After 1955, a number of New York School artists moved away from a “hot,” gestural style to what art critic Irving Sandler dubbed the new “cool art” of the 1960s. Although the late 1950s and early ’60s have often been viewed as a mere parenthesis between Abstract Expressionism, on the one hand, and Pop Art and Minimalism, on the other, many key innovations surfaced during this in-between era. Some artists reinvigorated Abstract Expressionism by describing landscapes or figures with vigorous brushwork or poured paint. Others developed a suggestive art of memory, rejecting the very idea of expressionism for a cooler realism or geometry.
New York Cool proposes a fresh vision of an eclectic time. Drawn from the New York University Art Collection— founded in 1958 and particularly rich in New York School works—the exhibition demonstrates how many downtown artists, living in the stimulating environments of Greenwich Village and, later, SoHo, fostered a new kind of personal sensibility in tandem with a seemingly impersonal geometric style. Allusive instead of expressive, understated rather than declarative, the painting and sculpture of this time set the stage for everything that followed.The exhibition is organized by the Grey Art Gallery, New York University, and curated by Pepe Karmel. It is made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin M. Rosen, and the Abby Weed Grey Trust. Public programs are supported by the Grey’s Inter/National Council.
