First Look: New Acquisitions

Peyton Wright Gallery is pleased to announce a number of new acquisitions, including works by Ray Parker, Karl Benjamin, Alexander Calder, and Emil Bisttram.

Alexander Calder is one of the most popular American artists of the 20th century. He was a prolific artist inspired by toys and the circus, and is known for his kinetic sculptures, paintings, and large-scale works. His work “Angled Spiral” is a charming gouache an ink on paper dated 1969. It features a black spiral form set against a red and off white background.

Karl Benjamin was a California-based artist who died in 2012. He was known for creating complex geometric works using vibrant colors. Two works new to the gallery are “Untitled, 1960” and “TG #24.” The former dates from 1960, and features vertical forms with strong coloration. The latter dates from 1961, and features angular shapes and a darker palette.

Ray Parker earned his MGFA at University of Iowa in 1940. His early work shows the influence of cubism, but he later came to be associated with Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, and other leading abstract painters of the era. He was greatly inspired by jazz music, which led him to adopt an improvisational approach to painting. One of his works new to the gallery is “Untitled” dated ca. 1960. It is an oil on canvas rendered in his signature style, featuring three simple ovoid forms set against a neutral background.

Emil Bisttram’s “The Little King” is another new arrival to the gallery. Bisttram was born in Hungary, and settled in Taos. He was inspired by New Mexico’s Native American cultures, as well as by the Mexican muralists. He is known as one of the co-founders, along with Raymond Jonson, of the Transcendental Painting Group. Bisttram was particularly devoted to exploring spirituality through art. This oil on canvas features a complex geometric composition and color palette, and shows the influence of Wassily Kandinsky’s theories on art and spirituality.

At Peyton Wright Gallery we are always acquiring new work. It pays to visit the gallery regularly, where visitors will be surprised and delighted. Click here for more information.