Joyce Pensato's First Museum Survey in Los Angeles Revitalizes New York School Painting

Joyce Pensato's inaugural museum survey, also her first solo exhibition in Los Angeles, showcases her shift in the early 1990s from abstract paintings to black-and-white enamel works featuring cartoon characters. Born and based in Brooklyn, Pensato fused painting and drawing, transforming her practice into a dynamic, ongoing exploration. Her early drawing Batman Chair II (1976) set the stage for her use of masked figures like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Felix the Cat, The Simpsons, and South Park characters, which convey extreme emotions through her markmaking. The exhibition, reviewed in September 2013, highlights her role alongside Christopher Wool in keeping the New York School relevant, drawing parallels to Willem de Kooning's approach. Works such as Blinkies (2013), with oversized eyes on a wall, emphasize her command of space and process. This survey underscores Pensato's impact on contemporary painting, demonstrating how her voracious output over two decades gained broader recognition.