John Alexander: A Selection of Drawings

The Drawing Room is pleased to present a small selection of recent drawings by John Alexander depicting the natural world in pastel, charcoal and watercolor. A commanding portrait of a blue heron, ironically titled Lone Ranger, a majestic seascape and a composition of three fish in profile capture the range of Alexander’s lively expression. Whether rendering a bird in flight or a daily catch of fish, Alexander’s signature bravura technique brings the natural environment into fresh focus.

Alexander, whose early reputation was built upon expressionistic paintings that hover between abstraction and figuration, also holds an important place among contemporary artists inspired by the natural world. His frequent infusion of irony sets his work apart and reminds viewers of the contemporary moment that inspires their making.

Recently the subject of a major retrospective accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue with essays by Jane Livingston and that traveled from the Smithsonian American Art Museum to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Alexander divides his time between New York and Amagansett. Born in Beaumont, Texas in 1945, Alexander settled in New York after completing his MFA in Dallas. His early paintings garnered critical acclaim in the late 1970s and 1980s. His work is included in many museum collections, among them the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University Art Gallery, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.

See below for full press release and selected works.