Roland Flexner
Roland Flexner was born in 1944 in Nice, France. He lives and works in New York City.
The uncanny quality of presence and absence characterizes much of the artist’s work that includes the bubble drawings, figures and vanitas, Sumi ink works, and installations combining sculpture, drawing and photography. In his drawing practice, Roland Flexner explores the expressive qualities of ink using breath, chance and gravity to reveal the pictorial potential of the medium that emerges out of abstraction, and suggests the ambiguous nature of images in the viewer’s eyes.
Flexner’s drawings are part of the permanent collections of prominent institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of New York; Whitney Museum, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Albright Know Museum, Buffalo; Shanghai Contemporary Art Museum, The Power Station, Shanghai; National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.
Artworks
Exhibitions
Biography
Solo exhibitions
Year
Country, Exhibition Name, Location
2023
F, Two Ghosts, MASSIMODECARLO Pièce Unique , Paris
2016
MC, Project Space Villa Paloma, Musée National de Monaco, Monaco
2015
UK, At the End Of The Day, Massimo De Carlo, London
2012
USA, Roland Flexner, D'Amelio Gallery, New York
2011
USA, R.F.C.P., D'Amelio Terras Gallery, New York
F, Roland Flexner, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris
2010
I, Roland Flexner, Massimo De Carlo, Milano
2008
B, Works on paper, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Bruxelles
USA, Cuts, D’Amelio Terras Gallery, New York
2007
USA, New Sumi Ink Drawings, Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco
2006
F, Guy Ben Nur, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris
2005
J, Roland Flexner, Itsutsuji Gallery, Tokyo
USA, Nocturne, Caren Golden Fine Art, New York
2004
USA, Roland Flexner, Todd Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco
I, Bubbles & Vanitas, Massimo De Carlo, Milano
2003
USA, Roland Flexner, Miller/Block Gallery, Boston
2002
USA, Roland Flexner, Caren Golden Fine Art , New York
USA, Roland Flexner, Todd Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco
2001
USA, Roland Flexner, Caren Golden Fine Art, New York
F, Dessins, Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris
2000
F, Roland Flexner, Centre d'Art d'Yvry - Galerie Fernand Leger, Yvry-sur-Seine
F, Roland Flexner, Espace Gustave Fayet, Serignan
1999
USA, Roland Flexner, Miller/Block Gallery, Boston
USA, Roland Flexner, Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco
F, Roland Flexner, Galerie Evelyne Canus, La Colle sur Loup
F, Roland Flexner, Galerie Evelyne Canus, La Colle sur Loup
1998
USA, Roland Flexner, Caren Golden Fine Art, New York
1997
USA, Figures and Vanitas, Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield
F, Roland Flexner, Centre Regional d’Art Contemporain, Sete
USA, Roland Flexner, Cleveland Center for Contemporary Art, Cleveland
1996
USA, Roland Flexner, Caren Golden Fine Art, New York
1994
F, Roland Flexner, Galerie Météo, Paris
Group exhibitions
Year
Country, Exhibition Name, Location
2023
USA, In Search of the Miraculous, Marlborough, New York
F, Regards Croisés, NOEL DOLLA - ROLAND FLEXNER, New York - The Bowery, 1982 - 2022, Galerie Gilles Drouault, Paris
2022
I, Winter Wunderkammer, MASSIMODECARLO, VSpace
2020
F, MEMENTO, Musée Crozatier, Puy-en-Velay
2019
F, Inciser le temps, Galerie municipale Jean-Collet, Vitry-sur-Seine
2018
USA, Roland Flexner, The Morgan Library, New York
PRC, School of Nice From Pop Art to Happenings - Le French May, Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong
2017
PRC, Roland Flexner - Ai Weiwei, Massimo De Carlo, Hong Kong
F, La Tempte, Centre Regional d’Art Contemporain, Sete
F, La Pergola, Musee Regional d’Art Contemporain du Languedoc-Roussillon, Serignan
F, A Propos de Nice, 1947-1977, Musee d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain de Nice, Nice
USA, Drawing, The Beginning of Everything, The Albright-Knox Museum, Buffalo, New York
F, La Tempête, CRAC Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée, Sète
2016
D, Im Labyrinth der Unbeimlichen Zufalle, Kunstraum Kreuzberg/Bethanien, Berlin
F, Sublime. The Tremors of the World, Centre Georges Pompidou-Metz, Metz
2015
F, Le Monastier sur Gazeille, Espace Culturel Europeen, Monastier Sur Gazeille
2014
F, Acquisitions Recentes, FRAC Picardie, Amiens
F, Donation Florence et Daniel Guerlain, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
2013
F, Guerlain Donation. Contemporary Drawings, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
USA, Approaching Infinity, Croker Art Museum, Sacramento
F, L'Arbre de Vie, College des Bernardins, Paris
F, Sous l'Amazone Coule un Fleuve, FRAC Auvergne, Clermond Ferrand
USA, Stroke, Trace, Blow, Steven Zevitas Gallery, Boston
F, Noel Dolla: Entree Libre mais Non Obligatoire, Centre National d'Art Contemporain, Nice
USA, Pour, Asya Geisberg Gallery, New York
F, Le Main Invente le Dessin, FRAC Picardie, Abbaye Saint Riquier, Saint Riquier
USA, Pour, Lesley Heller Workspace, New York
2012
J, The 70s and beyond, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
USA, Graphite, McCormack Forefront Galleries - Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis
PRC, Electric Fields, Shanghai Contemporary Art Museum, The Power Station, Shanghai
USA, Decade: Contemporary Collecting 2002-2012, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo
F, Fonds Commun, Ecole Supérieure d'Art et Design de Saint-Etienne, Saint-Etienne
Bibliography
Year
Author, Publication Title, Date
2013
Charbau, Gael, Collège des Bernardins, Exhibition Catalogue.
Einspruch, Franklin, Art Critical
Daniels, Diana, Crocker Art Museum, Exhibition Catalogue.
Emerson-Dorsch, Tyler e Stephen Maine, Exhibition cat. Florida Atlantic University
Mac Quaid, Cate, The Boston Globe
Heartney, Eleanor, Art Press
Schwabsky, Barry, Art Forum
Vergne, Jean Charles, FRAC Auvergne, Exhibition Catalogue.
2011
Zanchetta, Alberto, Frenologia della Vanitas, March
2010
Zohn, Patricia, The Huffington Post, February 24
Shumann, Stephanie, The Drawing Center, March
Levin, Todd, Flash Art International, June
Martinez, Chus, Art Forum, May
Hirsch, Faye, Art in America, September
Mart, Chus, Artforum, May
Plagens, Peter, Art in America, May
Plagens, Peter, Art in America, May
2008
Daneri, Anna, Mousse Magazine
2006
Thon, Von Ute, Art - Das Kunstmagazin, Art - Das Kunstmagazin, 'n' 4, 'p' p. 22
Kernan, Nathan, Art in America
Phay-Vakalis, Par Soko, Art absolument
2005
Naves, Mario, New York Observer
Burton, Johanna, Vitamin D. New Perspectives in Drawing
2004
Young, Brian, National Drawing Invitational, Exhibition Catalogue. 'p' pp. 18-19; 50-51
2003
Stampleman, Arthur, The Rye Record
Diffusion éditions sept, Exhibition Catalogue.
Rubinstein, Raphael, Art in America
Golden, Deven, www.artcritical.com
Malecki, Alex, The Harrison Report
Wolinski, Natacha, Beaux-Arts Magazine, Beaux-Arts Magazine, 'n' 224
Genocchio, Benjamin, The New York Times - Art Review
2002
Réol, Jean-Marc e Anne Tronche, 1:1 Roland Flexner, Exhibition Catalogue.
Public collections
Country
Location
France
Centre National d'Art et de la Culture Georges Pompidou, Paris
Durand-Ruel Collection, Paris
Fondation Guerlain, Paris
Fonds National d’Art Contemporain, Paris
FRAC - Fond Regional d’Art Contemporain d’Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand
FRAC - Fond Regional d’Art Contemporain de Picardie, Amiens
Musee d’Art Contemporain de Serignan, Serignan
Musee d’art Moderne et Contemporain, Strasbourg
Musee d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain, Nice
Musee d’Art Moderne, Saint-Etienne
Musee des Beaux Arts, La Chaux de Fonds
Italy
Francois Pinault Foundation, Venezia
Japan
National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Monaco
Nouveau Musee National Monaco, Monaco
Portugal
Madeira Corporate Services, Madeira
United Kingdom
Simmons & Simmons, London
United States of America
Albright Knox Museum, Buffalo
Arkansas Art Center Foundation. Little Rock Cottrell-Lovett Collection, New York
Flint Institute of Arts, Flint, Michigan
Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge
Progressive Corporate Art Collection, Cleveland Sprint Corporation
The Capital Group Companies, Los Angeles
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Reader’s Digest, New York
Wadworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford
Wellington Management Company, Boston
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York