It is with the greatest pleasure that we bring Monochromaniac to our New York gallery. As the exhibition title suggests, most pieces on display will be of the overtly simplistic yet subjectively rich style of monochromatic art. As for the ‘maniac’ element in the name, one should take Picasso’s powerful ‘blue period’ after his friend’s suicide as a point of focus. This exhibition showcases an eclectic range of monochrome works - in true style of New York City.

While monochromatic paintings and drawings might appear nothing new, for essentially any work ever made with different shades of the same color can be defined as monochromatic. However, the burgeoning of abstract art in the twentieth century brought about experimentation with the monochromatic dimension, engaging and inquiring into just how deep, or shallow, one can go with one color.

Working within the monochrome may serve to truly represent (if at all possible) the two sides of abstraction. The original and influential Yves Klein, whose work we are proud to feature in this exhibition, embodies the spiritual element of monochrome. His attempts at recreating a feeling of disintegration of the differences in materiality were strongly aimed at delivering a sense of oneness with everything. His famous shade of blue is a powerful ambassador of this undertaking, with the color washing the eyes with a pensive tranquillity that extends to the soul. Similarly, Anish Kapoor’s widely known work incorporates a mostly monochromatic choice of color palette to help push emotion at and through the viewer. In turn, this keeps the intangible at the front of the mind when appreciating his art.

On the other end of the abstract spectrum of monochrome is the importance of and emphasis on the purest physical elements. This can be seen through the stunning art of Pino Manos, Marcello Lo Giudice and Lucio Fontana, all of whom will be part of Monochromaniac. The best example of monochromatic art’s tendency to accentuate the form might lie in the work of another artist exhibited, Marc Quinn. With such exquisite attention to detail, Quinn’s pieces draw the viewer into an appreciation of material, technique, method and form.

From exciting and bold works from the 1950s, to delightfully post-modern contemporary pieces, we are thrilled to share the fascinating dynamic of single-colored aesthetic with New Yorkers. Opera Gallery is proud to be able to offer a taste of the abstract, the not so abstract and the blatantly tangible elements of monochromatic art in our latest exhibition Monochromaniac.