PRESS RELEASES
Building Bauhaus
September 30, 2019 - February 29,, 2020
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Building Bauhaus marks the 100th anniversary of the movement’s founding by architect Walter Gropius. Established in 1919 in Weimar, Germany, the Bauhaus was one of the most influential schools of the twentieth-century. Through student exercises, iconic design objects, photography, textiles, and archival material, the exhibition explores the school’s pioneering approach to art education, its influence on design and its significant impact on architecture showcasing the work of Marcel Breuer, one of the most notable figures to come out of the Bauhaus. The exhibition also sheds light on the movement’s influence and relationship to our region, revisiting key buildings across the Middle East, including our house, JPNF, designed by architect Mario Jossa of Marcel Breuer & Associates.
Building Bauhaus was made possible by the generous support by: Germany Embassy in the U.A.E. Embassy of Switzerland in the U.A.E. German National Tourism Board |
The Monochrome Revisted
October 25, 2018 - June 30, 2019
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The Monochrome Revisited explores the history and evolution of the monochrome, a provocative and innovative art form that invites introspection as it challenges perception. The exhibition begins by inviting audiences to question the origin of the monochrome - the ‘first’ documented monochromes can be found in publications as early as the seventeenth century. The core of the exhibition, inspired by Marcia Hafif’s historical 1978 essay, ‘Beginning Again’, looks at how Hafif and her contemporaries used the materiality of painting as the subject of their work to express their artistic and philosophical principles. Finally, we look at how contemporary artists today still engage with the art form to address contemporary issues, demonstrating the vitally important role the monochrome continues to play.
Marcia Hafif’s ‘Beginning Again’ was published in September 1978 in Artforum. Full List of Artists (in alphabetical order): Miya Ando, Francisco Almengló, David Batchelor, James Bishop, Alteronce Gumby, Marcia Hafif, Dale Henry, Ralph Humphrey, Alfredo Jaar, Mohammad Kazem, Lucio Pozzi, Douglas Sanderson, Hassan Sharif, and Susanna Tanger. |
Jene Highstein: Space and Place
March 19 - June 30, 2018
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Jene Highstein: Space and Place presents the artist’s seminal sculptures as well as works on paper from the 1970s through the 1990s. A key figure of sculptural abstraction, Highstein used bronze, concrete, steel and wood to create primal and organic forms. His quasi-manufactured sculptures create a dialogue between raw materials and biomorphism, stressing the importance of the object’s presence within a surrounding space and its impact on the viewer. The solidity of Highstein’s sculptures complement the delicacy of his works on paper. His drawings of intense bone black pigment, charcoal and Chinese ink share the same processes as his sculptures. A frame is constructed through graphite and then covered with pigment, like the trowelling of cement over a steel frame. Highstein’s drawings exist independently of his sculptural mounds, spheres and totems.
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Olivier Mosset: Abstraction
November 7, 2017 - February 28, 2018
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The Jean-Paul Najar Foundation (JPNF) presents Olivier Mosset: Abstraction, the first comprehensive survey of the artist’s work in the Middle East. Olivier Mosset was a key figure of geometric abstract art in the mid-1960s in France and was a member of the groundbreaking BMPT movement. Curated by Hervé Mikaeloff, the exhibition features the scope of Mosset’s work from his iconic circle paintings to his more recent monochromes.
Olivier Mosset: Abstraction is held in partnership with ADS Securities and The Embassy of Switzerland in the United Arab Emirates |
Pierre Dunoyer: Vers le tableau
September 13 - October 26, 2017
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Vers le tableau is an exhibition of works by French artist Pierre Dunoyer. The exhibition includes key paintings and drawings from the start of the artist’s career in the late 1970s up to today demonstrating the artist’s development of the tableau. The exhibition also includes archival material documenting the artist’s philosophical approach to art making.
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Artist Run New York: the Seventies
March 9 - June 30, 2017
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Christian Bonnefoi: Double Take
November 14, 2016 - February 28, 2017
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The Jean-Paul Najar Foundation hosts legendary French artist Christian Bonnefoi for a solo exhibition of works from the Collection as well as more recent paintings, including a new acquisition. A long time friend and protégé of Najar, these works include some of the earliest paintings made by the artist in the 1970s and demonstrate the evolution and growth he has made over the decades.
The show is curated by Sylvie Turpin, another Najar Collection artist, and is accompanied by diverse programming including curator and artist-led talks, and workshops. |
Judy Rifka: RETROactive
September 18 - November 3, 2016
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Judy Rifka's diverse practice includes painting, drawing, video and performance. She is a prominent figure often associated with New York City's Lower East Side art scene of the late 1970s and 19080s. She is also connected with the Fluxus movement and is a member of Colab, an artist collective founded in 1977 in New York City that exemplifies an iconic period in the city's cultural history.
Judy Rifka: RETROactive is the artist's first exhibition in the Middle East. On exhibit are the artist's works on plywood, which have been widely acknowledged to be among the most significants of works of the 1970s. |
Jean-Paul Najar: Vision & Legacy
March 14 - June 30, 2016
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The Foundation's inaugural exhibition, Jean-Paul Najar: Vision & Legacy, curated by Jessamyn Fiore, reflects on Najar's immense care for and understanding of the artists. Presenting individual masterpieces from the last half century, as well as letters and ephemera from several artists throughout the decades, the show will provide an insightful look into the Foundation's lifelong friendship with the artists.
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