Richard Tuttle
Encyclopedia
Richard Dean Tuttle is an American postminimalist
artist known for his small, subtle, intimate works. His art makes use of scale and line.
in Hartford, Connecticut
and after moving to New York in 1963 he spent a semester at the Cooper Union
and worked at the Betty Parsons
Gallery. One year after taking a job as an assistant at Betty Parsons, she gave him his first show.
Tuttle's reputation as a master was secure in Europe from early on, though acceptance of his work in his home country was slower. His works on paper are considered seminal works in American art. Tuttle had a survey exhibition in 1975 at the Whitney Museum of American Art
. The exhibit was controversial and the show's curator Marcia Tucker
lost her job as a result, after a scathing review by Hilton Kramer
. Kramer, then art critic for The New York Times
wrote, referring to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
's dictum "less is more", "in Mr. Tuttle's work, less is unmistakably less...One is tempted to say, where art is concerned, less has never been as less than this." Tuttle's work, however, is in the collection of the Whitney today.
Tuttle is often referred to as an "artist's artist" and, as such, his work has been influential to a generation of contemporary artists such as Kiki Smith
, Jim Hodges
, David Hammons
, Michael Oman-Reagan, Tom Friedman
and Jessica Stockholder
. He was a very close friend of minimalist painter Agnes Martin
until her death in 2004.
In 2005, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
organized a major retrospective of Tuttle's 40-year career. The exhibition traveled to museums throughout the United States, including the Whitney Museum of American Art
in November, 2005. Tuttle is represented by The Pace Gallery
, Galerie Schmela in Düsseldorf and by Annemarie Verna Galerie in Zurich. He lives and works in New York City and New Mexico. He is married to the poet Mei-mei Berssenbrugge
.
He has been the recipient of many awards for his work including the 74th American Exhibition, Art Institute of Chicago
Biennial Prize, the Skowhegan Medal for Sculpture, New York, and the Aachen Art Prize, Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Germany
.
Richard Tuttle has recently been commissioned to build a sculpture for the Kunsthalle of the town of Zug, Switzerland.
An exhibition of his new fabric sculptures, Richard Tuttle: Walking on Air, was on view through April 25, 2009 at The Pace Gallery
's 534 West 25th Street gallery. A series of his colored aquatints was on exhibit at the Dubner Moderne gallery in Lausanne, Switzerland from February 11 through March 15, 2010.
He presented a lecture in collaboration with his poet wife, Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge, through the Visiting Artists Program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in April, 2009.
Postminimalism
Postminimalism is an art term coined by Robert Pincus-Witten in 1971 used in various artistic fields for work which is influenced by, or attempts to develop and go beyond, the aesthetic of minimalism...
artist known for his small, subtle, intimate works. His art makes use of scale and line.
Biography
Tuttle studied at Trinity CollegeTrinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
and after moving to New York in 1963 he spent a semester at the Cooper Union
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
and worked at the Betty Parsons
Betty Parsons
Betty Parsons, born Betty Bierne Pierson, was an American artist and art dealer known for her early promotion of Abstract Expressionism. She was known as "the den mother of Abstract Expressionism"...
Gallery. One year after taking a job as an assistant at Betty Parsons, she gave him his first show.
Tuttle's reputation as a master was secure in Europe from early on, though acceptance of his work in his home country was slower. His works on paper are considered seminal works in American art. Tuttle had a survey exhibition in 1975 at the Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
. The exhibit was controversial and the show's curator Marcia Tucker
Marcia Tucker
Marcia Tucker was the founding director of the New Museum of Contemporary Art from 1977 to 1999, a museum located in New York City, dedicated to innovative art and artistic practice...
lost her job as a result, after a scathing review by Hilton Kramer
Hilton Kramer
Hilton Kramer is a U.S. art critic and cultural commentator.Kramer was educated at Syracuse University, Columbia University, Harvard University, Indiana University and the New School for Social Research. He worked as the editor of Arts Magazine, art critic for The Nation, and from 1965 to 1982,...
. Kramer, then art critic for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote, referring to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was a German architect. He is commonly referred to and addressed as Mies, his surname....
's dictum "less is more", "in Mr. Tuttle's work, less is unmistakably less...One is tempted to say, where art is concerned, less has never been as less than this." Tuttle's work, however, is in the collection of the Whitney today.
Tuttle is often referred to as an "artist's artist" and, as such, his work has been influential to a generation of contemporary artists such as Kiki Smith
Kiki Smith
Kiki Smith is an American artist classified as a feminist artist, a movement with beginnings in the twentieth century...
, Jim Hodges
Jim Hodges (artist)
Jim Hodges is a New York-based installation artist.Hodges was born in Spokane, Washington in 1957. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Fort Wright College in 1980 and his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY in 1986.Since the late 1980s, Hodges has...
, David Hammons
David Hammons
David Hammons is an African-American artist mostly known for his works in and around New York City during the 1970s and 1980s.Much of his work, including Spade with Chains , reflects his commitment to the civil rights and Black Power movements...
, Michael Oman-Reagan, Tom Friedman
Tom Friedman
Tom Friedman may refer to:*Tom Friedman , American sculptor*Thomas Friedman, journalist and author-See also:*Thomas Freeman...
and Jessica Stockholder
Jessica Stockholder
Jessica Stockholder is a sculptor and installation artist who has had exhibitions in Europe and USA, her works, "challenge boundaries, blurring the distinction among painting, sculpture and environment, and even breaching gallery walls by extending beyond windows and doors".-Life and...
. He was a very close friend of minimalist painter Agnes Martin
Agnes Martin
Agnes Bernice Martin was an American abstract painter, often referred to as a minimalist; Martin considered herself an abstract expressionist.She won a National Medal of Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1998....
until her death in 2004.
In 2005, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is a modern art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art and was the first museum on the West Coast devoted solely to 20th century art...
organized a major retrospective of Tuttle's 40-year career. The exhibition traveled to museums throughout the United States, including the Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
in November, 2005. Tuttle is represented by The Pace Gallery
Pace Gallery
The Pace Gallery is a New York City-based exhibition space. It was founded in 1960 in Boston by Arne Glimcher.-PaceWildenstein:From 1993 until April 1, 2010, the gallery became "PaceWildenstein," a joint business venture between the Pace Gallery and Wildenstein & Co....
, Galerie Schmela in Düsseldorf and by Annemarie Verna Galerie in Zurich. He lives and works in New York City and New Mexico. He is married to the poet Mei-mei Berssenbrugge
Mei-mei Berssenbrugge
Mei-mei Berssenbrugge is a contemporary poet. Winner of two American Book Awards, her work is often associated with the Language School, the poetry of the New York School, phenomenology, and visual art...
.
He has been the recipient of many awards for his work including the 74th American Exhibition, Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
Biennial Prize, the Skowhegan Medal for Sculpture, New York, and the Aachen Art Prize, Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Richard Tuttle has recently been commissioned to build a sculpture for the Kunsthalle of the town of Zug, Switzerland.
An exhibition of his new fabric sculptures, Richard Tuttle: Walking on Air, was on view through April 25, 2009 at The Pace Gallery
Pace Gallery
The Pace Gallery is a New York City-based exhibition space. It was founded in 1960 in Boston by Arne Glimcher.-PaceWildenstein:From 1993 until April 1, 2010, the gallery became "PaceWildenstein," a joint business venture between the Pace Gallery and Wildenstein & Co....
's 534 West 25th Street gallery. A series of his colored aquatints was on exhibit at the Dubner Moderne gallery in Lausanne, Switzerland from February 11 through March 15, 2010.
He presented a lecture in collaboration with his poet wife, Mei-Mei Berssenbrugge, through the Visiting Artists Program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in April, 2009.
External links
- Richard Tuttle at Brooke Alexander Gallery
- The Pace Gallery
- Biography, interviews, essays, artwork images and video clips from PBSPublic Broadcasting ServiceThe Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
series Art:21 -- Art in the Twenty-First Century - Season 3 (2005). - SFMOMA: The Art of Richard Tuttle
- Current exhibitions on Artfacts.Net
- Richard Tuttle represented by Sperone Westwater
- Living Latin, Dying English a compact "video-gram" between Tuttle and the American poet Charles BernsteinCharles BernsteinCharles Bernstein is an American poet, theorist, editor, and literary scholar. Bernstein holds the Donald T. Regan Chair in the Department of English at the University of Pennsylvania. He is one of the most prominent members of the Language poets . In 2006 he was elected a Fellow of the American...
- Close Listening Tuttle reading from selected pieces and in conversation with Charles BernsteinCharles BernsteinCharles Bernstein is an American poet, theorist, editor, and literary scholar. Bernstein holds the Donald T. Regan Chair in the Department of English at the University of Pennsylvania. He is one of the most prominent members of the Language poets . In 2006 he was elected a Fellow of the American...
: this is a re-play of a radio program "Close Listening", from WPS1 Radio, NYC (recorded December 4, 2006) - Artist's bio at Crown Point Press