Parasol unit is delighted to present a new exhibition of works by the American artist Robert Mangold. The exhibition will concentrate on three dynamic groups of painting that Mangold executed between 1980 and 1986, entitled X, + and Frame Paintings series. These outstanding paintings continue to express Mangold's central concerns in painting, namely the relationship between figure and surface. They play a pivotal role in Mangold's oeuvre and form his first exhibition in a UK institution.

The X and + series, as their titles suggest, refer to mathematical operations. Theyare composed of several rectangular and square canvases of varying lengths and widths that are abutted and inscribed over with pencil respectively with a linear figure of X or +. The proportions of these elements are derived from precisely defined mathematical relationships, such as the halving of the length or width of a specific area and depending on the manner they are joined, the outline of the whole can be defined as either regular or irregular. The pencil inscribed figure of X or + on the painted canvas eliminates categorically any illusory effect and keeps the painting to the surface. Mangold uses vivid and intense colour combinations to highlight the interplay of scale and perception.

 

The concept of intensifying a clearly accentuated pictorial form by creating multi-part structures and using different colours is taken one step further in Mangold's Frame Paintings, in which usually four, but in a few cases three, rectangular canvases are arranged to form a frame. An irregularly distorted, hand-drawn ellipse in pencil runs across the surfaces of the painted elements, and touches variably the inner corners of the frame or the inner and outer edges of the rectangles to accentuate the surface of the painting. One of the most significant elements of these works is the relationship between the work and the gallery wall, which is encapsulated by the frame, but also surrounds the work, creating a multi-dimensional space that resonates with the works of some of Mangold's contemporaries, such as Dan Flavin and Sol LeWitt.

 

 

 

A remarkable aspect of the X, + and Frame Paintings is their often imposing size and their architectural quality. Of these three series Mangold has said: 'You always come to a dilemma at the end of a series. The image had become thinner and thinner [in the Xs and +s] and there was more and more wall. The energy was all going out. I wanted to go back circling, getting the image back into a container. So I took these four members and made frames out of them, and then used the line as a way of connecting through it.'

Robert Mangold (b.1937) held his first solo show in 1964 and since then he has exhibited extensively internationally. Solo exhibitions include Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York in 1971; Kunsthalle, Basel in 1977 and Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam in 1982. Mangold has exhibited as part of group exhibitions at Museum of Modern Art, New York; Grand Palais, Paris; and Kunsthaus, Zurich. His work has been exhibited at both Documenta (1972, 1977, 1982) and the Whitney Museum of American Art Biennial (1979, 1983, 1985), and at the Venice Biennale in 1993. His work is held in collections worldwide including Tate, London; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; and Centre Pompidou, Paris.

This exhibition will be accompanied by a new publication on the artist's work, co-published by Parasol unit and Koenig Books, London.

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 25 February, 7pm
Robert Mangold and Tim Marlow In Conversation
American painter Robert Mangold and Tim Marlow, Director of Exhibitions at White Cube, will talk about Mangold's work in Parasol unit's galleries
£5 / £3 concessions

 

Thursday 5 March, 7pm
First Thursdays event: Exhibition tour by Andrew Bick
Andrew Bick, painter, curator and lecturer will lead a tour of Robert Mangold's exhibition and will discuss the works on display
£5 / £3 concessions

 

Thursday 19 March, 7pm
Poetry Reading by David Chaloner
David Chaloner is a poet whose most recent book is Beyond These Lines (Equipage, 2007).
His Collected Poems were published by Salt in 2005. He will read from his work
Free

 

Saturday 21 March, 2pm
Symposium: 'Between Painting, Space and Architecture: Considering the work of Robert Mangold'
In partnership with the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Art, University College London, this symposium will explore the implications of the work of Robert Mangold
Speakers are:
Briony Fer: Professor of History of Art at University College London and author 
Mark Godfrey: Curator at the Tate Modern and Lecturer at the Slade School of Fine Art, London
Karsten Schubert: Director of the Karsten Schubert Gallery, London and the publishing house Ridinghouse Editions
Ziba de Weck: Director of Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art, London and the curator of the Robert Mangold exhibition
£10 / £8.50 concessions

Thursday 2 April, 7pm
First Thursdays event: David Batchelor and Matthew Collings In Conversation
David Batchelor, artist and writer and Matthew Collings, painter, author and television presenter will discuss Robert Mangold's exhibition and the artist's work in a wider context
£5 / £3 concessions

 

Thursday 30 April, 7pm
Poetry Reading by Andrea Brady
Andrea Brady will read a selection of her poetry in the gallery. Andrea is the director of theArchive of the Now (archiveofthenow.org) and co-publisher of Barque Press
Free

 

Thursday 7 May, 7pm
First Thursdays event: Exhibition tour with Achim Borchardt-Hume
Achim Borchardt-Hume, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at Tate Modern, will lead a tour of Robert Mangold's exhibition and will discuss the works on display
£5 / £3 concessions

 

Booking is essential due to limited spaces
To book, contact Emma Williams on 020 7490 7373 or email emma @ parasol-unit.org

Gallery opening times: Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 6pm and Sunday, 12 - 5pm
Closed Easter Friday and Easter Monday

Admission: Free

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From Old Street Tube, leave the station from exit 1 and walk up City Road for five minutes. Turn right onto Wharf Road after the Texaco service Station.

Buses 43, 205 and 214 all travel down City Road.