Dogged by controversy and repeatedly postponed until now, 'Philip Guston' is the first major retrospective on the artist in the UK in nearly 20 years. Guston is best known for his contributions to the Abstract Expressionist movement and later for his shift to a more figurative and politically charged style in the late 1960s. In his early career, Guston was associated with the New York School of abstract painters, which included artists like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko. He painted in an abstract and non-representational style during this period, producing works characterized by gestural brushwork and expressive use of color.
However, in the late 1960s Guston underwent a significant transformation in his artistic style as he began creating paintings that featured cartoonish and grotesque imagery, often depicting hooded Klansmen, disembodied limbs, and other disturbing and satirical elements. This shift towards a more figurative and politically engaged style was met with mixed reactions from the art world.
Guston's return to figuration was seen by some as a bold and courageous departure from the prevailing art trends of his time. His work became more personal and introspective, often exploring themes of identity, mortality, and the human condition. This transition in his art also reflected his deep disillusionment with the contemporary art scene and the turbulent political and social climate of the 1960s and 1970s.
Guston's work has had a lasting impact on contemporary art; influencing subsequent generations of artists. His bold move away from abstraction and his willingness to confront difficult subject matter in his paintings contributed to the evolution of American art in the 20th century. Today, Guston stands as one of the most influential painters of the late 20th century.
The exhibition explores how his paintings bridged the personal and the political, the abstract and the figurative, the humorous and the tragic.