Jackie and John (Jackie fixing John’s hair) 1999. (detail). Collection Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey R. Winter,
by Elizabeth Peyton
MAASTRICHT.- The Bonnefantenmuseum will be presenting the first comprehensive retrospective of Elizabeth Peyton’s oeuvre on the European mainland, which comprises over 90 works (paintings, watercolors, drawings and lithos) from the past 18 years (1991-2009).
From her first portraits of 19th-century heroes to her more recent works, peopled with friends from the world of music, fashion and literature, Elizabeth Peyton has presented herself as a contemporary ‘painter of modern life’, in the words of Charles Baudelaire. Peyton’s miniature portraits capture the spirit of the times in an artistic language that unmistakably reflects late 20th-century urban sensitivity.
The exhibition starts with portraits of Napoleon Bonaparte, pop icons Sid Vicious and Kurt Cobain, and fashion designer Marc Jacobs, and shows a development towards an increasing eclecticism and anachronism in Peyton’s choices of subject, ranging from her personal circle of friends to admired predecessors from the history of art, such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Frida Kahlo. Peyton’s intimate portraits often appear unrealistic, compared to the public star status of many of her models. Peyton makes them small – both literally and figuratively – in order to visualize a more genuine beauty.
Artdaily.org
