Mark Bradford: Archaeologies of the City Made Beautiful

Mark Bradford, The Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, at SFMOMA

On view at SFMOMA: Mark Bradford (American, born 1961), The Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, 2011, Mixed-media collage on laminate paperboard

Heading to San Francisco? Be sure to see the dazzling exhibition of Mark Bradford’s artworks at SFMOMA.

Mark Bradford takes urban detritus, such as street posters and string that he scavenges from his own neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles or other cities, and transforms it into colorful and richly layered abstract paintings.

Often massively scaled, Bradford’s artworks sprawl and swirl and are every bit as gorgeous and visually captivating as Van Gogh’s landscapes. References to complex social issues – such as race, class, mass marketing and stereotyping – underlie his art and add to its power.

As the MacArthur Foundation stated when it awarded Mark Bradford one of its prestigious genius grants in 2009, “Bradford is developing a visually arresting means of representing in two dimensions the dynamism and depth of the sites and streets he excavates.”

Works on canvas and paper, video and an installation by Mark Bradford are on view through June 17, 2012 at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 151 Third St., S.F., CA (415) 357-4000. Additional works can be seen at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, located just across the street from SFMOMA, 701 Mission St., S.F., CA (415) 978-2787.

Learn about Mark Bradford in this special exhibition website, developed by the Wexner Center for the Arts.

Contact Perkey Fine Art Advisor for more information about the artist and available artworks.

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