Bold Marks: The Drawings of Michael West

On View May 4 – 27, 2022

Opening Reception: May 4, 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

For the month of May, Hollis Taggart will occupy a space on the second floor of its W. 26th Street building. Here, on May 4, along with an exhibition of Albert Kotin, the gallery will present a focused show of works on paper by Michael Corinne West, the Abstract Expressionist painter whom the gallery has championed over the past several years. The exhibition, titled Bold Marks: The Drawings of Michael West, follows two major solo exhibitions of the artist’s work at the gallery, Epilogue in 2021 and Space Poetry in 2020, which reintroduced audiences to West’s distinct vision and style and positioned her within the first generation of Abstract Expressionist artists. Michael West—born Corinne Michelle West—is recognized by art historians as a vocal and active participant in the development of this movement, bringing a highly refined personal philosophy and vision to her work.

The upcoming exhibition focuses on her drawings, which capture some of her most interior expressions and suggest relationships with the drawings of Hedda Sterne, Joan Mitchell, and David Smith, as well as non-objective painting and the films of Jean-Luc Goddard. “West’s drawings, in combination with her notes on art, provide an intimate record of her explorations of subjectivity and her voracious engagement with post-war art and culture,” Jillian Russo writes in the catalogue accompanying the exhibition.

Despite her substantive participation in the dialogues and artistic innovations that shaped Abstract Expressionism, West’s contributions remain on the periphery of art history, like so many women of her time. With Bold Marks: The Drawings of Michael West, the gallery continues its effort to enhance the study, understanding, and appreciation of her work. In line with recent renewed investigations of the critical contributions of female artists within the art historical canon, Hollis Taggart’s exhibit of West’s works on paper aims to rectify the omission of her practice within our understanding of Abstract Expressionism.

“Our gallery has always been inspired by untold stories of art and artists. Across our more than 40-year history, we have renewed commercial interest and driven scholarship about numerous artists, including Leon Berkowitz, Audrey Flack, Marjorie Strider, Kay Sage, Idelle Weber, and Michael Corinne West. This spring season captures our ongoing engagement with expanding the narratives of art history by illuminating the voices of those artists that have been lost to time but are so deserving of recognition. It also represents an important solidification of the gallery’s vision and approach—one that we feel is essential to the understanding of contemporary art dialogues. We look forward to engaging visitors with the work of these incredible artists and to furthering new study of their practices,” said Hollis Taggart.

About Hollis Taggart

Founded in 1979, Hollis Taggart presents significant works of American art, showcasing the trajectory of American art movements from the Hudson River School to American Modernism and the Post-War and Contemporary eras. Its program is characterized by a deep commitment to scholarship and bringing to the fore the work of under-recognized artists. The gallery has sponsored several catalogue raisonné projects, most recently for the American Surrealist artist Kay Sage, and has been instrumental in advancing knowledge of such artists as Alfred Maurer, Arthur B. Carles, and more recently, Theodoros Stamos, Marjorie Strider, and Michael (Corinne) West. In the summer of 2019, the gallery announced the formal expansion of its primary market business and focus on the presentation of contemporary work. It continues to expand its roster of contemporary artists, focusing on emerging and mid-career talents. With more than 40 years of experience, Hollis Taggart is widely recognized by collectors and curators for its leadership, expertise, and openness, on matters of art history, and market trends and opportunities. The gallery’s flagship location is in Chelsea, and it also operates a space in Southport, Connecticut.

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For more information, please contact:

Alina Sumajin

PAVE Communications & Consulting

alina@paveconsult.com / 646-369-2050