Aloe Night

Robert Kushner
Printmaking
2015

University Hall, Second Floor

Robert Kushner is an internationally renowned artist who was one of the founders of the Pattern and Decoration movement in the 1970s. Citing traditional tribal embroideries from Uzbekistan, Islamic textiles, Chinese brush artists, and Georgia O’Keeffe as some of his influences, his work is a deft synthesis of these distinct styles. He often depicts florals, figures, symbols, and repetitive, bold designs and patterns in luxurious materials such as gold, silver, copper leaf, silk brocade, sequins and glitter. Whether in large scale installations or smaller pieces, his work is dynamic, rhythmic, and aesthetically beautiful.
 
Kushner’s highly patterned depiction of the healing and beautiful Aloe Vera Plant which originates from the Arabian Peninsula and grows in tropical climates worldwide.
 
Kushner’s art has been collected by many major institutions, including The Museum of Modern Art, New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Tate Gallery, London, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The J. Paul Getty Trust, and The National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. He’s had myriad solo and group exhibitions, including solo shows at The Whitney Museum of Art, New York and The Philadelphia Institute of Contemporary Art. His work has also been at three Whitney Biennials and two Venice Biennales. As Artforum Magazine described: “...Kushner’s art goes against the prevailing trend toward the anti- or nonaesthetic, which takes revenge on life. He chooses instead to affirm the wonder of existence.”