Morgan Lehman Gallery Hosts Philip Knoll

Saturday, 07 April 2007 19:21

New York City - Morgan Lehman is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings and drawings by Philip Knoll.   Knoll’s imagery is culled from thousands of his own drawings, with certain images appearing repeatedly.  Often choosing easily-recognizable symbols (Superman, bowling pins, a teddy bear), he plays on the associations we have with these images and encourages us to draw new conclusions and look at these objects in different ways.  Knoll comments, “I have an affinity for images.  Some artists shy away from images because of the baggage they tote, but not me, man, I take that baggage and go for a ride… I choose them for a variety of reasons- their pathos, humor, tension, or aesthetics.  The best have all four.” Knoll’s work is at once humorous, provocative and deeply emotive.  On Exhibition April 26 – June 2, 2007.

Recent paintings depict octopi, squid and other sea creatures.  At times funny and at others formidable, this may at first be seen as a fascination with these shapely forms.  Autobiographical snippets written along the curvature of tentacles or drawn in the background of the picture plane offer a different view into the artist’s psyche, and upon close inspection we realize that these creatures are stand-ins for the artist himself, a type of self-portrait.  We read of high school track meets gone awry, the frustrations of a fishing excursion with Knoll’s cigarette-puffing father, series of top-ten lists and endless one-liners.  These often serious anecdotes add a sense of tension to the light-hearted, brightly colored hues of Knoll’s paintings.

In an essay for Knoll’s exhibition catalogue, Chris Ware writes of the work, “First, it was disarming, then it was hilarious, and sometimes even repulsive.  Then it could go anywhere.”  No matter the theme or subject, each of Knoll’s paintings presents several layers of meaning, ranging from the absurd to the deeply personal.  He is a master storyteller, while always allowing the viewer to embellish his or her own details and morals onto each tale.

Philip Knoll was born in Mississippi and received his M.F.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1991.  Knoll has shown extensively in the United States; this is his first solo show in New York City.  After many years of living in New York, Knoll currently lives and works in Berkshire County, Massachusetts.

Morgan Lehman Gallery was founded in the spring of 2002 in Litchfield County Connecticut.  The gallery’s success in this rural non-traditional environment prompted the directors to open a second space in New York City’s Chelsea gallery district in the fall of 2005.  The gallery represents a select group of emerging and mid-career artists working in a variety of media.  The artists’ imagery and techniques often differ, yet each approach their respective subject and medium with a highly original interpretation of formalism and beauty.  The gallery’s mission to promote its artist’s careers is realized through gallery and museum exhibitions, and placement in both public and private collections world wide.

Morgan Lehman Gallery is pleased to offer a forty page color catalogue, with an essay by Chris Ware, published in conjunction with this exhibition.  For further information, please visit our website at www.morganlehmangallery.com, or contact the gallery at 212.268.6699.