Almine Rech Paris is pleased to present Tom Wesselmann's fourth solo exhibition with the gallery, on view from June 11 to July 30, 2022.
Tom Wesselmann (1931-2004) forged his distinctive, figurative fusion of color and line through a longtime engagement with Matisse. Wesselmann first learned about the French master while studying at Cooper Union (1956–59), where his teacher Nicholas Marsicano encouraged him “to find your own way. . . You can’t do what Matisse did.”
Wesselmann’s goal to bypass De Kooning and find his own direction was satisfied by his adaptations of the controlled, precise contours; bold, flat colors; and sensual imagery popularized by Matisse. The exhibition of Matisse’s cut-outs in 1961 at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, may have reaffirmed his interest in Matisse as a precedent for exploring variations of a subject in serial form.
Wesselmann repeatedly referenced Matisse in the Great American Nude series, launched in 1961 – eventually creating one hundred works, spanning almost ten years. In the 1980s Wesselmann launched a series of laser-cut, painted metal drawings, several of which were based on one of his favorite models, Monica Serra. Wesselmann also created a series of cut-out aluminum still lifes adapting Matisse’s motifs in the 80s, amplifying this theme in the 1990s in such homages to Matisse and his contemporaries as Still Life with Matisse and Johns (3D)of 1993. Wesselmann saw the landmark 1992 Matisse retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art which was an “overwhelming” experience for him.
— Gail Stavitsky, author and Chief Curator, Montclair Art Museum
Tom Wesselmann
After Matisse
—
Paris, Turenne
Opening on June 11th, from 11 am to 8 pm.
Inquire about the exhibition:
inquiries@alminerech.com
The gallery is open from 11 am until 7 pm.

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur

June 11 — July 30, 2022 • Paris, Turenne
Photo: Nicolas Brasseur
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The Estate of Tom Wesselmann, Man Ray at the Dance, 2004
Oil on canvas
248.9 x 188 cm
98 x 74 in -
The Estate of Tom Wesselmann, Monica Sleeping with Matisse, 1988
Enamel on cut-out steel
118.1 x 218.4 cm
46 1/2 x 86 in -
The Estate of Tom Wesselmann, Still Life with Two Matisses (Portrait), 1990/1992
Alkyd oil on cut-out aluminum
170.2 x 221 cm
67 x 87 in -
The Estate of Tom Wesselmann, After Matisse, 1959
Pastel, collage and staples on composition board
81.3 x 61 cm
32 x 24 in -
The Estate of Tom Wesselmann, Blue Nude # 15, 2000
Oil on cut-out aluminium
139.7 x 124.5 cm
55 x 49 in
Press release
Selected press
- Tatsiana Zhurauliova, A Look Back- Jeffrey Sturges on Tom Wesselmann, La Gazette Drouot, July 7, 2022 — 1.5 MB
- Galerie Almine Rech- Tom Wesselmann, Paris Capitale, Summer 2022 — 294.3 kB
- V. de M., Tom Wesselmann - Un Dialogue Avec Matisse, Connaissance des Arts, July-August 2022 — 541.2 kB
- Philippe Dagen, Expositions- Matisse, ses nus et ses couleurs, au prisme du pop art, Le Monde, June 30, 2022 — 666.5 kB
- Emmanuelle Lequeux, Expositions, Nos coups de coeur. Galerie Almine Rech - Matisse, son amour, Beaux-Arts, July-August 2022 — 543.3 kB
- Emmanuelle Lequeux, Guide des expositions, Beaux-Arts, July-August 2022 — 536.0 kB
- Tatsiana Zhurauliova, Tom Wesselmann- After Matisse, La Gazette Drouot, June 22, 2022 — 140.5 kB
- Teresa Hantke, Matisse in Nichts nachstehen- Tom Wesselmann bei Almine Rech in Paris, Gallerytalk.net, June 30, 2022 — 815.4 kB
- Soline Delos, Culture- les 5 incontournables de la semaine, Elle, June 16, 2022 — 335.7 kB
- Gabrielle Gauthier, 'L'hommage à Matisse et à l'histoire de l'art de Tom Wesselmann', Arts Magazine, June 2022 — 316.4 kB
- 'Tom Wesselmann- After Matisse', Guide Smarty, June 2022 — 537.1 kB
- Shari Inessa Boge, 'Exclusive Preview - Exposition Tom Wesselmann // After Matisse - Galerie Almine Rech', What We Adore Magazine, June 09, 2022 — 785.1 kB
- 'After Matisse, Exhibition of Works by Tom Wesselmann, to Open at Almine Rech in Paris, Widewalls, June 10, 2022 — 337.9 kB
- Jose Villareal, 'Tom Wesselmann's fourth solo exhibition with Almine Rech opens in Paris', ArtDaily, June 14, 2022 — 470.5 kB