Shirley Jaffe's mixed media at Tibor de Nagy in New York

New York’s Tibor de Nagy Gallery is celebrating her mixed media works

At the age of 92, the Paris-based American painter Shirley Jaffe shows no signs of slowing down. Now, New York’s Tibor de Nagy Gallery is celebrating her mixed media works on paper from the last two decades. Courtesy Tibor de Nagy Gallery

(Image credit: Tibor de Nagy Gallery)

By Brook Mason

last updated 28 October 2022

At the ripe age of 92, the Paris-based American painter Shirley Jaffe shows no sign whatsoever of slowing down. Now, the Fifth Avenue Tibor de Nagy Gallery is celebrating her mixed media works on paper from the last two decades, in a new eponymous exhibition.

More than 60 years ago, Jaffe moved to Paris and quickly established herself among a tight-knit circle of ex-pat American artists including Sam Francis, Ellsworth Kelly and Joan Mitchell. Even so, Jaffe eschewed Kelly’s rigid geometric forms and Mitchell’s brand of abstract expressionism.

‘Shirley hews to biomorphic shapes and forms, and some say her palette owes a nod to Matisse,’ says Andrew Arnot, Tibor de Nagy’s co-owner. Arnot has devoted five solo shows to Jaffe’s oeuvre, as well as featuring her work in a solo booth at the prestigious Art Dealers Association of America fair. Further proving her own prowess, Jaffe has garnered a total of 25 exhibitions in the US and in Europe, with the Pompidou and MoMA (opens in new tab) snapping up her paintings.

While Jaffe’s works on paper on occasion inform her oil paintings, the Left Bank artist has never thought of them as studies. ‘There’s a sense of fluidity and immediacy to Shirley’s works on paper,’ Arnot points out.

To this day, Jaffe is immersed in the cutting edge contemporary world. ’When I was last in Paris, we headed off to the galleries of Perrotin and Frank Elbaz,’ notes Arnot. One thing is certain – Jaffe is still a contender in the fast paced gallery scene.

‘Shirley hews to biomorphic shapes and forms, and some say her palette owes a nod to Matisse,’ says Andrew Arnot, Tibor de Nagy’s co-owner. Pictured left: Untitled Right: Untitled, 1996 — ‘Shirley hews to biomorphic shapes and forms, and some say her palette owes a nod to Matisse,’ says Andrew Arnot, Tibor de Nagy’s co-owner. Pictured left: *Untitled* . Right: *Untitled*, 1996

More than 60 years ago, Jaffe moved to Paris and quickly established herself among a tight-knit circle of esteemed ex-pat American artists, including Ellsworth Kelly and Joan Mitchell.

Despite this, Jaffe’s work eschews Kelly’s rigid geometric forms and Mitchell’s brand of abstract expressionism. Pictured left: Untitled. Right: Untitled

Despite this, Jaffe’s work eschews Kelly’s rigid geometric forms and Mitchell’s brand of abstract expressionism. Pictured left: Untitled. Right: Untitled

(Image credit: press)

Jaffe has garnered an impressive 25 exhibitions in the US and in Europe, with the Pompidou and MoMA snapping up her paintings. Pictured left: Untitled. Right: Untitled — Jaffe has garnered an impressive 25 exhibitions in the US and in Europe, with the Pompidou and MoMA snapping up her paintings. Pictured left: *Untitled* . Right: *Untitled*

INFORMATION

‘Shirley Jaffe: Works on Paper’ is on view until 30 April. For more information, visit the Tibor de Nagy Gallery website

ADDRESS

Tibor de Nagy Gallery
724 Fifth Ave
New York
NY 10019

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TELEPHONE

1.212 262 5050

TOPICS

New York USA