Jacqueline Humphries' 2012 Exhibition at Greene Naftali Showcases Abstract Paintings

Jacqueline Humphries presented eleven untitled abstract paintings at Greene Naftali in New York City from March 29 to April 28, 2012. All works were created in 2012, with most measuring 90 by 96 inches. The artist employs a limited palette dominated by metallic silver, accented with blue, pink, red, and green. Her compositions feature all-over gestural activity, sometimes broken by areas of intruding color at the corners. Humphries' style draws from Willem de Kooning and Joan Mitchell but diverges in color sensibility. Unlike many contemporary abstract painters, she avoids references to geometry, nature, urban rhythms, or art historical tropes. The exhibition was installed in the gallery's north-lit Chelsea space, creating visual harmony among the works. Born in 1960, Humphries paints without the skepticism about abstraction's viability that characterized earlier decades. Her approach contrasts with the tentative art shown in the Whitney Biennial, advancing no overt personal or political agenda. The paintings demonstrate the continued vitality of Abstract Expressionist traditions through sensuous, energetic gestures.