ART IN THE AGE OF INFLUENCE: Peter Pincus | Sol LeWitt

July 11 - October 11, 2020

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Art in the Age of Influence is a series of solo exhibitions presented by Ferrin Contemporary during 2020-21 season, considers the impact of artist’s source materials on their artistic process and practice.

Art in the Age of Influence: Peter Pincus | Sol LeWitt, features new works by Peter Pincus inspired by three of Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings, #340, #422 and #289, as seen first-hand in Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective at MASS MoCA.

Using color theory and formulaic design patterns as points of departure, Pincus creates brightly colored vessels and expansive tile murals. Inspired by Sol LeWitt’s distinctive style, this body of work takes on his influence in their vibrant patterns and forms. LeWitt’s Wall Drawing #422 specifically relates to Pincus’ exhibition centerpiece, a series of 15 large-scale columns that carry colors across the surface of each form which create a large-scale painting when aligned together.

Gallery director, Leslie Ferrin notes “Pincus’ work in this exhibition began during his first visit to our gallery located on the MASS MoCA campus for the opening of a group show, Glazed and Diffused. After a full day exploring Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective, we had an animated discussion of how the LeWitt works related to his creative practice. Like LeWitt, Pincus often begins a new series using a premise to explore various possibilities of form and color within a shared framework.”

Pincus’s last solo exhibition in 2018, Channeling Josiah Wedgwood was also a result of direct research into the extensive collection at the Birmingham Museum of Art that informed a series of complex forms based on urns and challices. Now, five years later, Pincus’s work for this 2020 exhibition began with a series of premises based on the color theories and conceptual instructions of Sol LeWitt inspired by wall drawings he first saw in person in 2014. This body of work includes containers, vessels and wall tiles, each a result of extensive research and technical experimentation.

“There is a big difference between being influenced by and being in conversation with. As an artist and educator, I am eager to acknowledge those who have elevated my thinking through their work, and to consciously engage with influence as a productive, and insightful element of studio practice. This exhibition is an opportunity to celebrate LeWitt’s approach to making as a foundation, from which I can challenge myself to see new things and grow.”

-Peter Pincus

Presented at 1315 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, MA

July 11 – October 11, 2020

Peter Pincus, ‘Scratch Spin Amphora’ 2020,
colored porcelain, gold luster, 18 x 8 x 8″ (each).

VIRTUAL TOUR

Artist Peter Pincus narrates this virtual tour of his during a visit of the installation of his 2020 exhibition, presented at Ferrin Contemporary’s gallery on the campus of MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA.

MORE ON ART IN THE AGE OF INFLUENCE

ONLINE PROGRAMMING

Everson Museum’s Online Classes and Studio Tours, featuring Peter Pincus, Friday, September 11, 2020, from 1-2:30 pm EST

INFLUENCE: SOL LEWITT

Art in the Age of Influence: Peter Pincus | Sol LeWitt, features new works by Peter Pincus inspired by three of Sol LeWitt’s wall drawings, #340, #422 and #289, as seen first-hand in Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective at MASS MoCA.

Using color theory and formulaic design patterns as points of departure, Pincus creates brightly colored vessels and expansive tile murals. Inspired by Sol LeWitt’s distinctive style, this body of work takes on his influence in their vibrant patterns and forms. LeWitt’s Wall Drawing #422 specifically relates to Pincus’ exhibition centerpiece, a series of 15 large-scale columns that carry colors across the surface of each form which create a large-scale painting when aligned together.

“There is a big difference between being influenced by and being in conversation with. As an artist and educator, I am eager to acknowledge those who have elevated my thinking through their work, and to consciously engage with influence as a productive, and insightful element of studio practice. This exhibition is an opportunity to celebrate LeWitt’s approach to making as a foundation, from which I can challenge myself to see new things and grow.” -Peter Pincus

Sol LeWitt | Wall Drawing 422, November 1984

Sol LeWitt (B. 1928, Hartford Connecticut)

Wall Drawing 422, November 1984

The room (or wall) is divided vertically into fifteen parts. All one-, two-, three-, and four-part combinations of four colors, using color ink washes.

Color ink wash

Š 2020 The LeWitt Estate / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

On display in the exhibition Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective

Sol LeWitt | Wall Drawing 289, January 1978

Sol LeWitt (B. 1928, Hartford Connecticut)

Wall Drawing 289 (Detail: fourth wall only), January 1978

A 6-inch (15 cm) grid covering each of the four black walls. White lines to points on the grids. Fourth wall: twenty-four lines from the center, twelve lines from the midpoint of each of the sides, twelve lines from each corner. (The length of the lines and their placement are determined by the drafter.)

White crayon lines and black pencil grid on black wall

Š 2020 The LeWitt Estate / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Whitney. Museum of American Art, New York, Purchase with funds from the Gilman Foundation, Inc. 78.1.1-4

Sol LeWitt | Wall Drawing 340, July 1980

Sol LeWitt (B. 1928, Hartford Connecticut)

Wall Drawing 340, July 1980

Six-part drawing. The wall is divided horizontally and vertically into six equal parts. First part: On red, blue horizontal parallel lines, and in the center, a circle within which are yellow vertical parallel lines; second part: On yellow, red horizontal parallel lines, and in the center, a square within which are blue vertical parallel lines; third part: On blue, yellow horizontal parallel lines, and in the center, a triangle within which are red vertical parallel lines; fourth part: On red, yellow horizontal parallel lines, and in the center, a rectangle within which are blue vertical parallel lines; fifth part: On yellow, blue horizontal parallel lines, and in the center, a trapezoid within which are red vertical parallel lines; sixth part: On blue, red horizontal parallel lines, and in the center, a parallelogram within which are yellow vertical parallel lines. The horizontal lines do not enter the figures.

Red, yellow, blue crayon on red, yellow and blue wall

Š 2020 The LeWitt Estate / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

On display in the exhibition Sol LeWitt: A Wall Drawing Retrospective

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