. As society evolves within the structure of capitalism, the value of objects and ideas becomes increasingly dependent on their quality of being measurable or quantifiable, which, more often than not, leads to the misevaluation of the significance of art in our lives. In the age of giantism and automation, art puts pressure on the assumption that human prosperity is solely indexed by macro development and commercial achievement. Demonstrating refinement and painstaking introspection of the artists, the works in Small is Beautiful invite the viewers to come close, and become intimate with the shapes of inexplicable emotions, observations, and instincts. These works bring attention to the personal and spiritual needs of people–– to extend empathy and curiosity about another human’s experiment, to imagine a life behind the fragment of a stranger’s painted memory.

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Etel Adnan Satellites, 2020 Oil on canvas 9 1/2 x 13 in (24 x 33 cm) 2.

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Jennifer Bartlett Color Counting, 1970 Enamel, silkscreen on baked enamel, steel plate 12 x 12 in (30.5 x 30.5 cm) 4.

Rosemarie Beck Bathers, 1976 Oil on board 6 x 8 1/2 in (15.2 x 21.6 cm) 5.

Max Bill farbfeld aus vier gleichen gruppen (color field from four equal groups), 1963-66 Oil on canvas 13 x 13 in (33 x 33 cm) 6.

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James Brooks R, 1952 Oil on canvas 26 x 19 in (66 x 48.3 cm) 8.

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Marsha Cottrell Untitled (Mixed Dark_Red, Yellow, Blue, Green), 2022 Archival pigment on digital ground on paper, unique 20 x 15 in (50.8 x 38.1 cm) 10.

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Richard Diebenkorn Cigar Box Lid #11 (CR No. 4378), 1979 Oil on wood (cigar box lid) 6 1/8 x 6 1/2 in (15.6 x 16.5 cm) 12.

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Jeronimo Elespe Talante Crítico, 2023 Oil on aluminum 8 x 6 in (20.3 x 15.25 cm) 14.

Tom Fairs Anna Pavlova’s Garden, c. 1990’s Oilstick, colored pencil on paper mounted to mat Image size: 9 x 6 1/8 in (22.9 x 15.6 cm) Sheet size: 15 1/4 x 11 1/8 in (38.7 x 28.3 cm) 15.

Louise Fishman Untitled, 2007 Oil on PVC foam 12 5/8 x 7 3/4 in (32.1 x 19.7 cm) 16.

Judy Fiskin Untitled, from the series New Orleans, 1987/2006 Gelatin silver print 8 x 6 inches (20.3 x 15.2 cm) Edition 1 of 6, with 2 APs 17.

Sam Francis Untitled, c. 1955 Mixed media on paper laid down on board 11 3/4 x 9 in (29.8 x 22.9 cm) 18.

19.

Michael Goldberg Untitled, c. 1959 Collage and oil on paper 9 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches (24.1 x 21 cm) 20.

Zoe Longfield Untitled, c. 1945-1948 Gouache on paper 15 x 11 1/4 in (38.1 x 28.6 cm) 21.

Vera Molnar Icone, 1966 Gouache and collage on board 10 3/4 x 10 3/4 in (27.3 x 27.3 cm) 22.

Harvey Quaytman Untitled, 1993 Bistre ink on paper mounted on metal 20 x 20 inches (50.8 x 50.8 cm) Framed: 21 x 21 inches (53.3 x 53.3 cm) 23.

Mariah Robertson 2019_042-19, 2024 C-Print 15 x 10 in (38.1 x 25.4 cm) Edition of 10 24.

Jackie Saccoccio Untitled, 2020 Oil pastel on paper 12 x 12 inches (30.5 x 30.5 cm) 25.

Alan Shields 2 Eye Worm (head on), c. 1995 Acrylic, yarn, thread on canvas 6 1/2 x 13 1/2 inches (16.5 x 34.3 cm) 26.

Hedda Sterne Untitled (September 27, 2001), 2001 Graphite, whiteout on paper 12 1/4 x 9 inches (31.1 x 22.9 cm) 27.

Anne Truitt Untitled, 1966 Acrylic and graphite on paper 10 1/2 x 12 3/8 inches (26.7 x 31.4 cm) 28.

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Jack Tworkov Untitled (Study for Athene), c.1949 Oil and pencil on paper 13 7/8 x 11 inches (35.2 x 27.9 cm) 30.

Stanley Whitney Untitled, 1975 Oil on canvas 21 3/8 x 20 1/2 in (54.3 x 52.1 cm) 31.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition Small is Beautiful February 6 – April 4, 2025 Design by Nick Naber Edited by Dorsey Waxter and Nick Naber Artwork photography by Charles Benton Cover: Jackie Saccoccio, Untitled [detail], 2020 Pg. 4; © Jennifer Bartlett. Courtesy Paula Cooper Gallery, New York, Marianne Boesky Gallery, New York, and The Jennifer Bartlett 2013 Trust.

VAN DOREN WAXTER 23 EAST 73RD ST NEW YORK, NY 10021 Phone 212 445-0444 info@vandorenwaxter.com www.vandorenwaxter.com © VAN DOREN WAXTER, New York, NY. All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this catalogue may be reproduced without permission of the publisher.

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