P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center presents a selection of paintings and drawings by John Tweddle organized in memory of collector Robert C. Scull. On view in P.S.1’s second floor galleries, the exhibition includes six works from the early 1970s and one contemporary piece. Ranging from sizes as large as ten feet high to two feet square, these drawings and paintings humorously combine imagery drawn from Tweddle’s southern background with a vibrant psychedelic aesthetic.
Born in Kentucky, John Tweddle first moved to New York in 1969, at the coaxing of gallerist and long-time friend Richard Bellamy. The majority of Tweddle’s paintings from the early 1970s feature images of naked ladies, trucks, pigs, peace signs, and dollar signs. These early works by Tweddle play with the ideas of class and art; with his own identity as a Southerner; and with the psychedelic colors and sexual iconography of the era. In many paintings we can see the word “ART” written on the side of a truck, the block capital letters signaling Tweddle’s subject with mock seriousness. Tweddle’s energetic and intelligent work captured the interest of collector Robert C. Scull, who became a friend and long-time supporter.
Robert C. Scull (1915 – 1986) was a well-known collector and lover of art whose taste was broad and discerning. Also known as “Broadway Bob Scull,” he was among the first collectors in the country to recognize the potential of such notables as Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and James Rosenquist. His collection included work by Walter de Maria, Larry Poons, Mark di Suvero, and Michael Heizer, among others.
John Tweddle now lives and paints in New Mexico. His work was last shown at P.S.1 in 1980 in an exhibition titled Pattern into Painting.
This exhibition of Tweddle’s work is made possible by the generosity of Stephanie Scull.