Anne Truitt's First Solo Painting Exhibition in New York at Danese Gallery

From February 16 to March 17, 2001, Danese gallery presented Anne Truitt's inaugural solo painting show in New York at 41 East 57th Street in the Fuller Building. Primarily featuring works from the 1980s and 1990s, the exhibition also included a selection of pieces on paper dating from the 1960s to the 1980s displayed in the back gallery. Truitt, an octogenarian abstract artist more recognized for her sculpture and published journals like "Daybook" and "Prospect," showcased paintings that are minimal yet distinct from formal Minimalist rhetoric. Her artistic lineage connects to post-painterly abstraction, with acknowledged influences from Kenneth Noland and Clement Greenberg. Some canvases evoke comparisons to Barnett Newman, Helen Frankenthaler, and Jules Olitski through their use of dramatized, isolated lines. A representative piece, "Envoi 1989," features a hard-edged, geometrically irregular shape in bright purple set against a darker purple canvas. Several later works are stretched on rounded frames, introducing three-dimensional elements where shapes interact with the curved edges. The gallery's explanation attributing this framing choice to economic expediency was met with skepticism. The paintings are characterized by exquisite refinement and restraint, achieving a balance between understatement and emphasis. One work prompted associations with a hypothetical collaboration between Joseph Albers and Paul Klee.