FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ReGeneration is pleased to present "Tapestries, Drawings and Photographs from the Estate of Jan Yoors", the second in a series of art exhibitions at our Renwick Street location. The exhibition runs from April 16 - July 17th, with an opening reception on Friday April 16th from 6 - 9 pm. Belgian-born artist Jan Yoors (1922-1977) stands apart as a figure in 20th century art and design. His early life was defined by his travels with European Gypsies before and during WWII, which he documented extensively in photographs and published writings. After moving to America in 1950, he began the work that would lead to his reputation as a master tapestry artist. Lyrical yet bold in composition, the tapestries of Jan Yoors are a unique marriage of modernist abstraction and medieval craftsmanship. Working from studies created specifically for each piece, he carefully oversaw production by various artisans. His wife Marianne, who survives him, was greatly involved in this process. Requiring a loom15-feet wide and months to fabricate, these impressive works - some as large as 10 X 10 feet - show an outstanding dedication to the abstract imagery. Made of Persian wool dyed to the artist's specifications, the saturated colors are offset by equally dense blacks. Yoors's lifetime is characterized by a fascination with humanity's cultural diversity, which he expressed in a documentary style of photography. His images of gypsy culture, combined with memoirs of his travels, were presented in "The Heroic Present: Life Among the Gypsies", published by Random House. After moving to New York, he photographed the inhabitants of various neighborhoods, offering us glimpses into the inner lives of untold individuals. The photographs presented in this exhibition, depicting boys playing on a Harlem rooftop and tiny commuters amid skyscraper canyons, were included in "Only One New York"", published by Simon and Schuster in 1965. Throughout his career, figure drawing was foundational for Yoors's artistic practice of observation and abstraction. Through compositional cropping and thick, twisting lines, a dynamic statement is made with the simplest of means: charcoal and paper. Presented in vintage gilded frames Yoors originally chose, they become artifacts from a time when artists were unafraid of embellishment and celebration. Jan Yoors's work has been exhibited at many galleries, museum, and institutions in the US and abroad, including the Montclair Museum of Art, Montclair, NJ, University of Texas Art Museum, Austin, TX, and the State Academy of Art and Design in St.Petersburg, Russia. Public collections include The Metropolitian Museum of Art in New York, the Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC, The Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, and The Chicago Art Institute. For more information please call 212 741 2102 or email regenerationfurniture@gmail.com ReGeneration Modern Furniture, 38 Renwick Street, New York, NY 10013 www.regenerationfurniture.com Hours: Monday - Saturday, 12- 6, closed Sundays This exhibition is organized by Eric Hibit Tapestries and drawings courtesy of the Yoors Family Trust Photographs courtesy of L Parker Stephenson Gallery |