Michael Rosenfeld Gallery will feature the work of Norman Lewis in our forthcoming 2015 Art Basel Miami Beach Booth (#K4).

Known for his calligraphic compositions often in procession, Norman Lewis (American, 1909-1979) was a vital member of the first generation of abstract expressionists. He was the sole African American artist of his generation who became committed to issues of abstraction at the start of his career and continued to explore them throughout his lifetime. Lewis’ art derived energy from his vast interests in music – both classical and jazz - as well as nature, ancient ceremonial rituals, and social justice/equality issues central to the civil rights movement.

Michael Rosenfeld Gallery has championed the work of Norman Lewis for twenty-five years; Lewis’s paintings and works on paper were an integral part of the gallery’s celebrated annual African American Art: 20th Century Masterworks series (1993-2003), and they have been the subject of three solo shows: Norman Lewis: Intuitive Markings, Works on Paper, 1945-1975 (1999), Norman Lewis: Abstract Expressionist Drawings, 1945-1978 (2000), and Norman Lewis: Pulse, A Centennial Exhibition (2009).

In December 2014 after years of working in tandem with the Lewis family, Michael Rosenfeld Gallery became the first to represent the Norman Lewis Estate. Honored and ambitious, we aim to expand his audience and cement his place in the canon of American art.

In recent years, Norman Lewis’ visibility has increased; a selection of highlight moments includes:

• In 2010, MoMA included his work in Abstract Expressionist New York, an exhibition showcasing “the achievements of a generation that catapulted New York City to the center of the international art world. . .and left as its legacy some of the twentieth century’s greatest masterpieces.” In recent years, MoMA has acquired five Norman Lewis paintings.
• In 2014, the Jewish Museum presented From the Margins: Lee Krasner and Norman Lewis and published an accompanying catalogue. The exhibition had record-breaking attendance and received extraordinary critical attention.
• In the March 2015 issue of Art and Auction (p.89-92), Hilarie Sheets features Norman Lewis in her monthly article Artist Dossier.
• On November 12, 2015 just weeks before Art Basel Miami Beach opens, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (PAFA) will open Procession: The Art of Norman Lewis curated by former National Gallery of Art curator Ruth Fine. This traveling survey will include 90 works on canvas and paper ranging from the 1930s to the late 1970s. It will examine the breadth and scope as well as the aesthetic and strategic importance of Lewis’s art. The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalogue with new scholarship by David Acton, Andrianna Campbell, Ruth Fine, Jacqueline Francis, Helen Shannon, and Jeffrey Stewart.

To complement our Norman Lewis spotlight, Michael Rosenfeld Gallery will also present a selection of Post-War abstract artists, who like Norman Lewis, pursued a calligraphic language and mark-making style. Artists to be featured include Ruth Asawa, Harry Bertoia, Jay DeFeo, Beauford Delaney, Jimmy Ernst, Claire Falkenstein, Michael Goldberg, Morris Graves, Hans Hofmann, Lee Krasner, Ibram Lassaw, Conrad Marca-Relli, Joan Mitchell, Alfonso Ossorio, Richard Pousette-Dart, Alma Thomas, and Mark Tobey.

Visuals available upon request.

Michael Rosenfeld Gallery is located at 100 11th Avenue (at 19th Street), New York, NY, 10011. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10AM-6PM. For additional information, please contact Marjorie Van Cura at 212.247.0082 or mv@michaelrosenfeldart.com.