On the occasion of the second annual Chicago Exhibition Weekend (October 3-6), GRAY is pleased to celebrate the gallery’s newly expanded West Town space with a solo presentation of work by Evelyn Statsinger, alongside selections from the gallery’s program.

Displayed in GRAY’s new West Gallery, works by Evelyn Statsinger from the 1940s to the 1980s present complex compositions that balance abstraction, representation, and fantasy. Statsinger (1927-2016) was born in Brooklyn and relocated to Chicago in the 1940s to attend the School of the Art Institute. Her early drawings, characterized by their depiction of whimsical figures and intense, all-over patterns, drew the interest of luminary artists and museum curators including Mies Van Der Rohe, and Art Institute of Chicago curators Katharine Kuh and Carl Schniewind, and led to solo exhibitions at the Art Institute in 1952 and 1957. In her mature work, she relinquished readily identifiable forms such as the figure in favor of layered patterns abstracted from nature. On view in Chicago are photograms, drawings, and paintings that express her singular vision.

In the main gallery, a curated installation of works include selections by Jules Allen, McArthur Binion, Jim Dine, Torkwase Dyson, Theaster Gates, Alex Katz, David Klamen, Jim Lutes, Jaume Plensa, Leon Polk Smith, and Bob Thompson. 

For Chicago Exhibition Weekend, GRAY (2044 W Carroll Ave, Chicago) will be open Thursday, October 3, and Friday, October 4, from 10AM - 5 PM, and Saturday, October 6, from 11 AM - 5 PM.

Pictured: 1. Evelyn Statsinger, Shell Masks, 1975; 2-3. © The Statsinger Cohen Foundation.