Odd Nerdrum, Gretna Campbell, and Bill Scott Exhibitions Reviewed in New York

Odd Nerdrum presents new paintings at Forum Gallery from June 4 to July 30, 2004, located at 745 Fifth Avenue in New York. His work features theatrical, post-catastrophic landscapes with references ranging from B-movies to historical art, including pieces like "Second Birth" (2004) that reimagines Antonello da Messina's Christ with the artist's own features. Gretna Campbell's plein-air paintings from the 1970s and '80s are shown at Tibor de Nagy from June 3 to July 3, marking her first New York exhibition in eight years. Her landscapes depict the Maine coast, rural New Jersey, and southern France, emphasizing color interaction and gestural brushwork, as seen in "Along the Banks of Cranberry Cove" (1984). Bill Scott exhibits abstract paintings at Hollis Taggart Galleries from May 18 to July 9, 2004, at 48 East 73 Street in New York, his first show with the gallery. Working within the Philadelphia colorist tradition influenced by Arthur B. Carles, Scott creates vibrant, quilt-like compositions with oil paint, such as "Night Garden," focusing on decorative charm and color contrasts. The review, originally published in the New York Sun on June 10, 2004, critiques Nerdrum's work as parodic rather than prophetic, praises Campbell's realistic yet spontaneous approach, and highlights Scott's inventive use of color and texture.