News
Elizabeth Peyton: Portrait of an Artist
By Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
Jun 13, 2008 - 9:17:07 AM

To celebrate the career achievements of Elizabeth Peyton—Connecticut native and recipient of the 2006 Larry Aldrich Award—The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum will mount the first comprehensive exhibition of her photographic work.

Elizabeth Peyton: Portrait of an Artist will open with a reception on Sunday, June 22, from 3 to 5 pm, and remain on view through November 16, 2008, in Ridgefield, Connecticut, adjacent to her hometown of Danbury.

Richard Klein, Aldrich exhibitions director, explains, “Throughout Elizabeth Peyton’s eighteen-year career she
has primarily been known as a painter. During this period, however, she has consistently taken photographs, at first tentatively, but then with a growing conscious assertion.”
Klein continues, “Peyton’s photographs of artists are unique, due to the way that they are in fact acts of devotion based in a Platonic eros: a fundamental creative impulse with an intensely sensual character.”

The Aldrich will present the first exhibition to focus exclusively on her photographic work, specifically the intimate portraits she has taken of friends and colleagues in the creative arena. The exhibition will feature approximately fifty photographs taken between the years 1994 and 2008.

Aldrich exhibitions are made possible with the support of the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism and the National Endowment for the Arts. Special thanks to the The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, Inc. for their support of Elizabeth Peyton: Portrait of an Artist.

The Artist: Elizabeth Peyton, born 1965 in Connecticut, received her BFA at the School of Visual Arts, New York. She is known for portraits of fellow artists, friends, and pop cultural icons such as Georgia O’Keefe, Andy Warhol, Kurt Cobain, Eminem, Elizabeth II, and Napoleon, created in paint and various printing techniques. Peyton’s work was recently the subject of a monograph published by Rizzoli (2005). Her work has been exhibited internationally and is included in major public collections, including the Guggenheim, New York; MoMA, New York; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Kunstmuseum, Wolfsburg, Germany; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; and the Whitney Museum, New York. She currently lives and works in New York. Elizabeth Peyton is represented by Gavin Brown’s enterprise, New York City.

The Award: The biennial Larry Aldrich Award honors an American artist whose work has had a significant impact on contemporary visual culture during recent years. An independent jury of artists, collectors, critics, curators, and gallerists selects the recipient. The Museum is grateful to Larry Aldrich for his generosity and foresight in establishing and funding the Award. The honoree receives $50,000 and the opportunity for an exhibition, accompanied by a catalogue, at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. Previous recipients of the Award include: Kara Walker, 2005; Catherine Opie, 2004; David Hammons, 2003; Fred Wilson, 2002; Mark Dion, 2001; Doug Aitken, 2000; Janine Antoni, 1999; Ann Hamilton, 1998; Charles Ray, 1997; Robert Gober, 1996; Bruce Nauman, 1995; Cindy Sherman, 1994; and Elizabeth Murray, 1993. The Larry Aldrich Award was presented on an annual basis between the years 1995 and 2006. During this period the honoree received $25,000 and the opportunity for an exhibition at The Aldrich. Applications are not accepted for this accolade.

The Museum: The Aldrich is one of the few non-collecting contemporary art museums in the United States.

Founded on Ridgefield’s historic Main Street in 1964, the Museum enjoys the curatorial independence of an alternative space while maintaining the registrarial and art-handling standards of a national institution.

Exhibitions feature work by emerging and mid-career artists, and education programs help adults and children to connect to today’s world through contemporary art. The Museum is located at 258 Main Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877. All exhibitions and programs are handicapped accessible. Regular Museum hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm. For more information call 203.438.4519.

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