Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton

October 18th 2009 – March 21st 2010

Press release September 2009

Among the constellation of painters at work today – such as Peter Doig, Laura Owens, Tal R, Neo Rauch, and Luc Tuymans – Elizabeth Peyton holds a unique place. Within this group, she is the portrait specialist (putting aside a few digressions into other genres). In fact, she plays the role of portraitist of today's high society, extending a lineage that runs from Anthony van Dijck in the seventeenth century to Andy Warhol in the twentieth. That might suggest elitism, but her work implies no hierarchy whatsoever among the friends, lovers, pop stars, family members, royals, great authors, and others who are her subjects. All are equally dear to her and populate her world without rank or privilege. Tellingly, her paintings all have more or less the same, very modest dimensions (35 x 25 cm).

Heroism and monumentality are nowhere to be found, and her thin paint strokes are not indicative of devotion to exhaustive detail. Peyton brushes up against her subject matter with a few light dashes of paint, creating a certain distance, a distance that allows us to participate in the action of the picture. She shows little tendency toward a trenchant, flamboyant language of genius; it would be more accurate to call her mode of expression frugal. She is even-handed in her treatment, not only of her subjects but of the entire painted surface. The portrait, background, and occasional view into the distance run together and are all equal in importance. The hesitant, searching quality is laid on so thick that at this level, too, an utterly democratic visual field unfolds before us. 

Averted gazes, casual poses, and "sloppy"-edged picture frames (the top of the head is usually cut off) give the impression of a quick snapshot, and only at second glance (or third, or fourth) can we discern the building blocks. It is as if the painting, like a fresh Polaroid photo, is still at an intermediate stage, and needs time to develop, clarify, and dry. Peyton handles her people, her models, with compassion. The effect can be especially strange because many of her heroes – such as Pete Doherty, Liam and Noel Gallagher, Jarvis Cocker, Sid Vicious, and Kurt Cobain – have not led what you might call colourless lives.

At the same time, vitality, vanitas, and transience seem continually intermeshed. There is more than one side to things, and flowers do not last beyond a week. Painting's role is to help us escape from all that evanescence and decay. It holds fast to things. And to people, even those who said farewell to us long ago. Hence the title: Live Forever.

* 
 
In collaboration with the New Museum, New York, and Phaidon, a catalogue has been published: Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton, containing a broad selection of works, photos and source material by the artist. The catalogue is available from the museum shop.

Live Forever: Elizabeth Peyton has been organised by the New Museum, New York. The general sponsor of the exhibition is Banana Republic. The main patron of the exhibition is the Turing Foundation. The Belgian radio broadcasting corporation Klara is the exhibition's media partner.

NOTE FOR THE PRESS: For more info, please visit our press page or contact the press department (Tues-Fri), Avenue Céramique 250, Postbus 1735, 6201 BS Maastricht. Tel. +31 43 329 01 10, fax +31 43 329 01 99, Guillemette Naessens / Roel Visser: pressoffice@bonnefanten.nl

You can download the original press release here as PDF

 

Beeldmateriaal

lees de voorwaarden voordat u het beeldmateriaal download. Wij stellen het erg op prijs om een bewijsexemplaar van de publicatie te ontvangen!

	Foto Harry Heuts
	Foto Harry Heuts
	Foto Harry Heuts
	Foto Harry Heuts
	Foto Harry Heuts
	Foto Harry Heuts
	Foto Harry Heuts
	Foto Harry Heuts
	Foto Harry Heuts
	Foto Harry Heuts
	Foto Harry Heuts
	Foto Harry Heuts
	Democrats are more beautiful (after Jonhatan Horowitz), 2001 Oil on board 25,4 x 20,3 cm Collection Laura and Satfford Broumand
	David Hockney, Powis Terrace Bedroom 1998 Oil on board 9.3/4 x 7 in 24.8 x 17.8 cm Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg © Elizabeth Peyton.
	Roseland 1997 Oil on board 12 x 9 in 30.5 x 22.9 cm Emanuel Hoffmann Foundation, permanent loan to the Öffentliche Kunstsammlung, Basel © Elizabeth Peyton.
	Jarvis and Liam Smoking 1997 Oil on canvas 12 x 9 in 30.5 x 22.9 cm Collection Tiqui Atencio © Elizabeth Peyton.
	Keith (From Gimme Shelter) 2004 Oil on board 10 x 12 in 25.4 x 20.5 cm Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, purchased with funds by the International Director’s Council and Executive Committee Members: Ruth Baum, Edythe Broad, Elaine Terner Cooper, Dimitris Daskalopoulos, Harry David, Gail May Engelberg, Shirley Fiterman, Nicki Harris, Dakis Joannou, Rachel Lehmann, Linda Macklowe, Peter Norton, Tonino Perna, Elizabeth Richebourg Rea, Mortimer D.A. Sackler, Simonetta Seragnoli, David Teiger, Ginny Williams, and Eliot K. Wolk, and Sustaining Members: Tiqui Atencio, Linda Fischbach, Beatrice Habermann, and Cargill and Donna MacMillan, 2005 2005.15 © Elizabeth Peyton.
	Flower Liam 1996 Oil on board 17 x 14 in 43.2 x 35.6 cm Private collection Courtesy Zwirner & Wirth, New York © Elizabeth Peyton.
	Pete (Pete Doherty) 2005 Watercolor on paper 14 x 10 in 35.6 x 25.4 cm Private Collection © Elizabeth Peyton.