Philippe Vandenberg

Hauser & Wirth

New York, 32 East 69th Street

Belgian artist Philippe Vandenberg had made impact in New York art scene with his tempestuous painting manner in the ‘90s; however, the late artist’s oeuvre had rarely appeared in galleries or museums ever since. Under the helm of Vandenberg’s three children who took over the management of his estate, his major body of work meets the New York audience with a meticulously-hung exhibition at Hauser & Wirth. Organized by CCA Wattis Institute of Contemporary Art director Anthony Huberman, the exhibition, spanning three floors at the gallery’s uptown location, offers a breakdown of the artist’s broad artistic language alongside a publication edited by Wouter Davidts. 

Philippe Vandenberg. Curated by Anthony Huberman  Hauser & Wirth New York, 69th Street 27 June – 28 July 2017  Photo_ Genevieve Hanson

Fueled by obsession, curiosity, and inquisitiveness, Vandenberg’s creative drive encompasses painting and work on paper in which color and form intertwine and build a highly subjective and introspective artistic manifestation. Sexuality and politics are combined in singular pieces that seem joyous and humorous on the surface. However, each work of art, regardless of its scale and form, conveys the complexity of the Ghent-based artist’s search for a meaning amid contemporary urban setting. Working closely with the estate that has been undergoing major transformation to finalize a catalogue raisonné, the gallery captures this unique artist’s rarely-unraveled nature as a creative individual and human being.

Philippe Vandenberg. Curated by Anthony Huberman  Hauser & Wirth New York, 69th Street 27 June – 28 July, 2017  Photo_ Genevieve Hanson

The exhibition runs through July 28, 2017