Dieu Donné is pleased to present an exhibition of work by Alan Shields (1944-2005) curated by Susan Gosin. The show will include rarely exhibited sculptures, two- and three-dimensional prints, and other works in handmade paper, curated from the Dieu Donné archive and the artist’s estate. On view will be several works produced by the artist in collaboration with many important studios across the United States, including: Jones Road, Pace Editions, Shenanigan Press, Tandem Press, Tyler Graphics, Upper U.S. Papermill, Visual Arts Center of Alaska, and others. A full-color publication is available.

“Alan [Shields] is remembered for bursting onto the New York City art scene in the late 1960s with unique constructions that willfully defied category. As early as 1969, the Whitney Museum and the Guggenheim showed his artwork in important painting and drawing exhibitions. Shields exhibited his three-dimensional, off-the-wall grid paintings at Paula Cooper Gallery in New York City along with other notable artists such as Sol LeWitt and Joel Shapiro. However, Shields’ work, though grounded in geometry, was neither cool nor minimalist, but engaging and complex. What is unique to Shields’ work, in the diversity and combinations of mediums he explored, is his playful use of materials and joyful range of color. Art critic Robert Hughes reminisced at Alan’s memorial held at Paula Cooper Gallery on January 25, 2006, “Whether fishing or making art, Alan had a wonderful sense of what the hand can do; he was an exceptional colorist.” –Susan Gos in, Hand Papermaking, Summer 2005