Directly from the Tube

American Expressionist in Town

Michael Goldberg, Gallery Stalke, Vesterbrogade 15.
Tues-Fri 12-17:30, Sat 11-15.
Until June 24.

It is not just the Lord's ways that are mysterious. Some artists also meander through the market's landscape along paths that are not easy to discern. In October 1987, Gallery Stalke opened in modest premises in Admiral Gade with an exhibition of the American abstract expressionist Michael Goldberg. Now, two and a half years later, we again encounter both Stalke and Gallery Weinberger, who have, among other things, joined forces to present an exhibition in the director's offices of Topsikring. This marks an attempt at a much broader engagement in the Copenhagen art scene than Goldberg envisioned when he initially agreed to display some results of his work in Tuscany, where he often spends summers.

The current exhibition is small, with ten works—oil on paper—but once again, it demonstrates a solid and representative expression of the American abstract expressionist tradition to which Goldberg (and Joan Mitchell, whom we have also seen via Weinberger) belong. Goldberg often applies the paint directly from the tube and then spreads it in layers, allowing one color to peek through beneath another. Depth and substance are created through collage, often with pieces of newspaper glued to the background. A seemingly freehand drawing often leaves its mark on the larger surfaces.

A composition—or at least its framework—Goldberg constructs his images based on where he places the pure color. In several of the current works, there are even horizontal 'beams,' almost like rungs on a ladder, which also explain the inspiration for and title of the dominant series: Jacob's Ladder. These are beautiful and strong works. The legacy of de Kooning is convincingly and independently managed.

Øystein Hjort

Politiken 19.6.1989

STALKE GALLERI - ENGLERUPVEJ 62 - 4060 - KIRKE SAABY - DENMARK - PHONE: +45 2926 - 7433

CONTACT:  STALKE@STALKE.DK

OPEN BY APPOINTMENT