Museum Brandhorst, Munich
January 2020
Under the title “Spot On,” recently acquired blocks of works by various artists will be shown in solo or double presentations in two rooms on the ground floor. The presentations will alternate during—and beyond—the anniversary year and its accompanying exhibition “Forever Young – 10 Jahre Museum Brandhorst”.
Since 2001, New York-based artist Josh Smith (b. 1976, Tennessee) has focused on a single motif or an isolated image-idea in his painting series, which he then repeats in variations. By robbing these motifs of their singularity through continuous reproduction, Smith deprives the painterly gesture of its personal element. The repertoire of subjects displayed in the collection presentation includes diverse topics such as sunsets, stop signs, and his own signature.
The expressive gesture becomes the formal means by which Smith is able to contemplate painting through painting. The exhibited collages and a series of bar stools that have been customized with Smith’s handprint in a standardized manner also reference his artistic strategy, in which the technique itself is elevated to become the central concept.