Friday, February 29, 2008

Elizabeth Olbert


Elizabeth Olbert

Visited Daniel Field's North Adams space... I'm not sure what to call the space, it's a storefront space filled with interesting stuff. Daniel uses it as his studio, and is surrounded by his own stuff and stuff he's collected, but I think everything is theoretically "for sale".

REALLY liked this Elizabeth Olbert painting, hanging from the ceiling. A many-beady-eyed gentle hunchbacked creature, holding a candle, surrounded by bubbles, butterflies, and clouds. I think it's from the late eighties, or maybe early 90's? The pastel palette, candle, soft curves, beady eyes, sweet grotesque, dreamy atmosphere all had me thinking of Lisa Yuskavage... (+ Robert Crumb).

It's painted on a cloud-printed bedsheet.

1995 David Ebony AiA review
1996 Peter Plagens Newsweek feature on Elizabeth Olbert, Nicola Tyson, Lisa Yuskavage
1998 David Ebony Artnet review
2000 Roberta Smith NYTimes review
2006 Caren Golden exhibition

4 comments:

  1. I have fallen head over heels.. thank you Martin!

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  2. Dude I thought you were going to expand this post with more pics..

    I really do want this piece. But I'm buh-roke.

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  3. i've got more photos from the shop that i'm gonna post later... but no more olbert pictures. other stuff.

    that painting is so good.. i went for it right away... he told me her name but i'd never heard of her. i looked up all of that other stuff later.

    i think that painting is a personal treasure of his, that they used to know each other.

    she shows at caren golden? maybe next time you get to chelsea you should ask to see some of her stuff.

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  4. I wonder if he would take a trade and cash...

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