Where Is Jack Goldstein?
Many people in the art world consider Jack Goldstein one of the most influential American artists of the 1980s, yet during his lifetime he never made it big. He took his own life nearly 10 years ago, leaving behind an extraordinary body of work that he would never see garner the accolades they deserved.
A member of the graduating class of CalArts in 1972, he moved to New York soon after and set about creating a new genre of art, which became known as the Pictures Generation, allowing others like David Salle, Richard Prince and Robert Longo to follow in his footsteps and achieve great success.
Venus Over Manhattan is a new gallery housed in a glamorous art building on Madison Avenue. This is their 4th exhibition and a madly memorable one. The gallery’s walls are stripped down with bare unfinished sheet rock and the lighting is dark and moody, very different to the huge white boxes we are used to. This lighting lends itself beautifully to Jack Goldstein’s work as those who knew him said he was a moody conflicted soul, making the paintings feel very at home in this environment.
Adam Lindemann, the gallery owner explained that while curating the show, he reached out to Ashley Bickerton, Jack Goldstein’s early studio assistant. Ashley agreed to write something for the exhibition’s catalog. This turned out to be a heartfelt, funny and poignant 3,000 word essay about the 4 years they worked together. In it Bickerton explains that Goldstein would play only Patsy Klein over and over in his studio while they worked. It is fitting therefore that this perfect tribute exhibition to the talent of Jack Goldstein, would also have it’s own soundtrack of Patsy Klein playing throughout the enormous, dimly lit gallery.
Where Is Jack Goldstein?
November 14, 2012 – January 15, 2013.
Venus Over Manhattan gallery. 980 Madison Avenue. Between East 76th and 77th Street, on the third floor. NY.