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Art Basel

June 13 – 16, 2013

Center: Indian Erotic (1973); Right: Untitled (1971)

Center: Indian Erotic (1973); Right: Untitled (1971)
Art Basel 2013
Installation view

Left: Knees Together (2003); Center: Untitled (1971); Right: Crossed Legs (2011)

Left: Knees Together (2003); Center: Untitled (1971); Right: Crossed Legs (2011)
Art Basel 2013
Installation view

Foreground: Knees Together (2003)

Foreground: Knees Together (2003)
Art Basel 2013
Installation view

Left: On the Grass (1978); Right: Double Torso (1987)

Left: On the Grass (1978); Right: Double Torso (1987)
Art Basel 2013
Installation view

Joan Semmel, Untitled (1971)

Joan Semmel

Untitled (1971)
Oil on Canvas
70h x 80w in (177.8h x 203.2w cm)

Joan Semmel, Indian Erotic (1973)

Joan Semmel

Indian Erotic (1973)
Oil on canvas
54h x 72w in (137.16h x 182.88w cm)

Joan Semmel, On the Grass (1978)

Joan Semmel

On the Grass (1978)
Oil on canvas
48h x 74w in (121.92h x 187.96w cm)

Joan Semmel, Untitled (1978)

Joan Semmel

Untitled (1978)
Oil crayon and collage on paper
22h x 29.75w in (55.88h x 75.57w cm)

Joan Semmel, Double Torso (1987)

Joan Semmel

Double Torso (1987)
Oil on canvas
20.13h x 30.25w in (51.13h x 76.84w cm)

Joan Semmel, Knees Together (2003)

Joan Semmel

Knees Together (2003)
Oil on canvas
60h x 48w in (152.4h x 121.92w cm)

Joan Semmel, Crossed Legs (2011)

Joan Semmel

Crossed Legs (2011)
Oil on canvas
48h x 48w in (121.92h x 121.92w cm)

Press Release

Joan Semmel
Art Feature Sector | Booth G4
Messe Basel, Hall 2.0
Basel, Switzerland

Alexander Gray Associates announced the Gallery’s participation in Art Basel 2013 art fair. The Gallery’s exhibition features works by Joan Semmel, broadly introducing the pioneering feminist painter to a European audience for the first time since 1969. Spanning Semmel’s groundbreaking 40 year career, the presentation focuses on Semmel’s formally experimental paintings, exploring themes of gender identity, sexuality, and aging.

During the height of First-wave Feminism, Semmel began the first Erotic Series, an investigation of figuration depicting couples in coital positions. The artist’s training in abstraction is apparent in her masterful use of expressive lines and color, evident in Untitled (1971). Moving away from figurative abstraction, Indian Erotic (1974), from Semmel’s second Erotic Series, assumes a more voyeuristic perspective, marking a pivotal shift towards photography-driven images. In works from the mid to late 1970s, Semmel turns the camera onto herself. On the Grass (1978), a nude self-portrait, embodies Semmel’s command of the female gaze, pushing against idealized representations of the female body.

In decades since, the artist has incorporated a variety of tools to render images that question perceptions of female representation. In Knees Together (2003), Semmel uses the camera lens and mirrors, subverting traditional depictions of the aging process; Crossed Legs (2011) showcases Semmel’s formal skills with overlay, line, and rigorous composition.

About Art Basel
The world's premier international art show for Modern and contemporary works, Art Basel features nearly 300 leading galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa. More than 2,500 artists, ranging from the great masters of Modern art to the latest generation of emerging stars, are represented in the show's multiple sections. The exhibition includes the highest-quality paintings, sculptures, drawings, installations, photographs, video and editioned works.

With its world-class museums, outdoor sculptures, theaters, concert halls, idyllic medieval old town and new buildings by leading architects, Basel ranks as a culture capital, and that cultural richness helps put the Art Basel week on the agenda for art lovers from all over the globe. During Art Basel, a fascinating atmosphere fills this traditional city, as the international art show is reinforced with exhibitions and events all over the region.