Jay DeFeo: The Ripple Effect

The Ripple Effect examines integral themes within American artist Jay DeFeo’s (1929–89) practice, from her use of unconventional materials, blurring of abstraction and representation, to her devotion to chance and experimentation. Famously known for her work The Rose (1958–66)—a gigantic, multilayered painting that she labored on for over eight years—DeFeo was also a prominent, central figure in the California avant-garde art scene, which was marked by collaboration, friendship, and community. The artist went on to produce a dense, diverse body of work over four decades. The title of the exhibition, The Ripple Effect—a collaboration between the Aspen Art Museum and Le Consortium in Dijon, France—refers to DeFeo’s lasting influence on contemporary artists working today. Presenting a core selection of DeFeo’s work in drawing, painting, collage, and photography, the show examines her legacy through the work of eleven contemporary artists (Trisha Donnelly, Sam Falls, Rachel Harrison, Wyatt Kahn, Ron Nagle, Gay Outlaw, Tobias Pils, R.H. Quaytman, Ugo Rondinone, Bosco Sodi, and Oscar Tuazon), all of whom were influenced by DeFeo’s delicate, deliberate approach and intimate vision.