JEFFREY DEITECH LOS ÁNGELES PRESENTS LUNCHEON ON THE GRASS

 

jeffrey deitech los ángeles presents luncheon on the grass, an exhibition encompassing contemporary responses to édouard manet’s le déjeuner sur l’herbe (1863). including more than thirty of today’s most acclaimed painters, the new works take on manet’s painting as a reference point, expanding on its themes. 

 

‘artists began creating works in response to édouard manet’s le déjeuner sur l’herbe within two years of its exhibition in the 1863 salon des refusés, turning to manet’s painting as a source of radical and contradictory possibilities for painting.’ comments the official release. from vanessa beecroft to jeff koons, kehinde wiley, naudline pierre, and mickalene thomas, the show in los angeles sees the artists reimagine the scene in different languages.

artists reinterpret manet’s 'le déjeuner sur l’herbe' at jeffrey deitech los angeles

 

MANET’S LE DÉJEUNER SUR L’HERBE REINTERPRETED

 

depicting a female nude and a scarcely dressed female bather with two fully dressed men having a picnic in a rural setting, the painting astounded contemporary observers when it was first presented at the salon des refuses in 1863. today, the painting still contains the power of shock, particularly when experienced in person at paris’ musée d’orsay. 

artists reinterpret manet’s 'le déjeuner sur l’herbe' at jeffrey deitech los angeles

 

‘le déjeuner sur l’herbe is aggressively modern in its portrayal of real people, family members and an identifiable nude model rather than idealized figures,’ continues the release. ‘even today, the subject matter is transgressive. the work engages with contemporary culture, depicting the leisure activities of the new generation of parisians taking the train to picnic in the countryside outside the city. it also directly engages the audience with victorine meurent’s figure meeting the gaze of the viewer.’

artists reinterpret manet’s 'le déjeuner sur l’herbe' at jeffrey deitech los angeles

 

‘from today’s perspective, le déjeuner sur l’herbe is a problematic painting. it can be interpreted as blatantly sexist and exploitative in its subject. a contemporary viewer, however, might also see the two bathers as cool, liberated women, comfortable in their nudity. the figure modeled by victorine meurent is strong and confident, looking back at us without embarrassment.’

artists reinterpret manet’s 'le déjeuner sur l’herbe' at jeffrey deitech los angeles

 

overall, the luncheon on the grass exhibition features surprising works that take on manet’s painting as a reference.

artists reinterpret manet’s 'le déjeuner sur l’herbe' at jeffrey deitech los angeles artists reinterpret manet’s 'le déjeuner sur l’herbe' at jeffrey deitech los angeles artists reinterpret manet’s 'le déjeuner sur l’herbe' at jeffrey deitech los angeles artists reinterpret manet’s 'le déjeuner sur l’herbe' at jeffrey deitech los angeles

 

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project info:

 

name: luncheon on the grass
dates: february 19–april 23, 2022
gallery: jeffrey deitech los angeles
address: 925 n. orange drive, los angeles

 

participating artists:

 

nina chanel abney
diane arbus
vanessa beecroft
cecily brown
caitlin cherry
joe coleman
robert colescott
somaya critchlow
celeste dupuy-spencer
dominique fung
alain jacquet
kurt kauper
karen kilimnik
cindy ji hye kim
jeff koons
ella kruglyanskaya
liu xiaodong
tala madani
sophie matisse
paul mccarthy
sam mckinniss
jill mulleady
ariana papademetropoulos
naudline pierre
christina quarles
walter robinson
giangiacomo rossetti
david salle
katja seib
tschabalala self
vaughn spann
mickalene thomas
salman toor
john wesley
kehinde wiley