A mere three years ago, the San Francisco-based artist Andrew Masullo racked up considerable acclaim in the art world as a stunning 34 of his oil paintings were included in the 2012 Whitney Biennial. This should be the contextual backdrop to see Tibor de Nagy Gallery’s current showing ‘Andrew Masullo: Recent Paintings’, which presents a selection of work spanning 26 years of his exciting career.
‘Andrew’s artistic endeavors reflect his propensity for small scaled hard-edged nonobjective works with a vivid palette in a narrow range of colors,’ says Eric Brown, Tibor de Nagy’s co-owner. A case in point is the artist’s 6052, a perfect example of Masullo's methods of using unmixed oil paint straight from the tube.
And placement in the Whitney Biennale isn’t the only feather in Masullo’s cap. Born in 1957 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, he was honoured by The American Academy of Arts and Letters a scant five years ago, no less.
His seemingly simple assemblies of shape and colour are actually complex interplays that pit compositional pieces against each other to captivate the viewer. But Masullo has also gone far beyond oil painting to trod radically different paths. The artist has also turned to found material in creating Joseph Cornell-like boxes, collages, sculpture and even puzzles with a heavy reliance on text, points out Brown.
‘There’s a measured directness to Andrew’s paintings. As he has said: A painting that needs to be explained is not worth talking about.’
With almost 34 paintings included in the 2012 Whitney Biennial, Masullo’s colourful approach is lauded for its apparent simplicity. Pictured: ’5766’ (2013), oil on canvas
’6052’ (2014) is a perfect example of Masullo’s technique, which involves him painting with unmixed oil paints, straight from the tube
‘Andrew’s artistic endeavors reflect his propensity for small scaled hard-edged nonobjective works with a vivid palette in a narrow range of colors,’ says Eric Brown, Tibor de Nagy’s co-owner
All of his paintings are titled using the same numeral system that the artist devised in 1978. Pictured: ’5772’ (2013), oil on canvas
Even in his 4th decade of working, the San Francisco-based artist produces works that are as captivating as ever. Pictured: ’4954’ (2007), oil on canvas
INFORMATION
‘Andrew Masullo: Recent Paintings’ is on view until 5 December
ADDRESS
Tibor de Nagy
724 Fifth Avenue
New York
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