Mary Ryan Gallery is pleased to announce Still life with remorse, an exhibition by Maira Kalman (b. 1949). This is Kalman’s second solo exhibition at the gallery, accompanying her book of the same name. Meditating on the emotional weight of physical objects, Kalman presents beautiful, tender paintings with a hint of darkness. In this exhibition, the human presence is rarely seen but rather suggested through Kalman’s interiors and still lifes, all done with her signature sense of humor and exuberant use of color.

On a recent trip to Paris, she was inspired by seeing the still lifes of Jean Siméon Chardin — these works also center on domestic, everyday scenes and convey a strong sense of mood. Kalman’s focus on the still life genre in this exhibition allows for a study of the ways in which objects can hold emotion and tell stories, even if they are ordinary items arranged together. Exploring the solace and/or pain found in objects left behind by those who have passed, Kalman hopes that the viewer experiences varied, mixed emotions all at once, from poignance to nostalgia. She writes, “Vast skies full of remorse. Oceans of remorse. But enough. There should be merriment. And good cheer. Good tidings. Well wishing”.

As the artist interrogates her family history, she tells the stories of her grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles as they immigrated from Belarus to Palestine and the United States. Grappling with stories of love and regret, Kalman gives us richly-colored gouache paintings of objects including flowers, tabletops, fruit, and chairs. Kalman’s eye for detail focuses on small, charming details such as tassels, an elaborate hat, doilies or candlesticks. She is interested in extreme opposites, often injecting a touch of melancholy into otherwise bright and cheerful scenes. Kalman explains, “I’m pleased to create something beautiful and then I’m pleased to put something sad into it”.

Paintings in this exhibit pay homage to other artists and intellectuals that Kalman admires, from Henri Matisse and Paul Cézanne to Virginia Woolf and Leo Tolstoy. Portrayals of their homes and studios tie the theme of remorse into a sense of appreciation for the legacies of figures that Kalman feels connected to, even if she didn’t know them personally. Her passion for the work of other great artists shines through in these paintings.

Kalman’s book Still life with remorse is published by HarperCollins and will be released to the public October 15, 2024.