John Salt
There is no subtitle for this exhibition
1 March — 31 March, 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
John Salt: Recent Paintings
New York City, NY— Louis K. Meisel Gallery is pleased to present our first solo exhibition for the British painter John Salt. One of the original thirteen Photorealists, John Salt has long been recognized for his unique methodology and subject matter amongst the group. This exhibition will feature Salt’s latest paintings from the past 5 years.
An Englishman, John Salt was the first foreign artist in the burgeoning Photorealist movement, which was originally considered an American genre. Arriving in 1967 to attend the Maryland Institute of College of Art, Salt spent over twenty-five years working and traveling in the United States. From New York’s Catskills to the outskirts of Albuquerque, Salt photographed homes and property across the country in various stages of decline and decay; these photographs became the impetus for his paintings.
Salt’s recent paintings continue to portray imagery of America from the 1970s; Red Mailbox II features signature elements that the artist has depicted throughout his career—the nearly broken- down vehicle in the driveway, the aging mobile home, and the subtle signs of life disrupting and comingling with the isolated, rural setting. However, Salt’s interest in America’s decomposing wreck yards and homesteads should not be mistaken as environmental political commentary, rather his interest and devotion to this subject matter reveals the subtle beauty of these natural and urban landscapes. Salt’s paintings have a solemn and haunting visual quality that encourage its audience to look deeper—to find overlooked signs of renewal and life.
John Salt: Recent Paintings is on display from March 1st through March 31st, 2018 at 141 Prince Street. For further information and images of works from the exhibition, please contact Elizabeth Harris at 212-677-1340 or by email to gallery@meisels.com.
About John Salt
John Salt (b. 1937, Birmingham, England; d. 2021 Shrewsbury, England) is a British artist who earned his M.F.A. from Maryland Institute College of Art. Salt’s focus is on the rural American landscape, often in various stages of decline. These works have a solemn and haunting quality. He employs a painting technique unique among the Photorealists of spraying the paint through stencils onto the canvas. Salt has exhibited widely since the 1960s and after twenty years in New York City, has returned to England where he currently lives and paints.