Joseph Amar was once described as "Tàpies meeting Duchamp; Rauschenberg meeting Beuys".  His first big break was a solo exhibition at the O.K. Harris Gallery in NYC in 1981, followed by the Bess Cutler Gallery representation in 1985.  His selection to appear in the pivotal 1987 Similia/Dissimilia exhibition presented by The Wallach Art Gallery, Leo Castelli Gallery, and Sonnabend Gallery launched Amar's career into rare air as he was placed among the greats  including Joseph Beuys, Richard Artschwager, Donald Judd, Yves Klein, John Chamberlain, Robert Ryman, Jasper Johns, and Dan Flavin, to name a few.  His works were subsequently acquired by the Guggenheim Museum and the Carnegie Institute and collected by such celebrities as Elton John, Yoko Ono, and Bianca Jagger.  He counted among his closest peers Anish Kapoor, Philip Taaffe, Roni Horn, Peter Halley, and Francesco Clemente.
 
Tragically, in 1991 Amar's car was hit by a drunk driver.  Amar’s wife was killed instantly, and he and his young daughter ended up in comas. Though his daughter eventually recovered, Amar ended up paralyzed from the neck down with limited use of his right arm and the need to use a computer’s voice synthesizer to help him speak.  He never painted again.  He died in 2001 after succumbing to his injuries.
 
This particular painting is a great example of Amar's drawing and his expression on paper, what the critic Muffett Jones once described as his “formalist issues of Abstract Expressionism, tied to a more conceptual, anti-illusionistic postmodern stance.”  Pastel and crayon on paper, completed in 1981, it feels like a Joel Shapiro finding momentum.  Though it's Amar's wall sculptures that truly distinguished him (and we have one available, just ask!), his drawings and works on paper are a more informal engagement of a truly masterful sensibility.  
 
We have other Joseph Amar selections available as well, please inquire if you would like to see more.  This is also a great website to learn more about Joseph Amar.