Born in 1974, Sarah Crowner is an American artist who is best known for her multi-disciplinary practice that draws references from fashion, graphic design, theatre, and performance. Characterised by her hard-edge geometric style and elongated abstract shapes, Crowner’s paintings pulsate with energy and rhythmic dynamism. She carefully structures her paintings by rearranging and sewing painted fabrics together – almost resembling the pieces of a puzzle which creates a formal interplay between the artist’s foliage-like shapes and the negative space between them.
Opening Greens is a visually striking and textural work that encapsulates Crowner’s ever-expanding interest in botanical forms and biomorphic shapes. The artist’s fascination with nature stems from her observations from the view outside her studio in Brooklyn and leisurely walks in the countryside. Executed in brilliant shades of verdant green, warm tangerine, vivid magenta, and varying shades of grey and black, the present work stands out as a bold and unique composition within the artist’s coveted oeuvre. When viewed up close, viewers are able to appreciate the way in which Crowner applies paint onto her canvases. She does so with finely modulated brushstrokes – creating stark contrasts between the semi-transparent and opaque, which further recalls Helen Frankenthaler’s iconic soak stain technique.
Helen Frankenthaler, Cravat, 1973
Collection of the Weisman Art Museum
Sarah Crowner’s works are collected by major art institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and in 2017, the artist unveiled her commissioned project – a site-specific installation at the Wright Restaurant at the Guggenheim Museum. Crowner has presented solo exhibitions at Galerie Nordenhake, Stockholm (2023 and 2021); Kayne Griffin, Los Angeles (2021); Casey Kaplan, New York (2020); Simon Lee Gallery, Hong Kong (2019), amongst others.
Provenance
Galerie Nordenhake, Mexico Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2019