John James Audubon’s monumental Birds of America, originally published in 1838, has been an inspirational starting point for countless artists, including Larry Rivers and others during this outstanding group show in Los Angeles.
Twenty contemporary artists, alongside New York School and Pop artist Larry Rivers, have come together for a compelling group exhibition at 101/EXHIBIT in Los Angeles, California, that highlights their mutual love and respect for John James Audubon (1785-1851) and his seminal publication Birds of America (1838). The artists are experimental, collectively providing a survey of the various painting processes and techniques in use today. Participating artists include Jason Shawn Alexander, Pedro Barbeito, Brett Diemer, Zara Monet Feeney, Robert Fleisher, Thomas Frontini, Chambliss Giobbi, Daniel Horowitz, David Jacobs, Aaron Johnson, Nelson Loskamp, Patrick Neal, Paul Paiement, Tom Sanford, Jorge Santos, Kristen Schiele, Alfred Steiner, Eric White, Kent Williams, and Eve Woods.
“The exhibition consists of a survey of works by Rivers, inspired by Audubon’s book, exhibited alongside works by contemporary artists who have been asked to create his or her own interpretation of a plate of their choice from the book,” the gallery reports.
“The bird series is an offshoot of another bigger series that Larry executed in the late ’80s to early ’90s, called ‘Art and the Artist,’” says David Joel, executive director of the Larry Rivers Foundation and Rivers’ former studio assistant. ‘Essentially, Larry would focus on an artist and re-paint that artist’s works, incorporating the artist’s portrait into this new work. Rivers treated this series similarly, invoking his soft spot for birds and painting their portraits on canvas while simultaneously incorporating Audubon’s essence into each piece.”
Titled “Birds of America: Explorations of Audubon, The Paintings of Larry Rivers and Others,” the exhibition runs through May 13. To learn more, visit 101/EXHIBIT.
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