Clare Kirkconnell American, b. 1953

Featuring paintings, works on paper, sculpture, film, and archival ephemera from the SFMOMA Library, and SFAI archive, this ambitious exhibition showcases museum-quality works by contemporary and historical artists, illustrating Berggruen...

Exhibiting Artists:

Tauba Auerbach | John Baldessari | Larry Bell | Helen Berggruen | Sarah Blaustein | Katherine Boxall | Val Britton | Christopher Brown | Andy Burgess | Dean Byington | Bruce Cohen | Adriane Colburn | Travis Collinson | Mark di Suvero | June Edmonds | Charles Gaines | Daniel Gibson | Isca Greenfield-Sanders | Michael Gregory | Stephen Hannock | Sarah Hotchkiss | Seth Kaufman | Clare Kirkconnell | Matt Kleberg | Anna Kunz | Charles Lee | Barry McGee | Klea McKenna | Tom McKinley | Vanessa Marsh | Richard Misrach | Nicole Mueller | Ed Ruscha | Richard Serra | Jillian Shea | Stephanie H. Shih | Kyle Warren Smith | Joni Sternbach | Marie Thibeault | Dani Tull | Darren Waterston | Griff Williams | Jonas Wood | Christopher Woodcock

Berggruen Gallery is proud to present Abstract Perspectives, a group exhibition that highlights underrepresented voices in the world of contemporary abstract art. Abstract Perspectives will be on view from January 11th through February 29th, 2024. The gallery will host an opening reception on Thursday, January 11th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. This curated collection furthers abstract artwork as a vital means of expression and social commentary beyond representational or stylized subject matter. While the artworks vary widely in size, media, and style, the entire show celebrates abstract art as a resistant break from convention, continually stretching the boundaries of visual language and aesthetics.

The exhibition will feature work by the following artists:

Diana al-Hadid
Tauba Auerbach
Radcliffe Bailey
Sarah Blaustein
Cecily Brown
Sarah Crowner
Heather Day
Clare Kirkconnell
Anna Kunz
Liza Lou
Julie Mehretu
Beatriz Milhazes
Odili Donald Odita

Abstract Perspectives, January 11 – February 29, 2024. On view at 10 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Images and previews are available upon request. For all inquiries, please contact the gallery by phone at (415) 781-4629 or by email at info@berggruen.com.

I am honored to present this exhibition, Her Voice, in honor of my late wife, Gretchen Berggruen. Co-owner of Berggruen Gallery, Gretchen was the heart and soul of the gallery. This group show features more than thirty artists, all of whom Gretchen championed, worked closely alongside, and deeply admired. This exhibition reflects Gretchen’s vision and her great passion in life. Those who had the pleasure to have known her know the deep level of care and attention with which she always acted. Her expertise, drive, kindness, patience, and perseverance drove the gallery to be what it is today. Gretchen was my partner and our leader, and I am proud to present Her Voice, celebrating her life and all that she built. – John Berggruen

Featuring artworks by the following artists:

Diana Al-Hadid | John Alexander | Jennifer Bartlett | Cecily Brown | Christopher Brown | Squeak Carnwath | Bruce Cohen | Roseline Delisle | Mark di Suvero | Richard Diebenkorn | Austin Eddy | Helen Frankenthaler | Jane Hammond | Stephen Hannock | Shara Hughes | William Kentridge | Clare Kirkconnell | Julian Lethbridge | Alicia McCarthy | Tom McKinley | Julie Mehretu | Elizabeth Murray | Tom Otterness | Martin Puryear | Linda Ridgway | Joel Shapiro | Judith Shea | Kiki Smith | Mark Tansey | Wayne Thiebaud | Fiona Waterstreet

Berggruen Gallery is proud to present Clare Kirkconnell: Inside Out, an exhibition of recent paintings by California artist, Clare Kirkconnell. This show marks Kirkconnell’s fifth solo exhibition with the gallery and will be on view July 28 through August 27, 2022.

Clare Kirkconnell’s new body of work, Inside Out, is a thoughtful chronicle of the last two years in which mental and physical well-being meant navigating the new norm of sheltering in. A chapter in which morning walks brought balance to a life otherwise lived inside. Kirkconnell thinks of each painting as a journal entry, some of which chronicle joy and discovery, and others that deal with loss and an emotional state often turned inside out.

In the words of renowned poet Mary Oliver, “It is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world.” And indeed, Kirkconnell found that the ritual of daily walks at sunrise became a time of meditation and observation, which in turn inspired the work in the studio. The dew atop a spider’s web, or the coil of a branch became cues for creation and personal reflection. Inside Out is a collection of these observations and musings, and a look at how nature enlightens and strengthens us in difficult times.

Inside Out debuts Kirkconnell’s intricate web paintings, accessing a theme of openness that prevails throughout the body of work. Utilizing her technique of stitching thread onto the flat plains of the painted canvas—as first explored in her 2019 exhibition Women’s Work—Kirkconnell weaves beads and embroidery atop oil paint, creating unique multi-medium works that simultaneously revere complexity and ease. In her exemplary work Silk and Jewels, Kirkconnell threads a glistening web over her gradient green canvas. For the artist, the webs are emblematic of portals rather than confines. Their jewel-like presence creates a symbol of an unknown, yet intriguing, liminal space. Silk and Jewels invites viewers into its netted construction and reveals its ornate stitching on the verso.

In other works, Kirkconnell explores how attending to the land creates an opening for growth and change. She revisits pruning as a theme from her early Napa Valley paintings, harnessing the practice as a metaphor for moving into a new season.

For Kirkconnell, working with textiles is an integral part of her creative process. At a young age, she was introduced to the fiber arts by the craftswomen of her family. Inside Out takes particular interest in the practice of visible mending, whereby repair and reinforcement are thought to add beauty as well as resilience. Several of Kirkconnell’s paintings include stitchwork, both actual and trompe-l’oeil, alluding to the processes of mending and healing. Mend It, Darn It is one such example in which an open sky receives a stitched patch and a visibly darned hole.

Many of the works in Inside Out chronicle personal events of the last two years. Cait’s Dahlias depicts strewn flowers, a few petals fallen loose, and a pair of scissors open at the ready. Kirkconnell shared that this piece celebrates the wedding of her son and daughter-in-law, an intimate gathering held in their backyard. A small, yet intuitive visual encapsulates a moment of joy, growth and forward momentum within the artist’s life. Another painting, Glass Mountain depicts the hill behind Kirkconnell’s studio, ravaged by fire a year ago and now in the process of mending. And yet another painting, Gretchen’s Garden, commemorates the spirit of Gretchen Berggruen, whose love of beauty, family and friendship were so perfectly illustrated in the bounty of her garden and the joy she took in sharing it. Throughout Inside Out, Kirkconnell seeks comfort in nature and presents an assemblage of works that are personal expressions of joy and loss along with healing and growth.

Clare Kirkconnell was born in Brownsville, Texas in 1955. She developed an interest in the arts early on and continued her education at Palomar College in San Marcos, California. After college, Kirkconnell spent several years as a fashion model traveling the world from bases in New York and Paris. She concurrently studied acting, landing several film and television roles, including a three-year run as the female lead in the highly acclaimed drama The Paper Chase. Never abandoning her early interest in painting, Kirkconnell then continued her studies at Santa Monica College and Otis Parsons School of Design. Her work has been consistently well-received and can be found in many significant private collections. Kirkconnell lives and works in St. Helena, California.

Clare Kirkconnell: Inside Out, July 28 - August 27, 2022. On view at 10 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Images and preview are available upon request. For all inquiries, please contact the gallery by phone (415) 781-4629 or by email info@berggruen.com

We are pleased to present Contemporary Women Artists, an exhibition of paintings, sculptures, and works on paper by eight of the most exciting female artists creating work today, including Tauba Auerbach, Carmen Herrera, Clare Kirkconnell, Suzanne McClelland, Julie Mehretu, Beatriz Milhazes, Linda Ridgway, and Kiki Smith. This show will be on view through October 9, 2020.

Contemporary Women Artists presents a compelling selection of works by women artists who have each pioneered facets of the contemporary art canon. While Milhazes fuses cultural elements from her native Brazil with influence from European Modernist painters, Mehretu completely reenergizes and renews 21st century Abstraction. Altogether, the works composing Contemporary Women Artists are intricate yet bold; delicate yet powerful.

Spanning an intriguing breadth of subject matter, Contemporary Women Artists showcases works that both allude to and subvert mainstream ideas of femininity. Kirkconnell, Ridgway, and Smith consider the natural world in their alluring renderings while Auerbach and Herrera compose works of rigid geometries. When viewed altogether, power between delicacy and boldness is shared. The viewer can appreciate how strength radiates from seemingly fragile, natural forms while a certain subtlety can be found in the linear components of abstract works.

Contemporary Women Artists, September 3 – October 9, 2020. On view at 10 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Images and preview are available upon request. For all inquiries, please contact the gallery by phone (415) 781-4629 or by email info@berggruen.com.

Berggruen Gallery is pleased to present Clare Kirkconnell: Women’s Work, an exhibition of paintings by Bay Area artist, Clare Kirkconnell. This show marks Kirkconnell’s fourth solo exhibition with the gallery and will be on view January 10 through February 16, 2019. The gallery will host a reception for the artist on Thursday, January 17 from 5:00 to 7:00pm.

Kirkconnell’s recent body of work emphasizes the artist’s love of craft coupled with her exploration of female creativity and the feminine political voice throughout history. She writes, “My current work is focused on where we, as women, find ourselves today. Simultaneously, it is a form of tribute to the women who have brought us this far.” Kirkconnell pays homage to these women through a series of paintings that are steeped in traditionally recognized “feminine” forms of craft while referencing culturally perceived notions of female beauty. Her work thus promotes the female voice by contemporizing traditional crafts while proudly emphasizing a personal and universal history of feminine creativity, political activism, and civic engagement – both then and now.

Kirkconnell’s grandmother, a consummate craftswoman, instilled in the artist a love of craft that becomes the foundation of Kirkconnell’s recent body of work. Years of knitting, sewing, crocheting, quilting, and weaving come to life throughout the paintings to create a coalescence of art forms, whereas Kirkconnell’s works feature elements of textile and fiber arts, such as strong compositional grids, cross-stitching, and textural details.

Beyond their aesthetic principles, Kirkconnell’s references to stitchery prompt a consideration of the historical narratives surrounding women’s craft and political activism. The artist writes, “Throughout history, women have used stitchery to voice their opinions and make records. Early samplers and quilts often contained clues about their makers and the political and cultural conditions in which they lived.” In particular, Kirkconnell recalls handkerchief “journals” made by imprisoned suffragettes. As women were allowed to embroider while imprisoned, they channeled their creativity to record their experiences, noting who had been jailed and the terms of their sentences. Kirkconnell writes, “The guards wrongly assumed that as long as their prisoners were doing ‘women’s work,’ their passivity was assured. Little did they know that these small, delicate handkerchiefs would become significant historical records.” Kirkconnell reveals a connection between these historical objects of female activism and contemporary avenues of female creativity surrounding the Me Too movement. In particular, the artist recalls the Pussyhat Project, which has become a powerful force of female activism while continuing the historical and political roots of women’s stitchery.

As a former model and actress, Kirkconnell’s early career instilled in her an acute awareness of perceptions of women as objects of desire. Expectations and opinions of female beauty in these industries - often linked to sexual desire and erotic undertones - are embedded throughout Kirkconnell’s most recent body of work. Referencing key words and catch phrases, the artist uses specific examples such as the provocative captions of beauty products to propose a consideration of the existing associations surrounding female beauty. By bringing to light these pervasive perceptions through traditional forms of women’s craft, Kirkconnell’s work contemporizes the ever-powerful aesthetic, cultural, and political undertones of female creativity, thus prompting a reverence and appreciation for female artists in the face of today’s political climate.

Clare Kirkconnell was born in Brownsville, Texas in 1955. She developed an interest in the arts early on and continued her education at Palomar College in San Marcos, California. After college, Kirkconnell spent several years as a fashion model traveling the world from bases in New York and Paris. She concurrently studied acting, landing several film and television roles, including a three-year run as the female lead in the highly acclaimed drama The Paper Chase. Never abandoning her early interest in painting, Kirkconnell then continued her studies at Santa Monica College and Otis Parsons School of Design. Her work has been consistently well-received and can be found in many significant private collections. Kirkconnell lives and works in St. Helena, California.

Clare Kirkconnell: Women’s Work, January 10 – February 16, 2018. On view at 10 Hawthorne Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Images and preview are available upon request. For all inquiries, please contact the gallery by phone (415) 781-4629 or by email info@berggruen.com.

John Berggruen Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of new paintings by California-based artist Clare Kirkconnell. The exhibition – the first of the gallery’s 45th year in business – opens Thursday, January 8th, and continues through Saturday, January 31st. John Berggruen Gallery will host a reception for the artist on Thursday, January 8th from 5:30 to 7:30pm to coincide with the San Francisco Art Dealers Association’s First Thursdays. This is Kirkconnell’s third solo show at John Berggruen Gallery.

In this exhibition of fourteen new paintings, Kirkconnell continues to communicate her vested interest in nature through her selection of organic subject-matter and through her process, which mimics the elemental unpredictability intrinsic to the natural world. She mixes her paint directly on the canvas, allowing the pigments to pool and mix freely. Despite the surrender to entropy this process entails, Kirkconnell relies heavily on a grid to structure her compositions. Although it is a recurring theme in her paintings, the grid takes center stage in the new works exhibited in Juxtapositions.

The prominent position the grid assumes in her works is rooted in her early experience with and exposure to the fiber arts. Kirkconnell’s grandmother taught the artist to knit and weave, and thereby introduced her to the grid, at a very early age. From then on, it became a powerful informant behind her creative impulse. “Graph paper was a constant tool from early on,” Kirkconnell has acknowledged, explaining that “the warp and weft of those clean blue lines inspired [her] to create much more readily than a blank sheet of paper.” The impulse, however, is not to treat each of the small squares comprising the grid as distinct, solid, matte blocks. Unlike graph paper, stained glass, and screen pixels, each of Kirkconnell’s subcomponents borrows from the next. Each square blends into its neighbors, harboring unique graduations of hue and tone that create an alluring visual display by freeing the pure, unmodified grid of its inherent rigidity and severity.

Kirkconnell is also interested in investigating how colors interact with each other, and the overall effect these interactions produce. Driven by a budding interest in color theory, she has researched at length the work of French chemist Michel Eugene Chevreul, whose color principle – namely that the perception of a given color can change depending on the colors surrounding it – greatly advanced art in Europe in the eighteenth century. Kirkconnell employs the grid as a playground upon which to explore this theory in her art. The combinations of earthy tones used in this latest body of work make the canvases subtly shift and pulsate, morphing as if alive, sometimes in entirely unexpected ways.

Born in Brownsville, Texas, in 1955, Clare Kirkconnell spent a number of years in Mexico City before returning to Houston to finish high school. She developed an interest in the arts early on and continued her education at Palomar College in San Marcos, California. After college, Kirkconnell spent several years as a fashion model traveling the world from bases in New York and Paris. She concurrently studied acting, landing several film and television roles, including a three-year run as the female lead in the highly acclaimed drama The Paper Chase. Never abandoning her early interest in painting, Kirkconnell then continued her studies at Santa Monica College and Otis Parsons School of Design. Her work has been consistently well-received and can be found in many important private collections. When not in the studio, Kirkconnell divides her time between her husband and son, the family wine business, "Hollywood and Vine Cellars," and a deep, abiding urge to see every corner of the globe.

For further information and for photographs, please contact the gallery at (415) 781-4629 or at info@berggruen.com