Franz Kline | Richard Hambleton: Portraits and Shadows
The culmination of Woodward Gallery’s 30th Anniversary year-long celebration is the much anticipated, two-person exhibition, featuring “Franz Kline | Richard Hambleton: Portraits and Shadows.” This comparison of work, though a generation apart, examines these artistic geniuses with so much in common.
Curated by John Woodward, this exhibition pairs rare, intimate portraits by Abstract Expressionist Franz Kline (1910 - 1962) with never-before-seen shadow paintings by Conceptual Artist Richard Hambleton (1952 - 2017).
Art and beer were compatible for Kline. Often in the 1940s, in the hopes of earning a few dollars, he sketched people who, like himself, frequented bars in NYC. His character drawings, like “Nellie,” done at the Minetta Tavern, were not distorted as caricatures but heightened with Kline’s ability to select the most descriptive features of the sitting subject. From the beginning, and throughout his career, Hambleton extracted a person’s kinetic energy by splattering paint, capturing the personality of the real individual’s shadow, and trusting the black hue to create the silhouettes he became known for.
Kline and Hambleton painted at night, always keeping late hours and sleeping during the daytime. Hambleton worked in darkness from an abandoned gas station (Avenue B and 2nd Street) while Kline found life at the bars (Cedar Bar at 24 University Place, and Minetta Tavern on 113 MacDougal Street) to form his subjects.
Photograph by Fred W. McDarrah, Franz Kline, New York, April 7, 1961, Courtesy of Getty Images
The two artists began their artistic journeys with solo exhibitions in NYC— Kline at the Egan Gallery in 1950, and Hambleton at Alexander Milliken Gallery in 1982. Considered the most prestigious cultural event in the world, the Venice Biennale featured both Kline and Hambleton in 1960 and Hambleton in 1984.
Photo by Vera Isler, Richard Hambleton, New York, 1982, Art Nachlassstiftung and Blaue Blume
Kline and Hambleton were serious, committed artists who both lived under extreme conditions, sometimes even without food or water. Both artists generally isolated themselves to create, but were often surrounded by muses. Yes, Kline and Hambleton had magnetic personalities and were charismatic people, but used portraiture as a medium to connect— many times, in order to make money to survive.
Installation View: Franz Kline Nellie, 1940-1942
In a fascinating parallel of fate, both artists within their respective periods, were each able to befriend the two most influential contemporaries; Kline found Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock in the 1940s, and Hambleton found Jean- Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring in the 1980s. Both artistic trios were successfully recognized in NYC and eventually, worldwide.
Installation View: Franz Kline | Richard Hambleton: Portraits and Shadows, 60 Pine Street, NYC
The 20th-century art patrons, and founders of the Museum of Modern Art, the Rockefellers, purchased art from both Kline and Hambleton. Blanchett Ferry Rockefeller acquired “Chief,” named after a locomotive inspired by Kline’s childhood, in 1952. David Rockefeller acquired “Julia,” named after the only daughter of Woodward Gallery owners when she was a child, in 2013.
Installation View: Franz Kline | Richard Hambleton: Portraits and Shadows, 60 Pine Street, NYC
After they passed, each artist was honored with a featured obituary in the New York Times: Franz Kline on May 15, 1962, and Richard Hambleton on November 4th, 2017. Despite their differing eras, both artists are now considered iconic figures of 20th-century American art.
Installation View: Franz Kline | Richard Hambleton: Portraits and Shadows, 60 Pine Street, NYC
