Dimmitt Contemporary Art
Donald Martiny
OPEN
November 7 - January 2, 2020
For press inquiries:
Bailey Miller, Director
bailey@dimmittcontemporaryart.com
318-366-4615
Dimmitt Contemporary Art is pleased to announce OPEN, an exhibition of paintings by North Carolina artist Donald Martiny. An opening reception and artist talk will be held on Thursday, November 7 from 6:00 - 8:00pm. The exhibition will be on view through Thursday, January 2, 2020.
Martiny’s OPEN series continues the artist’s exploration into the presence and power of gestures made to exist forever in the present. Moving away from earlier forms that were closed, Martiny’s latest body of work incorporates a significant amount of negative space. OPEN refers to the action of the viewer rather than the object itself. Martiny borrows this concept from a series of works by Robert Motherwell, depicting abstract windows in order to gaze into the infinite. Operating in the gap between painting and sculpture, Martiny defines his paintings as the brushstroke itself.
These sculptural brushstrokes are created by manipulating paint, pigments and polymers to create lyrical, abstract expressionist paintings. Martiny is interested in allowing gesture to escape from the traditional rectangular support and realize its potential in relation to architectural space. Each piece encourages a dialogue between the viewer, the work, and the space contained within. “Donald Martiny’s work forces us to question the established definitions which form the backbone of our understanding of painting as both a pursuit and a product, and of paint as a medium. In challenging the viewer in these ways, it is not only visually exciting but intellectually invigorating.” - Professor Deborah Swallow, Màˆrit Rausing Director, The Courtauld Institute of Art
Donald Martiny (b. 1953 Schenectady, New York) studied at the School of Visual Arts, The Arts Students League in New York, New York University and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Notable international museum exhibitions include the Fort Worth Museum of Art, London’s Courtauld Institute of Art, and the Cameron Art Museum. In 2015 Martiny received a commission from the Durst Organization to create two monumental paintings that are permanently installed in the lobby of One World Trade Center in New York City. In that same year, Martiny received the Sam & Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts Residency Grant. His work has been featured in the Huffington Post, NPR, Vogue Living, and New American Paintings to name a few. Martiny lives and works in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Dimmitt Contemporary Art is a fine art gallery and advisory firm located in Houston, Texas. After working as an art advisor for 8 years, Kathy Dimmitt expanded her business in 2018 to represent and exhibit emerging and established contemporary artists. DCA focuses on providing artists and collectors with a platform for new exchanges. Our dynamic advisory team prides itself in offering modern and innovative approaches to investing in contemporary art.
Dimmitt Contemporary Art
3637 West Alabama Street
Suite 160
Houston, Texas 77027
Gallery Hours
Tuesday - Friday: 10AM - 5PM
Saturday: 12PM - 4PM
Sunday - Monday: By appointment
