Paul Thek: Diver, A Retrospective
Oct 21, 2010–Jan 9, 2011
Paul Thek, Untitled (Hand with Ring), 1967. Wood, plaster, paint, and metal, 7 5/16 × 4 1/2 × 4 1/2 in. (18.5 × 11.5 × 11.5 cm). Collection of Ed Burns; on long-term loan to the Watermill Center. Photograph by Gary Mamay. © The Estate of George Paul Thek; courtesy Alexander and Bonin, New York
Paul Thek: Diver, a Retrospective is the first retrospective in the United States devoted to the legendary American artist Paul Thek (1933-1988). A sculptor, painter, and one of the first artists to create environments or installations, Thek came to recognition showing his sculpture in New York galleries in the 1960s. The first works exhibited, which he began making in 1964 and called “meat pieces” as they were meant to resemble flesh, were encased in Plexiglas boxes that recall Minimal sculptures. At the end of the sixties, Thek left for Europe, where he created extraordinary environments, incorporating elements from art, literature, theater, and religion, often employing fragile and ephemeral substances, including wax and latex. After a decade, at the end of the seventies, Thek changed direction, moved back to New York, and turned to the making of small, sketch-like paintings on canvas, although he continued to create environments in key international exhibitions. With his frequent use of highly perishable materials, Thek accepted the ephemeral nature of his art works—and was aware, as writer Gary Indiana has noted, of “a sense of our own transience and that of everything around us.” With loans of work never before seen in the US, this exhibition is intended to introduce Thek to a broader American audience.
Paul Thek: Diver, a Retrospective is co-organized by Elisabeth Sussman, Sondra Gilman Curator of Photography at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Lynn Zelevansky, the Henry J. Heinz II Director of Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh.
This exhibition was organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, and Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh.
Joint support for this exhibition is provided by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Dietrich Foundation, and Gail and Tony Ganz.
Major support for the Whitney’s presentation is provided by the National Committee of the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Significant support is provided by Beth Rudin DeWoody.
Antique Carpets courtesy of the Nazmiyal Collection, New York
Artworks
Paul Thek, Untitled (Meat Piece with Flies), 1965, from the series Technological Reliquaries. Wood, melamine laminate, metal, wax, paint, hair, and Plexiglas, 19 × 12 × 8 1/2 in. (48.3 × 30.5 × 21.6 cm). Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The Judith Rothschild Foundation © The Estate of George Paul Thek; courtesy Alexander and Bonin, New York © 2009 Museum Associates/LACMA/Art Resource, NY
Paul Thek (1933–1988), Untitled (Buzzard), 1968. Wood, taxidermic buzzard, shoes, paint, metal, black-and-white photographs, string, Plexiglas, and wax, 51 3/16 × 42 1/8 × 19 11/16 in. (130 × 107 × 50 cm). Museum Moderner Kunst, Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna © The Estate of George Paul Thek; courtesy Alexander and Bonin, New York
Paul Thek (1933–1988), Untitled (Sedan Chair), 1968. Wood, wax, paint, metal, leather, glass, and plaster, 79 × 39 3/8 × 39 3/8 in. (200 × 100 × 100 cm). Museum Ludwig, Cologne; Ludwig Donation Image courtesy Rheinisches Bildarchiv Köln © The Estate of George Paul Thek; courtesy Alexander and Bonin, New York
Paul Thek (1933–1988), Untitled, 1966, from the series Technological Reliquaries. Wax, paint, polyester resin, nylon monofilament, wire, plaster, plywood, melamine laminate, rhodium plated bronze, and Plexiglas, 14 × 15 1/16 × 7 1/2 in. (35.6 × 38.3 × 19.1 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase with funds from the Painting and Sculpture Committee 93.14 © The Estate of George Paul Thek; courtesy of Alexander and Bonin, New York. Photograph by Geoffrey Clements
Paul Thek, Warrior’s Arm, 1967, from the series Technological Reliquaries. Wax, paint, leather, metal, wood, resin, and Plexiglas, 9 1/2 x 39 × 9 1/2 in. (24.1 × 99.1 × 24.1 cm). Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; The Henry L. Hillman Fund, Mr. and Mrs. James H. Rich Fund, Carnegie Mellon Art Gallery Fund, A.W. Mellon Acquisition Endowment Fund, and Tillie and Alexander C. Speyer Fund for Contemporary Art, 2010.3 © The Estate of George Paul Thek; courtesy of Alexander and Bonin, New York. Photograph by Jason Mandella
Paul Thek (1933–1988), Untitled (Four Tube Meat Piece), 1964, from the series Technological Reliquaries. Wax, metal, wood, paint, glass, plaster, rubber, resin, and glass, 16 1/8 × 16 ¼ x 5 3/8 in. (41 × 41.3 × 13.7 cm). Kolodny Family Collection © The Estate of George Paul Thek; courtesy of Alexander and Bonin, New York. Photograph by Orcutt & Van Der Putten
Paul Thek (1933–1988), Afflict the Comfortable, Comfort the Afflicted, c. 1985. Synthetic polymer on canvas board, 18 × 24 in. (45.7 × 61 cm). Collection of Gail and Tony Ganz © The Estate of George Paul Thek; courtesy of Alexander and Bonin, New York. Photograph by Douglas M. Parker Studio
Paul Thek (1933–1988), Untitled (Dinosaur), 1971. Tempera, oil, and graphite on newspaper, 22 ¾ x 33 3/16 in. (57.8 × 84.3 cm). Alexander and Bonin, New York, and Mai 36 Galerie, Zurich © The Estate of George Paul Thek; courtesy of Alexander and Bonin, New York.
Paul Thek, Our Mother, 1985. Synthetic polymer on board, 18 1/8 × 24 in. (46 × 61 cm). Watermill Center Collection © The Estate of George Paul Thek; courtesy of Alexander and Bonin, New York. Photograph by D. James Dee
Paul Thek, Jesus in the Arms of Krishna, 1979–80. Synthetic polymer on canvas with artist’s frame and picture light , 10 1/2 × 13 1/2 in. (26.7 × 34.3 cm). Watermill Center Collection; courtesy Alexander and Bonin, New York © The Estate of George Paul Thek; courtesy of Alexander and Bonin, New York. Photograph by Bill Orcutt
Artist
Events
View all-
Beyond the Artist’s Hand: Contemporary Art Methods and Practices
Thursday, October 7, 2010
10–11:30 am -
Beyond the Artist’s Hand: Contemporary Art Methods and Practices
Thursday, October 7, 2010
10–11:30 am -
Member Preview Day: Paul Thek: Diver, a Retrospective
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
12–6 pm -
Curator-led tour: Paul Thek: Diver, a Retrospective
Thursday, October 28, 2010
6:15–7 pm
Audio guides
Paul Thek, Untitled (Hand with Ring), 1967. Wood, plaster, paint, and metal, 7 5/16 × 4 1/2 × 4 1/2 in. (18.5 × 11.5 × 11.5 cm). Collection of Ed Burns; on long-term loan to the Watermill Center. Photograph by Gary Mamay. © The Estate of George Paul Thek; courtesy Alexander and Bonin, New York
Exhibition co-curators Elisabeth Sussman and Lynn Zelevansky discuss a selection of works by the legendary American artist, Paul Thek. The audio guide includes commentary by artist Neil Jenney and literary scholar Ed Burns, who also reads excerpts from the artist’s extensive writings.
Explore works from this exhibition
in the Whitney's collection
View 6 works
In the News
Review: “a ragged, moving and much-anticipated retrospective”
—The New York Times
Review: “remarkable . . . he is too little known, and his redisovery promises to have a galvanizing effect on young artists.”
—The New Yorker
Audio Slideshow: Peter Schjeldahl looks at the work of Paul Thek
—The New Yorker
"Thek has returned in our moment of need to remind us of the difference between hermeneutics and erotics"
—Frieze
Review: "A true pioneer of installation art, he dodged many of the isms that defined his era (1933–1988) and came up with his own style."
--The Brooklyn Rail
Video: Using Science to Preserve Art
—The New York Times
“The Improvised Remedies of an Art Healer” (conserving the work of Paul Thek)
—The New York Times
"A Short Jaunt Through the Whitney's Meat & Bone Collection"
--The Huffington Post
“the first major United States survey of works by this legendary and complex artist”
—T Magazine/The New York Times
“This pioneer of installation art dodged many of the isms that defined his era (1933–1988) and came up with a style completely his own.”
—Time Out New York Must See Fall Museum Shows