2016 Catalogue Archive

Though known primarily for his sculptural work, Joel Shapiro has maintained an active drawing practice since the late 1960s. Shapiro’s recent ink and gouache works are made up of brightly colored, amorphous shapes that create beautifully atmospheric compositions. The swirling movement in these works on paper is playful and dynamic, and for Shapiro, the process of making these works possesses an immediacy that his sculptural works (which might take years to complete) do not. Shapiro’s work is in numerous major museum collections and was on view earlier this year at the Nasher Sculpture Center.