SITUATIONS, SEGUES AND ENCOUNTERS – PIERRE MERKL III

January 23 to February 24, 2007.

Opening reception for the artist is Saturday, Feb. 3 from 3 to 6 p.m.

San Francisco, CA, December 6, 2006. Newmark Gallery will exhibit a series of works by San Francisco painter Pierre Merkl in a one man show entitled Situations, Segues and Encounters from January 23 to February 24, 2007.

Drawing on his experience as a private investigator, these works depict what the artist describes as “real people who exist only in paintings.” His group portraits are derived from an interest in the dynamics and relationships between and among individuals as seen from objective and subjective points of view. Observation of people in the pursuit of discovering a specific truth is the purpose behind both his work as an artist and his parallel career as a private eye. His objective, in part, is to compel the viewer to determine if, “…the gestures and expressions reveal or obscure intention?”

The undulating lines of his figures conjure up a reference to the work of Paul Cadmus, while the exaggerations of expression, elongation of limbs and mouths, suggest elements of Grunewald, Goya, Mannerist and German Expressionist work. In a more contemporary vein, Mr. Merkl’s work draws parallels with the pointers of the new Leipzig School such as Neo Rausch and American John Currin.

About Pierre Merkl III

After spending his formative years in New York City where, among many odd jobs, he worked summers at a 5 & 10 in Spanish Harlem and drove a taxi, Mr. Merkl migrated to the west coast where he studied with Richard Faralla, steel sculptors Charles Ginnever, Peter Forakis and seminal pop artist Robert Dowd. Eventually shaping a style of conceptual figurative work that contains elements of Bacon and explores Baroque, Mannerist and Dutch Renaissance systems, he began his career in San Francisco painting billboards and signs. Subsequently, his oil paintings and etchings have shown at Gallery Asto in Los Angeles, ICAN, Varnish, The Shooting Gallery, 111 Minna, the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition and were recently chosen to be part of Heads Up, a three person portraiture show at the Hewitt Gallery in Manhattan. A licensed Private Investigator, Mr. Merkl has also worked as a film actor and popular lounge singer.

Newmark Gallery San Francisco is located at 251 Post Street, Suite 412 in the Union Square area of San Francisco. We are committed to representing the highest quality contemporary art. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday 11 am - 6 pm and by appointment. Please view our website at www.newmarkgallery.com for more information and upcoming events.

High-resolution images and catalogs of from this show are available upon request.

Contact Mark Wladika, the gallery director, at 415.392.3692.