Leading The Way
Published by Daniel+Lauren
23 February, 2022 written by Daniel Quintanilla (aka danieldcnyc)
See original published article
Menashe Kadishman Sheep head (#1), 1987, Acrylic on canvas (31.50 x 23.50 in / 80.01 x 59.69 cm)
Space Gallery St Barth is proud to present an exhibition of early painting and sculpture by Israeli artist, Menashe Kadishman, in collaboration with our first-ever guest curator, Gil Traub, starting March 3 through March 13, Gil will also be at an opening reception on March 3 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. EST at Space Gallery St. Barth on 428 Broome Street in New York City.
Quite possibly Israel’s most famous artist, Menashe Kadishman is best known for his colorful portrait paintings of sheep and evocative iron sculptures.
Menashe Kadishman Sheep head (#8), 1987, Oil on canvas (22 x 22 in / 55.88 x 55.88 cm)
Menashe Kadishman Sheep head (#9), 1988, Oil on canvas (22 x 22 in / 55.88 x 55.88 cm)
A winner of the prestigious Israel Prize for Sculpture, Kadishman represented Israel at the 1978 Venice Biennale where his work made an international stir.
Today, artwork by Kadishman can be found in the permanent collections of prestigious international museum including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City; the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City; Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington D.C.; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia; Tate Gallery, London; Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy; Jewish Museum, Berlin, Germany; Hara Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo, Japan; and the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
The purpose of this exhibition, “A Colorful Herd” is to introduce the evocative, lively artwork of this 20th century master to a broader audience as well as expand the offerings of our programming in order to showcase the best of international contemporary artwork for your collectors.
Menashe Kadishman Sheep head (#15), 1992, Acrylic on canvas (22 x 22 in / 55.88 x 55.88 cm)
Menashe Kadishman Crying Man, 1984, Iron sculpture (20.25 x 21 x 11 in / 51.44 x 53.34 x 27.94 cm)
Menashe Kadishman is best known for his colorful portrait paintings of sheep and evocative iron sculptures.
His portraits paintings of sheep are presented a flock of live sheep tinted various shades of blue.
A cheeky take on Action Painting, the color sheep naturally drifted apart and came together as they grazed creating a living painting in the process.
As the conceptual installation transfigured into painting, Kadishman recast the picture frame as the sheep’s pen whereas the animals became swirls of color in constant motion throughout the canvas.
Menashe Kadishman Sheep head (#2), 1985, Acrylic on canvas (31.50 x 23.50 in / 80.01 x 59.69 cm)
In January 2022, Space Gallery St Barth expanded its art offerings to include secondary market artworks. Additionally, exhibitions and showcases of international artists including Turkish artist Asli Özok and Russian photographer Victoria Ivanov have diversified the gallery’s program and expanded our offerings beyond our traditionally Eurocentric aesthetic.
The artwork of Menashe Kadishman represents a furthering of both of these strategies for expansion collapsed into a single gust curated exhibition: a secondary market showcase of an iconic Israeli painter and sculptor.
This exhibition also represents our first-ever collaboration with a guest curator, Gil Traub. Traub is a life-long art collection as well as an influential tastemaker in the world of Post-War and Contemporary Art.
His collection includes pieces by marquee names including Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Keith Haring as well as many pieces by emerging and rediscovered artists.
In sourcing work for A Colorful Herd, Traub explained his goals for the exhibition to be to elevate Kadishman and his incredible body of work beyond labels such as “Israeli artist” or “Jewish master” in order to reassign Kadishman the label he truly deserves: 20th century master.
It is this unique ability to weave nature and art to tell stories of humanity make Kadishman a notably lyrical artist.
ABOUT SPACE GALLERY Established in 2011, Space Gallery St Barth is a contemporary art gallery dedicated to showcasing painting, photography, and sculpture by established and emerging artists.
Since its inception, Space Gallery St Barth has built up an impressive roster of artists, curated international exhibitions, and participated in major art fairs including the Venice Biennale.
As of today, the gallery has locations in St Barth and New York City and regularly exhibits in Monaco and Miami.
The gallery’s location in New York City has been open since November 2018.