A Look Back at 2024

Highlighting the 2024 season was “The Lalannes” which featured more than 60 artworks by Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne. The French duo left their mark on the art world blurring the lines between art and nature and function. Often recognized for his iconic sheep, François-Xavier (1923-2009) preferred animals as subjects for his surrealistic creations while Claude (1927-2019) focused on plant and animal life and the human form.

 At a June "Brunch with Bob" event to celebrate the grand opening of the summer-long exhibition, moderator Bob Colacello led a panel discussion featuring the Lalanne’s long-time gallerist Jean-Gabriel Mitterrand from Paris, collector Jane Holzer, Peter Marino and Isabelle Marino. The talk highlighted not only the lifelong work of the couple but also their lasting impact on the art world. Each panelist knew the artists personally and contributed stories and anecdotes.

 In addition to The Lalannes, the Foundation featured exhibitions of contemporary works by British sculptor Richard Deacon and American painter McArthur Binion in the Meeting Room Gallery.

 Both artists debuted their respective exhibitions at the Foundation’s signature event series “Brunch with Bob.” Hosted by Co-Associate Directors Bob Colacello and Isabelle Marino and joined by Peter Marino, each art talk included intimate conversations with the featured artist set amongst the installation of their art.

 Kicking off the summer were 15 sculptures and drawings by Turner Prize winner Richard Deacon. Deacon’s works are characterized by a controlled, abstract structure that is combined with an imaginative and unexpected use of everyday materials such as wood or ceramics. Visiting from England to open the show in May, Deacon spoke about his process for bending wood and using other materials to tell a narrative in relationship to concepts.

 An exhibition of 13 paintings by Chicago-based artist McArthur Binion followed for a mid-summer show. Binion combines collage, drawing, and painting to create complex autobiographical abstractions of painted minimalist patterns over an “under conscious” of personal documents and photographs. At his opening event in July, Binion talked about his humble beginnings in Mississippi and Detroit, his first visit to a museum at the age of 19, and how language, music and African American culture has influenced his art.

 The Foundation’s summer programming continued with the “Peter Marino Book Club”, a series of author talks and book signings, which returned for its second year.

 The standing room-only events featured Peter Marino, who presented his new book Ten Modern Houses and artist Rashid Johnson, who discussed his recent book Rashid Johnson from Phaidon’s Contemporary Artist Series. The season’s book club concluded with Kevin Kwan, the international best-selling author of Crazy Rich Asians, who led a lively conversation about his latest novel Lies and Weddings.

 Thank you for your continued support of the Peter Marino Art Foundation!