Exhibition - Gail Flanery: Of One Another

An exhibition of prints and drawings by Gail Flanery

440 Gallery is proud to present Of One Another, an exhibition of prints and drawings by Brooklyn artist Gail Flanery. For her seventh solo show at the gallery, Flanery has assembled a collection of past and present work providing comparison and parallelism of old and new. It is not so much retrospective as it is a self-portrait.

Her work, dating from 1971 until 2024, creates a visual autobiography. What could be called Rothko landscapes - flat planes of color accented by the living, breathing nature of paper - initially appear as elegant geometry, until a deeper understanding reveals the emotionally complex landscape. Flanery’s calming prints create spaces within which our minds may rest. These pieces are also deceptively process-driven. The action of printmaking is essential to the final product. After establishing a color palette, the ink roller runs across the plate defining the horizon, the sky above or the plains below. Flanery uses the press as a translator.

Placing the earlier work alongside the new work shows more than linear development. The contrast between the old and the new is an elegant dance. Lines and intricate details play within the earlier landscapes. As time progresses, compositions become more minimalist, but equally powerful, depicting nature in both figurative and abstract ways. The differences in the works create a history.

About her relationship with nature, Flanery writes:

“Nature opens my way, and the work evolves and develops with a consideration of space, and a use of color, that refers to natural elements. It expresses a mood and a sense of place that is remembered rather than observed.”

Witness Flanery’s relationship with nature from then to now to the future.
Gail Flanery graduated with a BFA from The Cooper Union in 1972. As a printmaker known for color-based landscape abstractions, she has established professional relationships with master printmakers across the U.S., and her work has been exhibited and collected widely. She has shown extensively, including at Established Gallery, Brooklyn, NY; Krasdale Art Galleries in White Plains, NY; Kentler International Drawing Space, Brooklyn, NY; The Hudson River Museum, Yonkers, NY; and The Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ.