Fairfield Porter: Raw - The Creative Process of an American Master; Wall text from the exhibition

Fairfield Porter: Raw - The Creative Process of an American Master

April 11 - June 13, 2010

Wall text from the exhibition:

Introduction and Acknowledgments

An 'unfinished' quality was part of his paintings.

- Jane Freilicher

In 1979 Fairfield Porter's widow donated to the Parrish Art Museum 250 of his works including paintings and works on paper, and many unfinished pieces, among which were unstretched paintings on canvas, paintings on boards, sketches and notebooks. Fairfield Porter: Raw features approximately 40 works drawn from this extensive holding, and presents, for the first time, paintings and accompanying sketches, drawings, and ephemera in their "raw" state. The juxtaposition between the finished and unfinished works offers a rare insight into the working practice of a modern American master. Fairfield Porter: Raw both reveals and celebrates Porter's artistic legacy and its continuing influence throughout the world.

Fairfield Porter: Raw - The Creative Process of an American Master is organized by Klaus Ottmann, Robert Lehman Curator, Parrish Art Museum. The presentation of this exhibition and its catalogue are made possible, in part, with generous support from the Henry Luce Foundation, the Robert Lehman Foundation, and Suffolk County, under the auspices of the Office of Cultural Affairs, Steve Levy, County Executive, and with additional generous support from Mildred C. Brinn, the Herman Goldman Foundation, and James Goodman. Research was generously funded through The Werner and Maren Otto Endowment Fund for the Study of the Art and Artists of Eastern Long Island. The Museum's programs are made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.

Return to "An Unfinished Quality": Fairfield Porter's Creative Process, essay by Klaus Ottmann (5/14/10)

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