1950's abstract expressionist work by noted artist Ernest Briggs

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Ernest Briggs
1950's abstract expressionist work by noted artist Ernest Briggs
c. 1955

About the Item

Ernest Briggs was born in San Diego in 1923, where he spent his childhood and formative years until joining the Army in WWII. After returning from the war, he studied painting under Clyfford Still (a first generation Abstract Expressionist who some credit with sparking the movement) at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco. He also took courses lead by Mark Rothko and Ad Reinhardt, all of whom had an impact on the young Briggs’ style. In 1953, Briggs relocated to New York as it was the heart of the Abstract Expressionist movement, earning himself multiple exhibitions at the Stable Gallery – his first opening there attended by Rothko. Needing a side job to make ends meet, Philip Pavia helped Briggs get into carpentry and various renovation jobs, later inviting him to join the Club (a social gathering of artists in New York at the time). In the same decade, he was included in shows at the Whitney Museum and the noteworthy “Twelve Americans” exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art alongside artists like Franz Kline and Phillip Guston, curated by Dorothy Miller. By 1961, he was teaching classes at the Pratt Institute and would continue to do so for the remainder of his life, also spending a year teaching at Yale during the ‘60’s. As a member of the second generation of Abstract Expressionists, some others being Norman Bluhm and Sam Francis, Briggs helped to propel the movement forward in a relatively modest way. Despite being included in the group MoMa show, the artist recalls not making any money and having to persist with random jobs. He did not exactly conform to what the curators and gallerists of the time were hoping for, nor did he want to – so Briggs quit showing his work and simply painted for a four year stint before returning to the gallery scene. His creative process sometimes involved hammering out watercolors on paper and then using those as inspiration for bigger oil paintings - they were not exact recreations, but more like the first phase of execution. The images develop out of the process and often incorporate a motif – in the mid-70’s, a recurring motif used in his work was a type of gateway, as well as figural elements like a torso or head shape. The present image, Interiors, is nearly reminiscent of the gateway archetype, evolved and transformed by Briggs’ psyche to become the final work. Each vertical element rises to a flat top, connecting in the middle to present a sort of pathway. As the title of the work denotes, architectural components were referenced in the construction of the painting. Bio courtesy of Clanci Jo Conover Solo shows 2018 Ernest Briggs (1923-1984) Four Decades of Abstract Expressionism, Anita Shapolsky Gallery, New York Group shows 2019 American Modernism 1915 - 1985, Kapoor Galleries / Graham Shay 1857, New York Concept: Abstraction, Anita Shapolsky Gallery, New York Abstract Schmabstract!, Anita Shapolsky Gallery, New York 2018 Super Bodies, Anita Shapolsky Gallery, New York Focus on Abstract Gems Small Paintings, Sculptures, and Paper Pieces, Anita Shapolsky Gallery, New York 2016 Summer Selections 2016, Aaron Payne Fine Art, Santa Fe Spring Selections, Aaron Payne Fine Art, Santa Fe 2015 Winter Selections in Modernism, Aaron Payne Fine Art, Santa Fe Summer Select 2015, Aaron Payne Fine Art, Santa Fe 1967 Large American Paintings, Jewish Museum, New York, NY, United States 1962 Contemporary Art Exhibition, San Francisco Museum of Art, San Francisco 1956 Twelve Americans,, Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, United States 1955 Whitney Annuals, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, United States

Creator:
Ernest Briggs (1923 - 1984, American)
Creation Year:
c. 1955
Dimensions:
Height: 30 in (76.2 cm)Width: 38 in (96.52 cm)
Medium:
Canvas,Oil
Movement & Style:
Abstract
Period:
1950-1959
Condition:
Gallery Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2211211527602

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