Trenton Doyle Hancock

December 05, 2018, 12:09am

New American Paintings Alumni Take Over UNTITLED Miami

It’s that time of year again- Art Week Miami is upon us. New American Paintings is trading in our winter coats for flip flops and jetting off to UNTITLED Miami. Come with us as we see friends of past and present, starting with the 20 NAP Alumni booths you don’t want to miss:

1. Alex Jackson (Midwest #119)
Jenkins Johnson Gallery | Booth #D22

Trance Glance
2018
oil on panel
24 x 20 inches

Image courtesy of Jenkins Johnson Gallery

Listed under: Art Fairs, Miami, Must-See, NAP Artists on View

December 01, 2017, 9:11am

Making it to the Big Stage: New American Paintings Alumni on View at Art Basel Miami 2017

I have said it before, but one of my greatest joys these days is watching the careers of artists featured in New American Paintings explode. Working with curators, we review the work of more than 6000 artists every year and try to identify those who are exceptional. We take this job VERY seriously.

The way the art world is structured these days, there is, perhaps, no bigger stage to present your work than Art Basel Miami. Thousands of art lovers attend each year and just about every major collector and curator from around the world is there. There are at least two-dozen of our alumni on view this year, which is extraordinary. Some of these artists, such as Jordan Casteel and Loie Hollowell, have gained international attention just in the past twelve months. If you receive New American Paintings, as hundreds of collectors and curators do, you would have discovered their work before they entered the gallery system. Join us. – Steven Zevitas, Publisher

Listed under: Art Market, Art World, Noteworthy

January 10, 2016, 10:09am

Catchig up with Blaise Rosenthal, 2014 New American Paintings Annual Prize Winner

One of the most gratifying aspects of publishing New American Paintings over the years has been watching our alumni go on to accomplish great things. The publication's history is replete with artists who were featured early in their careers that have gone on to become nationally and, in some cases, internationally recognized artists. Among them are individuals such as Iona Rozeal Brown, William Cordova, Amy Cutler, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Matthew Day Jackson, Eddie Martinez, Allison Schulnik and James Siena. At the end of the day, New American Paintings' number one goal is to offer deserving artists a vehicle though which there work can be discovered by an engaged and geographically diverse audience.

Since 2010, New American Paintings has awarded an annual prize to one of the two hundred and forty artists featured in that calendar year's six issues (look for our 2015 poll in the next week). In 2014, the winner of that prize was self-taught artist, Blaise Rosenthal, whose dusky, minimal abstractions draw more from his personal experiences and the American landscape then they do art historical precedent. I ran into Rosenthal's work on my annual visit to the Miami art fairs in early December. As I walked down an aisle of the UNTITLED art fair, there they were in the distance. I recognized them instantly, which, in today's overcrowded and homogenized art world really says something. It may sound trite, but these paintings have genuine presence and are clearly made by an artist who is actively searching...who is digging in the dirt. There is no artifice, or pretense to them.

As it happens, the reason Rosenthal's paintings were on view at UNTITLED is that Oakland based gallery Johannson Projects had recently discovered the work in New American Paintings. By all accounts, the relationship between Johannson and Rosenthal has turned into one that has been mutually beneficial. I had the chance to speak with Rosenthal at UNTITLED, and subsequently reached out to ask him some additional questions about his work and practice. Our conversation can be found below. - Steven Zevitas, Publisher

Blaise Rosenthal | The Ridge, Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas, 26x29 Inches