The 1818 Collective Opens Exhibition of Works by Benjamin Abramowitz
Presented in collaboration with Galerie Provenance, the summer show shines a long overdue spotlight on the late multimedia artist
The 1818 Collective's Analisse Taft-Gersten and Kristin Fine. Photo: Glen Allsop
Benjamin Abramowitz is perhaps one of the most prolific artists in recent times with almost zero name recognition. That will undoubtedly change with an exhibition of his works debuting this weekend at The 1818 Collective in Sag Harbor, in collaboration with Galerie Provenance. The latter is owned by Sheila Bouttier, the only grandchild of the late Abramowitz. A former Senior Vice President of Telepictures/Warner Bros. and ABC Daytime, Bouttier runs Galerie Provenance from her Los Angeles home, which is chock full of his works in mediums ranging from paintings to inks on paper to sculptures.
“I’ve never had anyone come to the house and not appreciate the work. People are really effusive,” she notes. “He had a lot of range, from gorgeous nudes and watercolors to an era of sculpture studies.”
Part of the reason is his early start. Born in Brooklyn in 1917, Abramowitz scored his first solo-exhibition at the tender age of 16. Three years later he joined the Works Projects Administration (WPA) and quickly rose through the ranks to become a senior printmaker and painter (11 pieces he created during his time are in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; others are in the National Gallery of Art, The Phillips Collection, and other).
Benjamin Abramowitz, 1985 installed at The 1818 Collective's Sag Harbor gallery. Photo: Glen Allsop
Blue Shadow Nude, Parts, and Fresh Fruit by Benjamin Abramowitz installed at The 1818 Collective in Sag Harbor, New York. Photo: Glen Allsop
He later joined the US Department of Agriculture as a lithographer, a position he held until he could retire with a full pension at age 50. All the while he was constantly, perhaps compulsively, creating. “He came home at 4:30, we had dinner on the table at five, and by 6 p.m. he was in the studio painting or went off to teach. Weekends were spent painting and taking [us] to ballet and cello lessons,” recalls Abramowitz’s daughter (and Bouttier’s mother) Susan Abramowitz Rosenbaum. ”The house revolved around his schedule, and his need to paint.”
“He had a lot of range, from gorgeous nudes and watercolors to an era of sculpture studies”
Sheila Bouttier
He had 13 solo exhibitions, was included in a plethora of group shows, taught privately and, at one point, was sent to Texas by the Ford Foundation to teach painting workshops in various communities. This only accelerated after retirement, and continued until he was about 80 years old. When he died in 2004 at the age of 94, he left thousands of works spanning seven decades and styles ranging from abstraction to color field to minimalism, and Rosenbaum, an art consultant and former vice president at Corcoran Gallery of Art at George Washington University, has been faithfully documenting and cataloging it ever since.
“Different eras resonate with different people,” Bouttier tells Galerie.
Sag Harbor, New York gallery The 1818 Collective is hosting an installation of works by artist Benjamin Abramowitz. Photo: Glen Allsop
They clearly resonated with The 1818 Collective’s co-owners Kristin Fine and Analisse Taft-Gersten. Over the years, Fine sourced pieces for various interior design projects from Galerie Provenance and had always coveted the artworks. She and Taft-Gersten wanted to incorporate more art in their shop (with offerings described as “an exclusive mix of hard-to-find vintage and contemporary furnishings, art, accessories and textiles”) located in a circa 1800 Greek Revival house.
It was a match made in proverbial heaven. The three met in Los Angeles late last year and the results of that meeting— over 30 pieces—are now hanging in Sag Harbor. “We wanted to find pieces that you don’t seen in every magazine or in your neighbor’s house. It’s like a treasure hunt,” said Taft-Gersten. “And [in Abramowitz] we’ve found a true, studied artist who was hidden away for so many years. His work is so alluring and captivating. This is literally a treasure.”
Abramovitz’s work will be on view through Labor Day at The 1818 Collective, 43 Madison Street, Sag Harbor.
