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Exhibition catalogue published on the occasion of the exhibition Celestial Mechanics: Form and Future in the Work of Gerhard Richter and Sean Scully , curated by Joachim Pissarro, co-organised by Ben Brown Fine Arts and Asia Society Hong Kong Center. 

Essays by André Mourgues, Adrian Dannatt, Jérôme Neutres, Rosamond Brown, Ben Brown and Louisa Guinness  

Edited by Adrian Dannatt

The impressive lineup of shows whose openings coincide with Frieze make a trip to the British capital worthwhile, even if just as a stopover on your way to Art Basel Paris.

When Ben Brown opened his first, eponymous art gallery in the heart of Mayfair, London in 2004, it quickly established itself on the international art scene. Exhibitions of leading gallery artists, including Candida Höfer, Tony Bevan, Claude & François-Xavier Lalanne and Heinz Mack hit the headlines. As did important exhibitions of 20th century masters, such Lucio Fontana, Alighiero Boetti and Gerhard Richter. 

Five years later, Ben Brown Fine Arts boldly opened a pioneering exhibition space in Hong Kong - the first international gallery to establish a presence in what soon became a major global art center. And in 2021, Ben opened a third gallery, located in Palm Beach, Florida. Its inaugural exhibition celebrated the legacy of 20th-century American and European artists whose work developed radical approaches, including Alexander Calder, Georg Baselitz, and Andy Warhol.

Ben Brown Fine Arts is delighted to announce that Dulwich Picture Gallery has acquired Bronze Oak Grove (2017), a sculptural installation by the acclaimed artist duo and husband-and-wife Rob and Nick Carter. This marks the first artwork added to the gallery’s collection in fourteen years, and only the second sculpture, joining Peter Randall Page’s Walking the Dog.

The artwork comprises nine bronze-cast oak tree stumps arranged in a circle, crafted using the traditional ‘lost wax’ method, combined with modern 3D scanning and printing techniques. Inspired by a 1600 drawing of a tree stump by Jacob de Gheyn II, the sculpture dialogues with works inside the gallery, including a portrait of de Gheyn’s son by Rembrandt. This piece is part of the Carters' Transforming series, which reinterprets historical artworks.

As part of the gallery’s Open Art redevelopment project, Bronze Oak Grove will feature in a free-to-access sculpture garden, encouraging public interaction and aligning with the gallery’s mission to engage audiences in novel, creative ways. Bronze Oak Grove invites visitors to physically engage with the sculpture – whether by sitting on, touching, or climbing the stumps – fostering a sense of community. Already a setting for workshops, classes, and collaborative events, it embodies the artists' aim to bring play and interaction back into public art.

Rob and Nick Carter share: “Our aim for the sculpture will continue to inspire, evoke reflection, and foster community engagement for years to come. Above all, we hope it gives pleasure and enjoyment to all who experience it.”

Ben Brown Fine Arts is delighted to announce that Cologne-based photographer Candida Höfer (b. 1944) has been honoured with the Käthe Kollwitz Prize 2024. The jury, which included Hito Steyerl, Siegfried Zielinski, and Karin Sander, praises Höfer for her ability to imbue spaces with a near-spiritual quality. Sander, Director of the Fine Arts Section at Berlin’s Academy of Arts, remarks, "Candida Höfer’s precise attention to detail brings a profound sense of presence to the absence of people in her images."

Höfer is one of Germany’s most celebrated photographers, renowned for her large-scale photographs of empty architectural interiors. Her work, shaped by her studies under Arno Jansen and Bernd Becher, focuses on public and cultural spaces like libraries, museums, and theatres. By deliberately excluding human figures, Höfer’s photographs evoke an eerie sense of grandeur and reflection on the relationship between architecture and its absent inhabitants. Höfer’s meticulously composed photographs are unpretentious, precise, and serene, engaging with the pictorial poetics of absence and the psychological effect of architecture.

The award was presented on 13 September 2024, during Berlin Art Week at the Academy of Arts, Pariser Platz. Along with a €12,000 prize, Höfer has a dedicated exhibition, on display at the Academy of Arts from 14 September to 24 November 2024.

Ben Brown Fine Arts is proud to announce an upcoming exhibition of select works by Candida Höfer at our London gallery, opening on 27 November 2024. In honour of Höfer’s 20-year collaboration with the gallery, this will be her thirteenth solo exhibition with us. The show will feature an extraordinary selection of photographs, showcasing her unique ability to capture the majestic, timeless essence of prominent cultural spaces. This exhibition also celebrates Höfer’s remarkable career as she marks her 80th birthday this year.

Ben Brown Fine Arts is delighted to announce CUBA, a major solo exhibition by José Parlá at The Gordon Parks Foundation in Westchester, New York, marking the culmination of his 2023 Gordon Parks Foundation Fellowship.

CUBA represents a deeply personal journey for Parlá as he explores the rich tapestry of experiences that have shaped his life across Miami, New York, and Havana. Through the language of abstraction, Parlá captures the essence of these cities, drawing inspiration from the textures of their buildings and streets.

The exhibition showcases a series of paintings and photographs created in dialogue with Gordon Parks' evocative photographs of Cuba, taken for Life magazine in 1958. These images offer a poignant glimpse of a country on the cusp of monumental change. Parlá's recent works reflects on the collapse of a fading ideological framework and the ensuing oppression, while also delving into profound insights gleaned from lived experience – the unfulfilled potential of what Cuba might have been.

Through CUBA, Parlá examines the complex narrative of a nation caught between its promises and its struggles, conveying its beauty and deep historical layers.

Ben Brown Fine Arts is thrilled to announce Homecoming, a major solo exhibition by Miami native José Parlá at the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM), opening November 14, 2024. Featuring a new series of never-before-seen works and a site-specific mural by the multidisciplinary artist, the exhibition celebrates the spirit of resilience and returning to one’s roots. Homecoming is a testament to the profound connection between personal history, art, and creative expression.
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