Artist's New Works Reflect on Previous Series and Met Museum Show

Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery

▲ Cecily Brown's "Nana" (2022-23) / Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery

Cecily Brown’s 2.1-meter-long portrait, “Nana,” features a chestnut-haired, nude woman on a bed, gazing coquettishly at spectators. The painting takes its title from Édouard Manet’s 1877 work of the same name but reimagines the figure in a more expressive form.

Brown is the second-most-valuable living female artist after Yayoi Kusama, with her most expensive work, “Suddenly Last Summer,” selling for $6.7 million at Sotheby’s in 2018. Her paintings are known for their textured strokes, vibrant colors, and reinterpretations of Western modern art history motifs.
 

▲ Cecily Brown's "Offal with Lemons" (2023-24) / Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone Gallery

Roberta Smith of the New York Times has described Brown as “a painter of excess, offering endless possibilities for looking and interpreting.” Brown remarked that her art is “elusive and very hard to hold onto,” creating a dynamic viewing experience.

“Nana” is part of Brown’s solo show at Gladstone Gallery Seoul, titled “Nana and other stories.” This exhibition follows her mid-career survey, “Death and the Maid,” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art last year. The seven new paintings on display reflect Brown’s revisitation and expansion of previous series and subjects from her Met show. 

▲ Installation view of Cecily Brown's solo exhibition titled "Nana and other stories" at Gladstone Gallery Seoul / Courtesy of the artist and Gladstone GalleryIn “Lavender’s Blue,” Brown uses pastel tones and a paint roller, a departure from her typical palette and tools. The basement exhibits, including “Good Queen Mab” and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” lean toward the fantastical and gestural.

“Nana and other stories” is open through June 8 at Gladstone Gallery Seoul.

Sayart

Blue YIM, yimyoungseo1010@naver.com