Julian Schnabel's 2005 Retrospective at C&M Arts Revisits His Maximalist Plate Paintings

Julian Schnabel's exhibition titled 'Selected Paintings' was on display until June 4, 2005, at C&M Arts located at 45 East 78th Street in New York. The showcase featured vintage pieces from the 1980s, including notable plate paintings such as 'The Patients and the Doctors' (1978) and 'Divan' (1979), which incorporated vibrant ceramic shards. His later creations, like 'Aborigine Painting' (1980), integrated submerged plates with painted wood. The exhibition underscored Schnabel's maximalist style through the use of varied materials. Among the highlighted pieces were 'Resurrection: Albert Finney Meets Malcolm Lowry' (1984) and 'Ritu Quadrupedis' (1987). Robert Pincus-Witten's catalogue essay defined Schnabel as a 'Maximalist,' with critics observing a defiance against the minimalism of the 1970s, connecting the works' theatricality to his experience in commercial kitchens.