Courtesy Estate of Ree Morton

Ree Morton, Regional Piece (1976). Oil on wood, enamel on celastic, two panels, each 18½ x 50 in.

December 2008 Field Guide

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Andre Kertesz: On Reading

Ron Arad

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Emotional Drawing

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A New York Times art critic once deemed the oeuvre of Ree Morton "high school prom decoration," but while some of it does have that floral, emotionally crude allure, it has also proved highly influential. Bozeman, Montana (1974), for instance, in which boys' names are rendered in fabric illuminated by colored light bulbs, predates Tracey Emin's famous tent stitched with the names of her various lays. But Morton's DIY, Pop-inflected work is also notable for the very time in which it appeared. Born in 1936, the artist established herself in the '60s as a funny, brash, but still rigorous voice in a sea of Minimalist high seriousness. (Tragically, she died in a car accident in 1977.) Contemporary viewers will have the chance to ponder Morton's continued relevance thanks to the Generali Foundation, which — under the new directorship of Sabine Folie — is presenting the artist's first European retrospective. Large-scale installations like Sister Perpetua's Lie (1973) will be on view, as will Morton's drawings and notebooks, which show a sensibility at once analytical and fiercely frothy. "Ree Morton" originally appeared in the December 2008 / January 2009 issue of Modern Painters. For a complete list of articles from this issue available on ARTINFO, see Modern Painters' December 2008 / January 2009 Table of Contents.