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Ronnie Landfield: Architect of Abstract Color

An in-depth exploration of the life, work, and enduring influence of a pivotal figure in American abstract painting.

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About Ronnie Landfield

Abstract Painter

Ronnie Landfield, born January 9, 1947, is a distinguished American abstract painter. His early career, spanning the mid-1960s through the 1970s, saw his work associated with movements such as Lyrical Abstraction, Postminimalism, Color Field painting, and Abstract Expressionism. He gained significant recognition through exhibitions at prominent galleries like the David Whitney Gallery and the Andrรฉ Emmerich Gallery.

Critical Acclaim

Landfield is celebrated for his abstract landscape paintings, characterized by their vibrant color palettes and dynamic compositions. Throughout his extensive career, he has held over seventy solo exhibitions and participated in more than two hundred group exhibitions. In 2011, he was described by LewAllen Gallerie as being "at the forefront of contemporary art...one of the best painters in America."

Artistic Journey

Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Landfield's artistic development was shaped by his engagement with the vibrant New York art scene of the 1960s. His education included studies at the Art Students League of New York, Kansas City Art Institute, and San Francisco Art Institute, providing a robust foundation for his exploration of abstract art.

Artistic Movements

Lyrical Abstraction

Landfield is recognized as a key figure in the Lyrical Abstraction movement, which emerged in the late 1960s as a departure from the perceived austerity of Minimalism and Hard-edge painting. This movement emphasized sensuous color, romantic themes, and a more expressive, fluid approach to abstraction.

Postminimalism & Color Field

His work also aligns with Postminimalism, exploring less rigid forms and incorporating more emotional or subjective content than strict Minimalism. Concurrently, his mastery of color places him firmly within the tradition of Color Field painting, where large areas of flat color are used to create visual impact and emotional resonance.

Abstract Expressionism Roots

While developing his distinct style, Landfield's early work showed influences from Abstract Expressionism, particularly in its scale and bold application of paint. However, he evolved beyond its gestural intensity towards a more structured yet deeply chromatic abstract language.

Career Trajectory

Early Career (1960s)

Landfield began exhibiting in Manhattan in 1962. After studies and travels, he returned to New York in 1965, experimenting with Minimal Art, sculpture, and hard-edge geometric painting. His "border paintings" series, completed in 1966, garnered early attention, with works acquired by notable collectors and institutions. By 1970, he was acknowledged for leading a shift towards more lyrical and vibrant abstractions.

  • First exhibited paintings in Manhattan (1962).
  • Studied at Art Students League, Kansas City Art Institute, San Francisco Art Institute.
  • Developed "border paintings" series (1966).
  • Included in Whitney Museum Annual exhibitions (1967, 1969) and the first Whitney Biennial (1973).
  • First solo exhibition at David Whitney Gallery (1969).
  • Works acquired by the Whitney Museum of American Art and The Museum of Modern Art.

Mid Period (1973-1993)

This period saw Landfield travel extensively, particularly in the Southwest, producing numerous paintings inspired by the landscape. He taught Fine Arts at the School of Visual Arts from 1975 to 1990. His works were featured in prestigious venues, including installations at the Four Seasons Restaurant and exhibitions across major cities nationally and internationally.

  • Traveled and painted in Zion National Park, Utah (1973, 1975).
  • Taught at the School of Visual Arts (1975-1990).
  • Paintings installed at the Four Seasons Restaurant (1975-1984).
  • Exhibited with Charles Cowles Gallery and Stephen Haller Fine Arts.
  • Major paintings entered collections like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Hirshhorn Museum.

Recent Work (1994-Present)

Landfield continued his active engagement with the art world, curating exhibitions, teaching at the Art Students League of New York, and exhibiting his work. A significant retrospective, "Ronnie Landfield: Paintings From Five Decades," was held at the Butler Institute of American Art in 2007. His home and studio were affected by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, leading to participation in post-storm exhibitions.

  • Curated "Seven Painters" exhibition (1995).
  • Solo exhibition in Sapporo, Japan (1996).
  • Retrospective at the Butler Institute of American Art (2007).
  • Taught at the Art Students League of New York.
  • Represented by Findlay Galleries.
  • Participated in "Come Together: Surviving Sandy, Year One" exhibition (2013).

Notable Works

Garden of Delight (1971)

This significant work, measuring 87x72 inches, was exhibited at the David Whitney Gallery and later installed at the Four Seasons Restaurant for an extended period. It is part of the collection of Philip Johnson, later re-acquired by the artist.

Diamond Lake (1969)

An expansive painting (108 x 168 inches), "Diamond Lake" was acquired by The Museum of Modern Art from Philip Johnson and was notably displayed in MoMA's lobby. It exemplifies Landfield's early engagement with large-scale abstract landscapes.

Portal To Paradise (1982)

This significant piece, measuring 107 x 78 inches, is held in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, underscoring Landfield's impact and recognition within major art institutions.

Rite of Spring (1985)

Measuring 79x112 inches, this painting was exhibited at The Brunnier Museum in 1988, showcasing Landfield's continued exploration of dynamic compositions and evocative titles.

The Deluge (1999)

This large-scale work (108x120 inches) was exhibited at Salander/O'Reilly Galleries in 2000, representing Landfield's output from the later part of his career, demonstrating sustained artistic practice.

Museum Collections

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum of Modern Art

The Whitney Museum of American Art

The Brooklyn Museum

The National Gallery of Art

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden

The Norton Simon Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

The Walker Art Center

The Seattle Art Museum

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

The High Museum of Art

Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute

Des Moines Art Center

Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago

Sheldon Museum of Art

Butler Institute of American Art

Grey Art Museum, New York University

Hunter College

Art Gallery of Ontario

Allen Memorial Art Museum

Delaware Art Museum

Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art

Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Stanford University

Boca Raton Museum of Art

Federal Reserve Board

Yale University Art Gallery

Bayerische Staatsgemaldesammlungen, Munich

CASA CAVAZZINI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Udine

Mississippi Museum of Art

Boise Art Museum

Frost Art Museum

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Smith College Museum of Art

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

New Orleans Museum of Art

University of Michigan Museum of Art

Silverstein Properties, New York

University Museum, Southern Illinois University

Indianapolis Museum of Art

Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

Portland Museum of Art, Maine

Portland Art Museum, Oregon

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

New Britain Museum of American Art

University of New Mexico Art Museum

Greenville County Museum of Art

Spencer Museum of Art

Kemper Art Museum

Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art

Art Museum of South Texas

Ringling Museum of Art

Robert Hull Fleming Museum

Akron Art Museum

Palm Springs Desert Museum

Bowdoin College Museum of Art

Detroit Institute of Arts

Awards & Recognition

Academic & Foundation Grants

Landfield has received significant recognition through various grants and awards, reflecting the sustained quality and impact of his artistic contributions.

  • Gold Medal for Painting, San Francisco Art Institute (1965)
  • William and Noma Copley Grant (Cassandra Foundation) (1969)
  • National Endowment of the Arts Grant (1983)
  • Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant (1995, 2001)
  • Pollock-Krasner Foundation Emergency Grant (2013)
  • Artist Fellowship Grant (2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2012)
  • Adolph and Esther Gottlieb Foundation Emergency Grant (2012)
  • Joan Mitchell Foundation Emergency Grant (2012)
  • New York Foundation for the Arts Emergency Grant (2012)

References & Bibliography

Source Material

The content presented here is derived from publicly available information, primarily the Wikipedia article on Ronnie Landfield and its cited sources. The following details the references and bibliography used:

  1. LewAllen Galleries, "Ronnie Landfield", 2011.
  2. Osterweil, Ara, "Ronnie Landfield", Artforum, January 1, 2020.
  3. Exhibition Catalogue, *Ronnie Landfield: Paintings From Five Decades*, The Butler Institute of American Art, ISBN 1-882790-50-2.
  4. "Bowery Artist Tribute". Archived 2009-02-10 at the Wayback Machine.
  5. Exhibition Catalogue, *Ronnie Landfield: Paintings From Five Decades*, The Butler Institute of American Art, "Seeking the Miraculous", ISBN 1-882790-50-2.
  6. Sewall-Ruskin, Yvonne, *High on Rebellion: Inside the Underground at Max's Kansas City*, Thunder's Mouth Press NYC, 1998.
  7. Aldrich, Larry, *Lyrical Abstraction*, Exhibition Catalogue, The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum, 1970.
  8. *Lyrical Abstraction*, Exhibition Catalogue, Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, 1971.
  9. Exhibition Catalogue, *Ronnie Landfield: Paintings From Five Decades*, The Butler Institute of American Art, ISBN 1-882790-50-2.
  10. "Ronnie Landfield. Diamond Lake. 1969 | MoMA". The Museum of Modern Art.
  11. "About the Collection". Norton Simon Museum.
  12. Walker Art Center.
  13. Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.
  14. "Ronnie Landfield - From Portal to Paradise". The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
  15. "Repository of Abstract Art, Modern Paintings, and Sculpture". www.abstract-art.com.
  16. "eric gelber on ronnie landfield and peter reginato at heidi cho". Archived from the original on 2021-04-17. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
  17. Art in America, Annual 2007-2008, Museums, Galleries, Artists Guide, 2007-2008 Museum preview p.36.
  18. The Hudson Review, 60th anniversary edition, Spring 2008, "At the Galleries," Karen Wilkin, pp172-177.
  19. "master". Archived from the original on 2017-09-17. Retrieved 2021-11-08.
  20. Noah Landfield.
  21. Zona, Dr. Louis A. Exhibition Catalogue, *Ronnie Landfield: Paintings From Five Decades*, The Butler Institute of American Art, "Introduction", p. 2, ISBN 1-882790-50-2.
  22. "American colorist Ronnie Landfield's Structure and Color opens at Stephen Haller Gallery". Archived from the original on 2016-03-07.
  23. Corwin, William, "Ronnie Landfield: Where it All Began", The Brooklyn Rail, November 2012.
  24. "NY Times, Liz Harris, Where Rent Is Stabilized, Reopening After Storm Is No Certainty".
  25. Fabricant, Annie, "Ronnie Landfield, One of America's Greatest Abstract Painters, Gets Swamped", HuffPost, November 20, 2012.
  26. "artistnetwork, Jerry N. Weiss, After the Deluge: Hurricane Sandy Wreaked Havoc on Artists and Their Work".
  27. "Frieze Magazine, Will Corwin".
  28. Artcritical.
  29. "ARTPULSE MAGAZINE ยป Reviews ยป Come Together: Surviving Sandy".
  30. "Ronnie Landfield". whitney.org.
  31. "Two Drawings". Brooklyn Museum.
  32. "Ronnie Landfield | National Gallery of Art". www.nga.gov.
  33. "Untitled (For Matisse)". September 12, 1969 โ€“ via Art Institute of Chicago.
  34. "Red River". art.seattleartmuseum.org.
  35. "Night Crossing". art.nelson-atkins.org.
  36. "Vogel 50x50". vogel5050.org.
  37. "Nocturnal Jupiter". emuseum.desmoinesartcenter.org.
  38. Sheldon Museum of Art.
  39. "Cantor Arts Center Login". cantorcollection.stanford.edu.
  40. "Sammlung | Search". www.sammlung.pinakothek.de.
  41. "Two Drawings | LACMA Collections". collections.lacma.org.
  42. "Collections Database". museums.fivecolleges.edu.
  43. "Untitled - New Orleans Museum of Art". noma.org.
  44. "Newfields Collection - Search". The Indianapolis Museum of Art Collection.
  45. "Portland Museum of Art - Home". collections.portlandmuseum.org.
  46. "Iron Plum". www.portlandartmuseum.us.
  47. "Collection | RISD Museum". risdmuseum.org.
  48. "Ringling Museum of Art". Archived from the original on 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2019-07-11.
  49. "Akron Art Museum". Archived from the original on 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2019-07-11.
  50. Detroit Institute of Arts.
  51. "Ronnie Landfield". Pollock Krasner Foundation.

Bibliography:

  • Morgan, Robert C., Zona, Dr. Louis A., Exhibition Catalogue, *Ronnie Landfield: Paintings From Five Decades*, The Butler Institute of American Art, ISBN 1-882790-50-2.
  • *Perspectives*, lecture: Ronnie Landfield and Stephen Polcari, January 5, 2006, Art Students League of New York.
  • Glueck, Grace, *Color Coded, Ronnie Landfield and Peter Reginato*, The New York Times, Art in Review, November 4, 2005.
  • *Do Aesthetics Matter?* Panel Discussion, Art Students League of New York, January 1999.
  • Wilkin, Karen, *At the Galleries*, Partisan Review, 1996, #1, pp. 91โ€“93.
  • Monte, Jim, *Seven Painters at Nicholas Alexander*, Art in America, May, 1996, p. 113.
  • Karmel, Pepe, *Seven Painters*, New York Times, November 17, 1995, p. C30.
  • Landfield, Ronnie, *In The Late Sixties*, 1993โ€“95, and other writings, abstract-art.com.
  • *Cool and Collected or Too Hot to Handle* Panel Discussion, Tenri Cultural Institute, New York, 1994.
  • *Cool and Collected or Too Hot To Handle. A Modernist Response to Post-Modernism,* Panel Discussion, New York Studio School, New York, 1994.
  • Negroponte, Diane, *Contemporary American Artists*, Exhibition Catalogue, US Embassy, Manila, Philippines, 1994.
  • *The Landscape in Twentieth-Century American Art*, Selections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rizzoli, NY 1991.
  • Wilder, Nicholas, *Nicholas Wilder on Ronnie Landfield*, April 1989.
  • Messenger, Lisa, *Dialogues in Art*, Exhibition Catalogue, Palazzo Ducale di Gubbio, Italy 1984.
  • *1973 Biennial*, Exhibition Catalogue, Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, December 1973.
  • Prokopoff, Stephen. *Two Generations of Color Painting*, Exhibition Catalogue, Philadelphia Institute of Contemporary Art, 1971.
  • *Lyrical Abstraction*, Exhibition Catalogue, Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, 1971.
  • *Highlights of the 1969-1970 Season*, Exhibition Catalogue, Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield Conn.
  • *Annual Exhibition*, Exhibition Catalogue, Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, Dec.1969.
  • Aldrich, Larry, *Young Lyrical Painters*, Art in America, v.57, n6, Novemberโ€“December 1969.
  • Junker, Howard, *The New Art: It's Way, Way Out*, Newsweek, July 29, 1968.
  • *Annual Exhibition*, Exhibition Catalogue, Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, Dec.1967.

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References

References

  1.  "Ronnie Landfield". LewAllen Galleries, 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
  2.  Walker Art Center
  3.  Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
  4.  Art in America, Annual 2007-2008, Museums, Galleries, Artists Guide, 2007-2008 Museum preview p.36
  5.  The Hudson Review (60th anniversary edition), Spring 2008, At the Galleries, Karen Wilkin, pp172-177.
  6.  Artcritical
  7.  Detroit Institute of Arts
A full list of references for this article are available at the Ronnie Landfield Wikipedia page

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