Ehrlich Steinberg Presents First Survey of Influential 1980s Gallery Nature Morte

Ehrlich Steinberg in Los Angeles is hosting the inaugural retrospective exhibition focused on Nature Morte, an East Village gallery that operated from 1982 to 1988. Founded by artists Alan Belcher and Peter Nagy, the gallery showcased artists who employed appropriation, photographic intervention, and neo-conceptual strategies as alternatives to the Neo-Expressionist painting prevalent in New York's Downtown scene at the time. The exhibition includes works by numerous artists associated with the gallery, such as Gretchen Bender, Jennifer Bolande, Louise Lawler, Sherrie Levine, and others, featuring pieces that have not been publicly displayed for many years. Notable items on view include Louise Lawler's 1985 installation 'Interesting,' Julia Wachtel's 1984 painting 'Cartoon/Cartoon,' and Peter Nagy's 1987 work 'Industrial Culture.' The show, which runs until April 18, 2026, highlights Nature Morte's role in examining mass media, commercial display, and image culture within contemporary art. It is accompanied by a newly commissioned text by Blake Oetting titled 'Once More, With Feeling.'