Betty Cuningham Gallery is pleased to open In Black and White, an exhibition of paintings and works on paper by Graham Nickson, on September 7th. This will be the artist’s fourth exhibition with the Gallery. A reception for the artist will be held at the Gallery on September 7th, 6 – 8pm. 

The current exhibition is a departure for Graham Nickson, as it features black and white paintings and drawings. The show includes five canvases and seven charcoal works on paper. Nickson, who has shown in New York since the mid-1970s, is particularly identified by his strong geometric compositions and saturated color. In the absence of color, it becomes clear to Nickson that the disciplines of painting and drawing are equal. Nickson’s drawings are large, measuring up to 105 inches, and hang alongside paintings of the same scale, further blurring the distinction between painting and drawing. Moreover, the heavy contrasts between light and dark, emphasize Nickson’s taut composition and imply the artist’s characteristic bold colors. Nickson claims: “The implications of color that in many cases is given off by black and white and grey may be translated into the most outrageous or radical of color experiences by following through on the implications of the color in the drawings. I like to think I am drawing in color.”