AT THE REAR OF RYAN LEE GALLERY in New York, a 1966 painting by Emma Amos casually sits on the floor leaning against the wall between works by other gallery artists. Blending figuration and Abstract Expressionism, the canvas references Color Field painting and conjures Bob Thompson. The work bears little resemblance to the collage paintings on fabric featured in the front of the gallery. These textile works were produced by Amos in the 1980s and are the focus of “Emma Amos: True Colors,” the artist’s solo exhibition on view at the gallery through April 9. “What we found so intriguing about the 80s work is it really is a pivotal period for Emma. It’s a commencement of a really important time in her practice where she is moving away, more and more, from the structured canvas, more and more, from working with oil as a paint medium. She is dealing with linen, dealing with fabric, dealing with acrylic and beginning to push these ideas she had in the 60s and 70s to a new place,” says Courtney Willis Blair, assistant director at Ryan Lee. Born in Atlanta, Amos is one of the last surviving members of Spiral, the short-lived, […]
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