Curated by Peter Drake, Dean of the Academy, and gallerist George Adams, Piss and Vinegar unites two generations of provocateurs: five men who came of age in the 1960s and five contemporary female artists. Robert Arneson, Robert Colescott, R. Crumb, Peter Saul, and Robert Williams, whose satirical, sarcastic prints and paintings demonstrate influences from psychedelia to MAD Magazine, will be shown with Nina Chanel Abney, Sue Coe, Nicole Eisenman, Natalie Frank, and Hilary Harkness, whose work explores the same subversive wit and dark, maniacal spirit. Each artist moreover brings to the table serious technical skill and art historical fluency, in the service of pushing the boundaries of “good taste.” No one subject or affiliation unites the two groups, but the exhibition particularly highlights the choice these artists made to pursue uncomfortable and ostensibly unpopular themes, and to risk having their work called vulgar or grotesque.
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- Nina Chanel Abney
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- Robert Arneson
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- Robert Arneson
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- Sue Coe
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- Robert Colescott
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- R. Crumb
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- R. Crumb
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- R. Crumb
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- R. Crumb
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- Nicole Eisenman
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- Natalie Frank
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- Natalie Frank
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- Natalie Frank
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- Hilary Harkness
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- Hilary Harkness
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- Peter Saul
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- Robert Williams
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- Robert Williams
The exhibition runs January 19 – March 5, 2017. Several events are included in the exhibition programming, including a panel discussion with Piss and Vinegar artists on January 25. On January 18, critic Ken Johnson and editor Robert Mankoff of The New Yorker will discuss “Visual Art and Humor” at the Academy, touching themes explored in Piss and Vinegar.
Generously sponsored by Cadogan Tate Fine Art and XL Catlin Insurance.
