Opera Gallery New York presents the exhibition entitled Contemporary Masters. The show will feature a selection of artists whose names and works shaped a new chapter in art history, ushering in what is known today as the Contemporary Art movement.

After World War II ended, and a new global era began to prosper, so did the basic tenets of art. The modern gave way to the contemporary in which art was born from the artist’s lifestyle and immediate culture. Art became a more commercial form of expression, influenced by the here-and-now, and slowly began to become part of major public art institutions, as well as private collections and galleries, and a profitable way for art dealers and auction houses to not only make a living, but also bring contemporary thoughts, ideas and mediums to the masses, making art accessible to all. Artists such as Andy Warhol, who fathered the movement, was influenced by the changing capitalistic society of the 1960s, while 20 years later, Keith Haring challenged the viewer by putting his fears and concerns about that changing society onto canvas and paper. Haring’s contemporary, Jean-Michel Basquiat, furthered the artistic language by working in new mediums such as chalk and crayon, but also by placing his work in unconventional places such as on the sides of public buildings and subway walls. Arman and Fernando Botero, working in both painting and sculpture, kept, and still keep the viewer talking and interested in their objects on canvas and figurative sculptures, respectively.

Contemporary Masters features 17 of the most original artists from the postwar period through modern day art history, such as Sam Francis, Yves Klein, Roy Lichtenstein, Marc Quinn, David Mach, Manolo Valdés and Tom Wesselmann to name a few. These artists built the foundation and contributed new and unique techniques and painting styles that both established and emerging artists today reference in their work.

Opera Gallery
115, Spring Street
New York (NY) 10012 United States
Tel. +1 (212) 9666675
nyc@operagallery.com
www.operagallery.com

Opening hours
Daily from 11am to 7pm