
BERNARDUCCI.MEISEL.GALLERY
37 West 57 Street . New York 10019 . 212.593.3757 bernarducci@meiselgallery.com . bernarduccimeisel.com
ROBERT NEFFSON
NEW PAINTINGS
7 – 30 APRIL 2016
OPENING RECEPTION, THURSDAY 7 APRIL, 5 – 7 PM
Bernarducci Meisel Gallery is pleased to present the second solo exhibition for American cityscape painter Robert Neffson. The exhibition will include paintings from his most recent body of work.
Neffson’s dichotomy of art and life create his own personal interpretation of reality.
Neffson creates wide angle, almost photographic paintings of the great cities of Europe and the United States. His intricate oil canvases of Manhattan are precise snapshots in time. NYC Apple (2016) displays a cross-section in midtown featuring displays pedestrians going about their daily lives and marvelous reflections of light on the architecture at the intersection of 5th Avenue and 59th Street, looking south. The title of the painting comes from its most prominent architectural focus – that of the Flagship New York City Apple Store. Neffson’s perspective portrays not only a literal depth of the city but a cultural depth as well.
Also on view will be Metropolitan Museum (2014), a painting of the American Wing at the Metropoltian Museum of Art. This rare subject matter for Neffson, an interior, maintains his complex motifs of architectural prowess, excellent use of light, people in motion, and a self-portrait of himself and his wife, Karin. As the artist explains, each painting is a sort of self-portrait even if he wasn’t in it because it represents his perception of a place.
The technical skill required to make these paintings is extensive. After spending weeks choosing from thousands of photos of a location that the artist wishes to paint, the next step is to prepare a study. This lays out the basic composition for the artist. This is followed by a full-size drawing directly on the linen surface. The details are so minute that this process alone takes several weeks. Before the painting is completed the artist finalizes the composition by adding either figures and altering minor details of the landscape. In total, each painting is completed in three to four months. At the moment, all paintings except the latest painting entitled NYC Apple are privately held.
Robert Neffson, born in 1949, grew up in New York and received both his BFA and MFA from Boston University. In 1976, he was awarded the Fulbright-Hayes Fellowship for painting in Rome. He has attended, on full scholarship, Skowhegan School of Sculpture and Painting. His work is included in many prominent public collections. Neffson has exhibited at Roswell Museum and Art Center (Roswell, NM), Plus One Gallery (London, UK) and other notable institutions. Bernarducci Meisel Gallery has represented Robert Neffson since 2010 where his work reflects the gallery’s programming and commitment to the finest in contemporary realist painting.
