Aaron Gilbert is a contemporary painter who captures the psychological and philosophical complexities of the human experience through compelling figuration and intricate emotional landscapes amidst societal upheaval. Gilbert weaves together nuanced narratives that explore the intersection of personal, social, and historical forces, drawing influence from art historical references as far reaching as Italian Quattrocento, Mexican Retablos, Byzantine Icons, Pompeii Frescoes, and artists of the Weimar Republic that shaped Modernism and Expressionism.
Read MoreThrough the act of painting, Gilbert examines the complex and idiosyncratic nature of humankind and urges radical resistance and insurgency on a personal level. The artist's subversive expressions of social criticism render architecture in a stylized aesthetic, accentuating how public and institutional spaces enforce ideology, yet offering a potential for transcendence beyond these oppressive structures.
The artist's canvases are imbued with a delicate balance of restraint and tenderness, radically affirming a fundamental need for humanity in the face of fractured personal connections and cynicism in the state's capitalist institutions. Gilbert's paintings probe the impact of external historical forces on intimate interactions, offering poignant reflections on love, loss, and the transformative power of agency.
Aaron Gilbert (b. 1979, Altoona, PA) lives and works between New York and Los Angeles. Gilbert received a BFA in painting from Yale University in 2005 followed by a MFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 2008. Gilbert also holds an Associate of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology from Penn State University (2000).
Gilbert's work has been exhibited with Sant'Andrea de Scaphis, Rome; PPOW Gallery, New York; Chris Sharp Gallery, Los Angeles; Lyles & King, New York; and Deitch Projects, New York. Gilbert's work is in major public collections including the Whitney Museum of American Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Hammer Museum, Studio Museum in Harlem, Columbus Museum of Art, High Museum, and RISD Museum. Aaron Gilbert has also been the recipient of many awards including the Colene Brown Art Prize in 2022, Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant in 2015, and was named the 2010 ''Young American Painter of Distinction" by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Gilbert has held residencies at Fountainhead Residency (2013), Yaddo (2012), Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Workspace Residency (2008), and American Academy in Rome Affiliate Fellowship (2008).
Text courtesy Gladstone Gallery.
