One of the most important contemporary American artists, Martin Puryear (b. 1941) is known primarily for the refined elegance of his abstract, hand-made sculptures. However, throughout his career he has consistently turned to drawing to elaborate ideas and forms for works in three dimensions. Martin Puryear: Multiple Dimensions, on view at the Morgan Library & Museum from October 9 through January 10, 2016, is the first exhibition to explore the essential role drawing plays in the artist’s practice. The show includes over seventy works—from quick sketches to monumental, finished compositions—borrowed largely from Puryear’s own collection. Most of the drawings have never been exhibited and span the artist’s undergraduate years to the present. The exhibition will also include a selection of prints and sculptures related to the drawings.
 
Puryear has described his development as “linear in the sense that a spiral is linear. I come back to similar territory at different times.”  The exhibition highlights this iterative process, showing how the artist takes an elemental form and rediscovers and refashions it in diverse media, often over many years, moving among levels of abstraction and experimenting with scale and materials.
 

“The Morgan is thrilled to present the first exhibition to focus on the role of drawing in Martin Puryear’s art,” said Peggy Fogelman, acting director of the Morgan Library & Museum. “The medium is central to his creative approach, and the works in the show offer an exciting, new perspective on this important contemporary artist.” 

Martin Puryear: Multiple Dimensions
October 9, 2015 through January 10, 2016