TOXIC BEAUTY: THE ART OF FRANK MOORE
September 7 – December 8, 2012
On view at: Grey Art Gallery


Toxic Beauty: The Art of Frank Moore is the most comprehensive retrospective of work by a remarkable artist whose life was tragically cut short by AIDS. Frank Moore (1953-2002) is best known for his hyperrealist, large-scale paintings surrounded by inventive custom-made frames. Addressing themes drawn from American visual culture, the state of the health care industry, and his own life, Moore was prescient in his concern about the dangers of genetically modified foods. His paintings often explore human effects on the natural environment, all too apparent, as he noted, in many "sites of great, but toxic, beauty." Featuring approximately 50 paintings and drawings, the exhibition spans Moore's entire career and includes videos, maquettes, sketchbooks, and related archival materials. Toxic Beauty will be on view simultaneously at the Grey Art Gallery and at the Tracey-Barry Gallery at Fales Library, which houses New York University's special collections and Frank Moore's papers. Curated by Susan Harris with Lynn Gumpert, Toxic Beauty is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue.

ARTICLES ABOUT THE EXHIBTIION
Art in America: Frank Moore's Full Impact: "Q+A with David Leiber"
Financial Times: "Toxic Beauty, Grey Art Gallery and Fales Library, New York"
New York Magazine: "Toxic Beauty: The Art of Frank Moore"
The New York Times: "Where Anxieties Roam"
The New Yorker: "Toxic Beauty: The Art of Frank Moore"
IMAGE GALLERY

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Frank Moore
Viral Romance, 1992
Oil and silkscreen on canvas mounted on wood
35 x 24 1/2 in.
Collection of Marc Happel and Harvey Weiss, New York
Image: Courtesy Sperone Westwater, New York
Frank Moore
Viral Romance, 1992
Oil and silkscreen on canvas mounted on wood
35 x 24 1/2 in.
Collection of Marc Happel and Harvey Weiss, New York
Image: Courtesy Sperone Westwater, New York
Frank Moore
Everything I Own, 1992
Oil on canvas mounted on wood
25 1/4 x 36 1/2 in.
Collection of David Leiber and Janina Quint, New York
Image: Courtesy Sperone Westwater, New York
Frank Moore
Gulliver Awake, 1994–95
Oil on canvas mounted on wood
34 1/4 x 68 1/8 x 1 1/2 in.
Collection of Loring McAlpin, New York
Image: Courtesy Sperone Westwater, New York
Frank Moore
Study for Pearline in notebook, 1991
Felt-tip pen and ink and graphite on paper
10 5/8 x 8 1/8 in.
Frank Moore Papers, Fales Library, New York University
Image: Courtesy Fales Library, New York University
Frank Moore
Pearline, 1991
Oil on canvas, in antique gilded frame
51 x 43 in.
Private Collection
Image: Courtesy Sperone Westwater, New York
Frank Moore
Arena, 1992
Oil and silkscreen on canvas mounted on wood, in antique gilded frame
61 x 72 in.
Collection of Gian Enzo Sperone, Sent, Switzerland
Image: Courtesy Sperone Westwater, New York
Frank Moore
Beehive storyboard, c.1985
Acrylic and watercolor on photocopy
8.5 x 11 in.
Frank Moore Papers, Fales Library, New York University
Image: Courtesy Fales Library, New York University
Frank Moore
Beehive production photograph, c.1985
Gelatin silver print
8 x 10 in.
Frank Moore Papers, Fales Library, New York University
Image: Courtesy Fales Library, New York University
Frank Moore
Study for Spring in notebook, 1995–96
Graphite on paper
7 7/8 x 10 5/8 in.
Frank Moore Papers, Fales Library, New York University
Image: Courtesy Fales Library, New York University
Frank Moore
Spring, 1996
Oil and silkscreen on canvas mounted on wood
61 x 72 in.
Private collection, Milan
Image: Courtesy Sperone Westwater, New York
Frank Moore
Lullaby, 1996
Oil and silkscreen on canvas mounted on wood, in artist's frame (red pine)
50 x 65 in.
Private collection, Milan
Image: Courtesy Sperone Westwater, New York
Frank Moore
Niagara, 1994–95
Oil and silkscreen on canvas mounted on wood, in artist's frame (metal faucet knobs on copper pipe)
60 x 96 3/8 x 2 1/2 in.
Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York. General Purchase Funds, 1995
Image: Courtesy Sperone Westwater, New York
Frank Moore
Freedom to Share, 1994
Oil, glass beads, and silkscreen on canvas mounted on wood
60 x 46 in.
Collection of Thomas H. Lee and Ann Tenenbaum, New York
Image: Courtesy Sperone Westwater, New York
Frank Moore
Page from notebook, 1999
Watercolor, gouache, and ballpoint pen and ink on paper
12 1/4 x 9 1/4 in.
Frank Moore Papers, Fales Library, New York University
Image: Courtesy Fales Library, New York University
Frank Moore
Study forMagic Carpet, 2002
Gouache, watercolor, and pencil on Arches paper
15 x 22 1/2 in.
Private collection, New York.
Image: Courtesy Sperone Westwater, New York
Frank Moore
Patient, 1997–98
Oil and silkscreen on canvas mounted on wood, in artist's frame (red pine)
49 1/2 x 65 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.
Private collectionl, Milan.
Image: Courtesy Sperone Westwater, New York
GESSO FOUNDATION
The Gesso Foundation was created in accordance with the wishes expressed in the will of the acclaimed artist Frank Moore, who died in 2002. The Foundation’s purpose is twofold: to preserve, protect, and expand awareness of Frank Moore's art; and to support non-profit organizations devoted to the arts, social justice, environmental or AIDS-related causes. For the past ten years the Gesso Foundation has carried out this dual mission and has awarded grants to over thirty-seven small, innovative non-profit organizations that:

The Board of Trustees has awarded small organizations that:
  • support the work of emerging artists
  • promote gay, lesbian, and transgender issues
  • address the global AIDS crisis
  • help those live with HIV/AIDS
  • work to improve the environment.

For a list of previous Gesso Grant recipients, please see the "Previous Grants" page.