P R E S S   R E L E A S E

 

BLT Gallery Presents

Jan Frank

‘Kissinger and the Ladies’ Paintings and Drawings

January 15 – March 8, 2009

 

Ken Johnson, The New York Times, December 19, 1997: “Frothy Abstract Expressionistic paintings that echo lots of other painters from de Kooning to Twombly. Nevertheless, with their spidery, all over draftsmanship, flickering light and confectionary color, these paintings are not without their own playful identity”.

 

For their inaugural exhibition, BLT present a pivotal body of work by artist JAN FRANK. This show will be Frank’s first exhibit in New York City since 1998 at Danese gallery. On view will be eight large oil paintings, ten drawings, and ten studies on newspaper mounted on board; all dated 2008.

 

Frank's recent work will be presented in two groups; one is his ongoing series where he looks back at the nude. The other develops Philip Guston's portrayal of Henry Kissinger, put into his own terms. Being no stranger to the political edge, Frank is fully aware of Nixon’s/Kissinger’s relationship to China, America and China today. Adding another layer, he takes Guston’s image and reworks it into a grid like an early Mondriaan. Frank has used Mondriaan’s working principals throughout his career in all his work, but never so bluntly.

 

Jan Frank (American, b. Amsterdam) first exhibited his work in New York in 1977, At that time he presented video works. His work is collected in numerous private and public collections and has been widely exhibited throughout The United States. Mexico, and Europe. He lives and works in New York, and Europe. JANFRANK.NET.