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Alex Olson — Untitled
Alex Olson

Untitled

2014

Anchored in a restrained yet quietly urgent dialogue between surface and gesture, this substantial 2014 canvas by Alex Olson (b. 1978) exemplifies the Los Angeles-based painter's sustained inquiry into the materiality of the painted object. Working in oil and modeling paste on linen, Olson builds a textured, layered ground in which physical relief and chromatic subtlety operate as equally weighted pictorial forces. The result is a work that rewards sustained looking, revealing shifts in density and translucency that resist easy resolution and insist on the viewer's attentive presence. Olson is widely regarded as one of the more rigorously thoughtful painters of her generation, and this untitled work from 2014 arrives at a pivotal moment in her practice, when her interest in Minimalist precedents and feminist reconsiderations of abstraction were finding their most focused formal expression. The modeling paste introduces a sculptural dimension to the composition, complicating the flatness traditionally associated with abstract painting while remaining entirely within the logic of the painted surface. Scale is also purposeful here. At just over 180 centimeters in height, the work positions itself in relation to the body, creating an encounter that is both intimate and commanding. Presented by Laura Bartlett and offered in unframed condition, this signed work is a compelling acquisition for collectors drawn to rigorous contemporary abstraction with clear critical grounding. Its physical presence and conceptual economy make it equally suited to institutional and private contexts, and it holds a significant place within Olson's broader body of work.

Medium
Oil and modeling paste on linen
Overall
Signed
Yes

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About this work

Alex Olson, Untitled, 2014

Anchored in a restrained yet quietly urgent dialogue between surface and gesture, this substantial 2014 canvas by Alex Olson (b. 1978) exemplifies the Los Angeles-based painter's sustained inquiry into the materiality of the painted object. Working in oil and modeling paste on linen, Olson builds a textured, layered ground in which physical relief and chromatic subtlety operate as equally weighted pictorial forces. The result is a work that rewards sustained looking, revealing shifts in density and translucency that resist easy resolution and insist on the viewer's attentive presence. Olson is widely regarded as one of the more rigorously thoughtful painters of her generation, and this untitled work from 2014 arrives at a pivotal moment in her practice, when her interest in Minimalist precedents and feminist reconsiderations of abstraction were finding their most focused formal expression. The modeling paste introduces a sculptural dimension to the composition, complicating the flatness traditionally associated with abstract painting while remaining entirely within the logic of the painted surface. Scale is also purposeful here. At just over 180 centimeters in height, the work positions itself in relation to the body, creating an encounter that is both intimate and commanding. Presented by Laura Bartlett and offered in unframed condition, this signed work is a compelling acquisition for collectors drawn to rigorous contemporary abstraction with clear critical grounding. Its physical presence and conceptual economy make it equally suited to institutional and private contexts, and it holds a significant place within Olson's broader body of work.

Medium
Oil and modeling paste on linen
Dimensions
overall: 180.3 x 127 x 1.9 cm
Year
2014
Signed
Hand-signed by the artist
Seen at
Laura Bartlett

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