It's quite well known in the art world that Michael Goldberg took over Mark Rothko's Bowery studio back in the 1960's, but until now we had never seen what it actually looked like when Rothko had it. The recent off Broadway Play - RED is set in the studio and way back then it was where Rothko painted the Four Seasons commissions. The red paint that he used remains scattered over the original studio floor. It was a sacred part of the history of the studio and Michael Goldberg avoided (for the most part) dropping his own paint over the areas splattered with what we referred to as the Rothko Red. Stanford University just happens to have images of the studio back then, with Rothko's paintings stacked up around the studio. We had to share them:    

Written by

The Codex Coner is one of the most beautiful surviving architectural manuals from the Renaissance. Created around 1510, the illustrated manual was complied in Rome and documents historical and contemporary Roman architecture by the likes of Bramante (1444--1514), Raphael (1483--1520), and Michelangelo (1475--1564). The scope of it's contents and information are unmatched and can be attributed to draftsman & Florentine carpenter: Bernardo della Volpaia (c.1475--1521). The manual was discovered by Michael Goldberg during his time in Italy and influenced a major body of his work from the late 1970's until the mid-late 1980's. 'Codex Coner Piede Vicentino' by Michael Goldberg 1980 [pictured below left] references the fundamental structures of Roman architecture, the divisional lines appearing as abstracted columns supporting the uneven weight of the pink colorfield. The technique Goldberg used to create these works on handmade paper was particularly fresh. Matt medium was applied to the paper with water to create a wet surface that Goldberg would draw into with lecturers chalk - a material that the artist would find an affinity with and subsequently use in paintings for the remainder of his career. Renowned collectors Herb and Dorothy Vogel found particular interest in this work and acquired several drawings for their collection. 'Codex Coner Piede Vicentino' was donated to  Yale University as a part of the Vogel's 50 x 50 - 50 Works for 50 States, after Dorothy's passing in 2012. We are thrilled to work with the Goldberg Estate to include 2 of these amazing and historically important works in our limited edition print collection. Visit our SHOP to see the available work, or enquire with the gallery about sales of the original works.

   

Written by

In May of 1951 the 9th Street show opened to an overwhelming reception and introduced the world to the Abstract Expressionists. To celebrate the 63rd anniversary of the ground-breaking show, we have collaborated with the Estate of Michael Goldberg to bring you four limited edition Transfer works on newsprint from 1992. [divider] [caption id="attachment_7963" align="alignleft" width="447"] Transfer - Green, Michael Goldberg 1992[/caption] To remove wet paint from the surface of his artwork, Goldberg would apply newsprint to the surface and then scrape a large pallet knife over the newsprint to lift off excess paint. Doing this allowed him to work quickly without muddying the paint. This studio practice inspired a series of paintings where the markings on the newsprint became the focus of the work. By making deliberate movements with the pallet knife, Goldberg was able to create punchy gestural expressions of color that boldly capture a moment in time.

Written by

New York City in the 1950’s was a pretty remarkable place. After WWII the city was a relative shell comprised of dilapidated buildings and neglected neighborhoods, with most people opting to live in the suburbs far away from the potential military target. Living and working amongst the derelict buildings was a group of young pioneer artists, bursting with intellect and creativity, yet struggling to have a voice in the art world. In 1951, art dealer Leo Castelli and a group of these young New York City artists joined forces to create the infamous 9^Th St Show, a self-funded exhibition that in many ways changed the course of art history forever. Europe was losing its edge and what was relevant, current and exciting was happening in America’s own back yard, despite being overlooked by the local art scene. At that time, there was only a small number of galleries in Manhattan, all were clustered around 57^th street and all dealed primarily in European art. The collective rented an abandoned antique store at 60, East 9^th Street for $40 and together put on a ground-breaking exhibition that ‘appropriated a visibility that American Society had denied them for so long’. The Abstract Expressionist Movement burst onto the scene and caught the attention of not only critics but the culture at large. These artists ultimately became some of the most celebrated and valued of all time. One of the youngest exhibitors in the 9^th Street show was TW Fine Art’s Michael Goldberg. At that time Michael Goldberg had changed his name to Michael Stuart to avoid the association with his aristocratic family and his father. Goldberg told stories of taxis lining up down the street with crowds of people amassing outside the space on opening night. The New York Times labeled it an ‘uncommon exhibit of the New York avant-garde spectacularly coming together’. Over the next 50 years the focus of the art world would shift from Europe to America and today there are over 1500 galleries in Manhattan alone. People have returned to the city. The end of the Cold War boosted people’s confidence in the safety of the metropolis and slowly but surely people began to gentrify the forgotten neighborhoods to create the New York City of today. It’s unheard of for artists to be able to rent an exhibition space for $40 anymore – the thought makes today’s artists green with envy! The creative community that existed in those days is now geographically dispersed since Manhattan is for the most part unaffordable for the young avant-garde - the artist interested in the art and not the sale. Goldberg used to loathe walking through Chelsea (the modern art hub) “I fucking hate Chelsea, the content of the work is money no matter what it masquerades as”. In many ways, what he said is true – Mike was about art, not the money that came from today’s art celebrity culture. “I consider myself an old-fashioned modernist in that I think painting can change the world. And the desperation is about the fact that I know it can’t.” Our own artist collective now lives all across the world although our roots are in New York City, where we all gathered as students, mentors and young artists. The Internet serves as our club and although separated by geographical distance, our bonds are strong and our art has been globalized in a manner that in many ways may now represent the future trajectory of the art world.      

Written by

There's a great photo of Abstract Expressionist Mike Goldberg and the New York Beat Poet Frank O'Hara that used to hang in Goldberg's studio - the two of them clowning around in front of a Picasso at the MoMA. Both young and enthusiastic, it was a great reminder of the youthful bond between the painter and poet. It was taken around the time Frank wrote his work 'Why I am not a Painter' about Goldberg and his painting Sardines that now belongs to the Smithsonian American Art Museum. I am not a painter, I am a poet. Why? I think I would rather be a painter, but I am not. Well, for instance, Mike Goldberg is starting a painting. I drop in."Sit down and have a drink" he says. I drink; we drink. I look up. "You have SARDINES in it.”"Oh." I go and the days go by and I drop in again. The painting is going on, and I go, and the days go by. I drop in. The painting is finished. "Where's SARDINES?" All that's left is just letters, "It was too much," Mike says. But me? One day I am thinking of a color: orange. I write a line about orange. Pretty soon it is a whole page of words, not lines. Then another page. There should be so much more, not of orange, of words, of how terrible orange is and life. Days go by. It is even in prose, I am a real poet. My poem is finished and I haven't mentioned orange yet. It's twelve poems, I call it ORANGES. And one day in a gallery see Mike's painting, called SARDINES.     Together with his Estate and Michael Rosenfeld Gallery, I have been working with the conservation team from the Smithsonian to provide an insight into Mike's work, particularly his process and use of tape. Painted in 1955, Sardines needs a little conservation, particularly the masking tape that is used in the composition. It makes me chuckle a little when I remember a line Mike once said when I questioned the permanency of some of his material choices.. 'Who gives a fuck, let the conservators worry about that later'. Classic Goldberg! Below is an article from the Smithsonian's Eye Level, detailing the restoration project: Conservation: Paint, Tape, and Sardines March 25, 2014 Michael Goldberg's Sardines A challenging theme has developed in Jessica Ford's projects at the Lunder Conservation Center: tape! In painting conservation, adhesive tape is not usually encountered during examination or treatment. However, in contemporary art the use of unconventional materials is rarely surprising. At times, tape was applied by painters to frame the edges of paintings or to guide a straight line. Michael Goldberg's Sardines uses a different approach and prominently features adhesive tape as part of the painting's composition. Goldberg's paintings often grow from a central, physical object. The artist begins with a realistic element and then redefines it with an energetic working process. Here, simple line drawings were covered in swaths of heavy paint, collaged elements of paper or tape were relocated or removed, and new lines were painted or carved to recall the original object. Although expressive and experimental, his work was also carefully crafted. Sardines was brought into the Lunder Conservation Center primarily because both the paint's and the tape's adhesion to the canvas needed to be strengthened. Part of Jessica's work will be cleaning the surface, stabilizing the paint layer, and analyzing the paint's composition. Her other major focus will be addressing the two different types of adhesive tape used by Goldberg. As a material, tape can deteriorate quickly. Over time, it can darken, lose adhesion, and become brittle. A conservation treatment must be planned that does not compromise the artist's intent or the appearance of his materials. In the coming weeks, Jessica will research the art historical context of Sardines and draw on her technical knowledge of artistic media to develop a treatment approach. Currently, Jessica is looking into the history, material components, and conservation of adhesive tape. Art conservationist often share their findings with others in the field. So, Jessica, along with Lunder conservators Tiarna Doherty and Amber Kerr, will be talking about their work at the American Institute for Conservation's annual meeting this coming May.

Written by