Paint Made Flesh Exhibition at Phillips Collection Explores Postwar Painting's Corporeal Obsessions
From June 20 to September 13, 2009, the Phillips Collection in Washington DC showcased Paint Made Flesh, an exhibition curated by Marc W. Scala of the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. This display examined the connection between paint and the human form in the postwar era, drawing inspiration from Willem de Kooning's perspective on oil painting. Featured artworks included late pieces by Picasso, American Abstract Expressionism, German Neo-Expressionism, and contemporary creators such as John Currin and Lisa Yuskavage. Notable highlights were de Kooning's "Woman," along with works by Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, and Cecily Brown. This exhibition was part of a wider trend of flesh-themed shows in 2009 and originated at the Frist Center.
Key facts
- Exhibition dates: June 20 to September 13, 2009
- Location: Phillips Collection, 1600 Twenty-First Street, NW Washington DC
- Curator: Marc W. Scala, Chief Curator at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts
- Exhibition premise based on Willem de Kooning's quote about flesh and oil painting
- Featured artists ranged from Picasso to contemporary figures like John Currin and Lisa Yuskavage
- Included works by Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Alice Neel, Philip Guston, and Cecily Brown
- Part of a 2009 trend of flesh-themed exhibitions in multiple US cities
- Exhibition originated at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, Tennessee
Entities
Artists
- Willem de Kooning
- Titian
- Tintoretto
- Veronese
- Francis Bacon
- Adrian Dannatt
- Marc W. Scala
- Picasso
- John Currin
- Lisa Yuskavage
- Daniel Richter
- Alice Neel
- David Park
- Philip Guston
- Susan Rothenberg
- A.R. Penck
- Markus Lüpertz
- Lucian Freud
- Leon Kossoff
- Frank Auerbach
- Cecily Brown
- Jenny Saville
- Albert Oehlen
- Michaël Borremans
- Francesco Clemente
- Eric Fischl
- Sean Scully
- Howard Hodgkin
- Hyman Bloom
- Ivan Albright
- Jack Levine
- Van Eyck
- Wilfredo Lam
Institutions
- Phillips Collection
- Frist Center for the Visual Arts
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Capodimonte
- National Gallery of Art
- Joslyn Art Museum
- Paul Kasmin Gallery
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Tate Britain
- Prado
- Musee du Louvre
- Brooklyn Museum
- Tate
- MoMA
Locations
- Washington DC
- United States
- Nashville
- Tennessee
- Boston
- Venice
- Lyon
- Omaha
- Nebraska
- New York
- Paris
- London
- Madrid