WESTWOOD GALLERY NYC proudly presents an exhibition of the landmark artist portfolio, On the Bowery. The portfolio consists of ten silkscreens by the representative artists of the period. The exhibition showcases each artwork in relation to the artist photographed in his working environment, thus recapturing the vibrant community spirit and creative atmosphere that characterized Bowery as a cultural milestone of the New York School.

The participating artists include many of the most important of the era: Cy Twombly, Robert Ryman, Will Insley, Robert Indiana, Les Levine, John Willenbecher, Charles Hinman, Richard Smith, Gerald Laing, and John Giorno. From the 1950’s until today, well-known artists created their artwork in lofts on the Bowery which was known as “skid row” for decades. New York artists have gravitated to run-down areas of cities where they can obtain less expensive rent, and become integral in defining the neighborhood as cultural center:

“It is here amid the anonymous wreckage that several hundred artists live and work. There is no sense of an ‘artists’ community‘ but artists have been attracted by the area for twenty years. In the late 40’s and 50’s Clyfford Still, Mark Rothko, Léger and Dubuffet, among others, had studios on the Bowery, and deKooning, Franz Kline and Reginald Marsh worked nearby. In the early 60’s, Louise Nevelson took a place on Mott Street just off the Bowery and was joined not long after by other artists attracted by the lofts for reasonable rents and the relaxed, small-time quality of the area.” - William Katz, from the introduction for the portfolio

All artworks were created in the period 1964-71. The silkscreen prints are 25½ x 25½ inches each, in an edition of 100 plus 20 artist proofs, signed by the artist, numbered, with Domberger edition blindstamp at bottom left. Also included in the portfolio and on view in the gallery are biographical prints with a photo portrait of each artist. The ten artists were photographed by Eliot Elisofon (1911-1973), who lived on the Bowery and was a founding member of the Photo League in 1936.