February 12 through March 15, 2023

Opening Reception: Saturday February 15th, 4-6pm

Gallery Paule Anglim is pleased to present an exhibition of Bruce Conner’s Inkblot drawings, dating from 1992 to 2003.

A fascinating part of his expansive creativity involving sculpture, film, painting and collage, Bruce Conner’s inkblot drawings describe a vocation of dedicated exploration, from the 70’s until his death in 2008.  A painstakingly precise activity, his inkblot process involved delicately folding the paper like an accordion and placing drops of ink, one by one, pressing the fold to create symmetrical marks and complex patterns.  His exhaustive variations in this technique explored myriad permutations of shape, density and scale.  Conner thereby invented a form of abstraction that was meditative both for maker and viewer.  The inkblots became a zen-like practice requiring control and discipline,  leading to an experience of random associations and chance discovery.

Bruce Conner has been acknowledged as an important voice in post-war American art, whose works were central to the formation of West Coast art history.  Conner’s work was the focus of the 2000 touring retrospective: 2000 B.C.:  The Bruce Conner Story, Part II, organized by the Walker Art Center (with catalog.)  Conner’s works are represented in the permanent collections of New York’s MoMA and Whitney Museum, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Art Institute of Chicago, the SFMOMA, the Walker Art Center, Los Angeles MOCA and LACMA.

For further information about the exhibition and the artist, please telephone 415.433.2710