Knox Martin | She

A solo exhibition of recent works by internationally acclaimed artist Knox Martin, is set to run at the LGTripp Gallery in Philadelphia, September 13 through October 26, 2013. The exhibition will include paintings from Knoxʼs celebrated She series, as well as the unveiling of a new painting, Genesis.

A leading member of the New York School, Knox is a contemporary of artists Alfred Leslie, Alex Katz, Al Held, and was a mentor to Robert Rauschenberg. Although connected to the avant-garde of this pivotal time in American art, he continues to transcend labels and develop his artwork in distinct and masterful ways. 

She includes seven paintings revolving around Knoxʼs long-held interest in the female form. With his use of metaphor, Knoxʼs paintings point to something more mysterious and transcendent. Sinuous contours and vibrant shapes move across the flat picture plane hinting to the feminine. In his She paintings there is no ground as the “she” is all encompassing, the very composition of each painting. In his essay for She, William Fried writes, “Parts of her body move to intercept our gaze when we try to look beyond her. We cannot look beyond her just as the artist cannot free himself of her power in his mind.” The female form is therefore simultaneously treated as Knoxʼs subject and object. As with many artists before him, Knox's “she” is an archetype, a muse to be explored and celebrated.

Danae (Homage to Titian) | 2012

Palladium and gold leaf and acrylic on linen

80 in. x 65 in.

© Knox Martin/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

A renowned New York painter, sculptor, muralist, poet, and a scholar of art history, Knox has exhibited worldwide. Using a variety of media, Martin is known for his use of vibrant colors, sensuous gestures, rhyming of metaphor and the flat picture plane. Two of his most famous works are the monolithic 12-story wall painting titled Venus and the six-story wall painting Woman with Bicycle, both in New York City. Knox’s artwork is included in collections worldwide, including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Museum of Modern Art, Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Brooklyn Museum of Art, and the National Academy of Design, among others. 

Dedicated to his art practice as well as teaching, Knox has held faculty positions at Yale Graduate School of the Arts, New York University, the University of Minnesota, and the International School of Art in Umbria, Italy. He continues to teach Master Classes at the Art Students League of New York. Throughout his career, Knox has been the subject of numerous articles, books, essays, and writings.