There were so many familiar faces at the opening reception of the Dan Christensen retrospective on September 17, 2015 that it could have been an exhibition opening in The Hamptons. The only giveaway was the sight of 24th Street parting Chelsea galleries lining both sides of the street, easily seen as part of the crowd spilling from the ground floor gallery.
The turnout of current and former East End residents to Berry Campbell gallery is no wonder: Dan Christensen (1942 - 2007) lived and made abstract art in East Hampton for the last part of his life. A painter whose focus was on the interaction of color, technique and the enjoyment of making art, his family continues to live in The Hamptons. The opening drew friends, family, artists, fans of Christensen's paintings and plenty of others who were intrigued by the art, no matter where they were based.
Artists spied at the opening were artists Nick Tarr, Susan Vecsey, Mike Solomon, Eric Dever, Don Christensen (Dan's brother), Elaine Grove (Dan's widow), Nathan Slate Joseph, Kim Uchiyama and others.
The retrospective itself presents paintings from various points in Dan Christensen's 40-year career including his spray paintings. A review of the show will publish next week. To see some of the abstract paintings in the show, click here.
To see images of the Opening, view our slideshow:
View Slideshow.
Artist Eric Dever, gallerists Martha Campbell and Christine Berry, artist Mike Solomon at the Opening of "Dan Christensen| Retrospective" at Berry Campbell. Photo by George Sierzputowski.
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Crowd at the Opening of "Dan Christensen| Retrospective" at Berry Campbell. Photo by George Sierzputowski.
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Willy Christensen, one of the artist's sons, stands in front of "Dolby" at the Opening of "Dan Christensen| Retrospective" at Berry Campbell. Photo by George Sierzputowski.
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BASIC FACTS: "Dan Christensen|Retrospective" remains on view through October 17, 2015. Berry Campbell is located at 530 West 24 Street, Ground Floor, New York, NY 10011. www.berrycampbell.com.
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