Garth Greenan Gallery is excited to present “Rosalyn Drexler: Happy Dance,” an exhibition showcasing the formative years of Rosalyn Drexler’s artistic journey. Opening on Thursday, March 2, 2023, this exhibition delves into Drexler’s creations from the mid-1950s to 1961, a period marked by experimentation and the development of her unique artistic voice. A comprehensive catalog accompanies this insightful exploration of her early oeuvre.
This exhibition, aptly titled “Happy Dance,” reveals the impressive scope of Drexler’s early artistic endeavors. Visitors will encounter a diverse collection, ranging from intriguing found-object sculptures and assemblages to delicate abstract pastels, expressive figurative ink drawings, bold erotic ink drawings, and innovative acrylic and paper collages. Complementing these artworks is a rich selection of archival materials, offering a glimpse into Drexler’s life and artistic milieu during this pivotal period. These materials illuminate her connections with prominent figures in New York’s vibrant post-war cultural scene, including iconic artists like Andy Warhol, Jim Dine, and Willem and Elaine de Kooning. Furthermore, two illustrated books of poems from around 1957-58 provide valuable insight into the intertwined relationship between Drexler’s literary and visual artistic practices.
Sculptures and Assemblages: From Found Objects to Art
Rosalyn Drexler’s artistic career began in the early 1950s with a joint exhibition at the Courtyard Gallery in Berkeley, alongside her husband, Sherman Drexler. This early show already highlighted her innovative approach, featuring sculptures and assemblages crafted from “junk from the street.” Works such as Provincetown Beach (1958–1959) and Home Sweet Home (1959) exemplify this period. Utilizing acrylic, metal, and wood, Drexler constructed pieces that, while seemingly abstract, powerfully evoke a sense of place.
In contrast, pieces like Pink Winged Victory (1961) and Fat Lady (1960) showcase a robust and tactile plasterwork. These forms and titles subtly allude to the female figure, suggesting its presence without explicit representation. Notably, Portrait of Rosalyn Drexler (1960) presents a striking self-representation: Drexler envisions herself as a disembodied head attached to a slender piece of wood, her face almost resembling the rounded bowl of a soup spoon.
Many of these groundbreaking early sculptures were included in Drexler’s first solo exhibition at New York’s Reuben Gallery in 1960. The significance of this early work was further recognized when some pieces were selected for the Guggenheim Museum’s influential 1965 exhibition, Eleven from the Reuben Gallery.
Early Works on Paper: Tracing Artistic Evolution
“Rosalyn Drexler: Happy Dance” also presents a comprehensive look at Drexler’s early explorations on paper. This diverse collection encompasses abstract pastels, ink drawings depicting nude figures and erotic scenes, and the artist’s initial forays into acrylic and paper collages. These works on paper effectively chart Drexler’s artistic development, tracing her journey from abstraction towards the distinctive and highly stylized figuration that would later define her most celebrated works.
Even in these early pieces, Drexler’s characteristic boldness in the use of color and her engagement with frankly sexual themes are already apparent. This is particularly evident in the erotically charged and sometimes unsettlingly direct ink drawings, which offer a raw and intimate glimpse into her artistic vision.
Rosalyn Drexler: A Multifaceted Artistic Force
Born in the Bronx in 1926, Rosalyn Drexler is an artist of remarkable breadth and accomplishment. Beyond her celebrated paintings and sculptures, she is also a novelist, journalist, Obie Award-winning playwright, Emmy Award-winning screenwriter, and even a former professional female wrestler. Since her debut exhibitions in the early 1950s, Drexler has had an impressive career, marked by 20 solo exhibitions, including shows at the Reuben Gallery (1960, New York), Kornblee Gallery (1964, 1965, 1966, New York), and Pace Gallery (2007, New York).
Her contributions to the art world have been recognized through several retrospective exhibitions. In 1986, Rosalyn Drexler: Intimate Emotions opened at the Grey Art Gallery, New York University. Another significant survey, Rosalyn Drexler and the Ends of Man, was held in 2006 at Rutgers University’s Paul Robeson Gallery (Newark, New Jersey). Most recently, Rosalyn Drexler: Who Does She Think She Is? at the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University (2016, Waltham, Massachusetts), traveled to the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, further cementing her legacy.
Legacy and Museum Collections
Drexler’s impactful paintings are held in the permanent collections of numerous prestigious museums. These include the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, the Allen Memorial Art Gallery at Oberlin College, the Colby College Museum of Art, the Rollins Museum of Art, the Grey Art Gallery at New York University, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden at the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of Modern Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University, the St. Louis Art Museum, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Wadsworth Athenaeum, the Walker Art Center, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
In addition to her visual art, Drexler is a celebrated author and playwright. She published her first play in 1963 and her first novel in 1965. Her literary and dramatic achievements are acknowledged by three Obie Awards and an Emmy Award for her work on Lily Tomlin’s television special Lily.
Garth Greenan Gallery is honored to represent Rosalyn Drexler and invites you to experience the “Happy Dance” exhibition, a crucial chapter in understanding this multifaceted and influential artist.
