ARTISTS
American Pastoral
Gagosian is pleased to present American Pastoral.
From nineteenth-century industrialization to contemporary patterns of immigration, the pursuit of the American Dream has long been a rich topic of inquiry for artists in the United States. For many, this notion is encapsulated by the imagined tranquility and comfort of rural life—an aspiration arising from the Western tradition of landscape painting, with its picturesque, arcadian lands and idyllic communities.
Titled after Philip Roth’s 1997 novel about the social discord that undermines the life of an outwardly untroubled New Jersey family, American Pastoral is a group exhibition that seeks to challenge this idealized vision by delving into the cultural, political, and economic tensions that lie beneath its surface. In this exhibition, modern and contemporary works are juxtaposed with historical American landscapes, ranging from Albert Bierstadt’s depiction of the sublime in Sunset over the River (1877) to Edward Hopper’s tranquil seaside scene, Gloucester Harbor (1926).
Recommended for you
Gagosian is pleased to present American Pastoral.
From nineteenth-century industrialization to contemporary patterns of immigration, the pursuit of the American Dream has long been a rich topic of inquiry for artists in the United States. For many, this notion is encapsulated by the imagined tranquility and comfort of rural life—an aspiration arising from the Western tradition of landscape painting, with its picturesque, arcadian lands and idyllic communities.
Titled after Philip Roth’s 1997 novel about the social discord that undermines the life of an outwardly untroubled New Jersey family, American Pastoral is a group exhibition that seeks to challenge this idealized vision by delving into the cultural, political, and economic tensions that lie beneath its surface. In this exhibition, modern and contemporary works are juxtaposed with historical American landscapes, ranging from Albert Bierstadt’s depiction of the sublime in Sunset over the River (1877) to Edward Hopper’s tranquil seaside scene, Gloucester Harbor (1926).
Artists on show
- Adam McEwen
- Albert Bierstadt
- Banks Violette
- Cady Noland
- Chris Burden
- Cindy Sherman
- Diane Arbus
- Duane Hanson
- Ed Ruscha
- Edward Hopper
- Helen Frankenthaler
- Jack Goldstein
- Jeff Koons
- Jeff Wall
- Joe Bradley
- John Chamberlain
- John Frederick Kensett
- Mark Tansey
- Marsden Hartley
- Neil Jenney
- Piero Golia
- Richard Artschwager
- Richard Avedon
- Richard Prince
- Roe Ethridge
- Roy Lichtenstein
- Sally Mann
- Sterling Ruby
- Taryn Simon
- Theaster Gates Jr.
- Thomas Cole
- Thomas Moran
- Winslow Homer
Contact details
Related articles
The dark side of the American dream, romantic visions of a war photographer and the legacy of More’s Utopia – all in your weekly dispatch
Gagosian is presenting American Pastoral.
The new American Pastoral exhibition at Gagosian’s Britannia Street space is of museum quality, even if what’s on show doesn’t always seem to relate to the title.
As a rule, we as the onlooker never see American photographer Cindy Sherman’s real face.
