McCaffrey Fine Art is proud to present Sigmar Polke, an exhibition of drawings, paintings, and photographs that span the career of the late artist. On view will be a selection of rare and intimate drawings from the 1960s, a suite of photographs, and several monumental paintings from the 1980s and 90s. The exhibition will be on view from January 11 through February 19, 2011.
Polke’s work resists easy categorization, employing a wide range of materials, techniques, and subject matter. Polke often used ephemeral materials, such as wax, smoke on glass, and pigments that would break down and deteriorate over time. He painted directly on translucent fabric, and used resin, chemicals, arsenic and meteor fragments in various works.
Every decade Polke reinvented his language: a humorous crude pop of the 60s; a range of photographic experiments in the 70s; and a return to painting inflected by unorthodox practices and media in the 80s and 90s. In many ways, Polke’s works, and particularly his overarching project, have been seen as subversive political gestures that counter prevailing conventions in the artworld.