INTERVIEW: Per Skarstedt On Skarstedt Gallery’s “Faces & Figures”

Skarstedt Gallery’s latest exhibition, Faces & Figures, is being presented concurrently at both of the gallery’s New York locations. 17 works are on display at the Manhattan flagship on 79th Street, while eight pieces can be seen at the East Hampton outpost.

The exceptional show highlights paintings, sculptures, and photographs by esteemed artists including Frank Auerbach, Francis Bacon, Georg Baselitz, Alexander Calder, George Condo, Willem de Kooning, Eric Fischl, Alberto Giacometti, Mark Grotjahn, Martin Kippenberger, Robert Mapplethorpe, Pablo Picasso, Richard Prince, Thomas Schütte, Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol, and more.

We caught up with Gallery founder Per Skarstedt about the group exhibition, which can be seen through Saturday, April 17.

Tell us a little bit about Faces and Figures and the inspiration behind the exhibition?

PS: When planning this show, we noticed that in the works we wanted to show, there contained some sort of relationship between the artist and the subject. They were all very different from one another. We observed how facial expression and emotion had changed from mid-twentieth century art until today’s; how colors on faces and bodies were used more boldly; how the human figure was rendered. It became the concept of the show, this survey of Faces & Figures.

Mao by Andy Warhol, 1973, acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas. (Photo: © The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.)

Why split the exhibition between the Skarstedt East Hampton and Manhattan outposts?

PS: We wanted to offer accessibility to major works both in the city and the Hamptons.

Is it imperative to view both to get a sense of the group exhibition?

PS: I think it’s imperative to be aware of what’s showing at each location, but I think we captured the theme equally at both. So, you’ll find yourself in the same eras of study when viewing the 1972 Picasso at East Hampton, and the 1973 Giacometti in Manhattan; the 2021 Eric Fischl in Manhattan, and the 2020 David Salle in East Hampton. The exhibition can also be enjoyed in full on our online viewing room.

How did you decide which artists to highlight?

PS: Most are artists that we work with on a regular basis and fit within our program.

Skarstedt East Hampton is located at 66 Newtown Lane in East Hampton. For more information, visit www.skarstedt.com.