Galerie Lelong & Co. is pleased to presentย Ficre Ghebreyesus: Horizons, a selection of intimately scaled and rarely-seen paintings created by the late artist. These paintings present a wide array of imagery that offer a glimpse into how Ghebreyesus built his expansive visual dictionary. Ranging from portraiture, landscape, to abstract color studies, an often-present horizon forms a through line that bridges the artistโs journeys with his masterful use of color.
This presentation commemorates the artistโs inclusion in the 59th Venice Biennale,ย The Milk of Dreams, curated by Cecilia Alemani which closes this month, as well as our recent publication of the catalogueย Ficre Ghebreyesus: Gate to the Blue. In those exhibitions, large-scale paintings by the artist were presented that assembled his ruminations on homeโfrom Eritrean textiles and basketry to the rhapsody of bluesโincluding monumental works which Ghebreyesus chose to keep unstretched. The selection of paintings inย Horizonsย highlights the artistโs equally active exploration of a much smaller, meditative scale; many works can be held easily in two hands. Observed by the art historian Anne Higonnet as complete pictorial essays on their own, Ghebreyesusโs keen expression inย Horizonsย coalesces rapturous color and motifs mined from his lifeโs experiences, each dynamic composition inviting viewers to take a closer look.
In conjunction with this presentation, we are pleased to hold a virtual conversation as part of โGalerie Lelong: Dialoguesโ between Anne Higonnet and Tausif Noor (the author of the catalogue essay) on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 at 2:00pm EST (11am PST).ย
