Philip Guston’s Poetic Shift at Hauser & Wirth

Hauser & Wirth presents 'Life With P. - Philip Guston: Paintings and Drawings 1964–1978', focusing on Guston’s transition from abstraction to a cartoonish figuration after moving to Woodstock, New York in 1968. The exhibition highlights his collaborations with poet friends like Clark Coolidge, Bill Berkson, and William Corbett, for whom he created drawings and book covers. It also underscores the support of his wife, poet and artist Musa McKim. Key works include 'Untitled' (1976), 'Blue Cover' (1977), and 'Two Hearts' (1978), which explore intimacy and mortality through contradictory use of pinks, blues, and cadmium reds. Guston’s shift was embraced by poets but scorned by critics, reflecting his belief that 'Style is death.'