TWILIGHT: 21 WORKS BY JAMES HOWELL

Twilight at the New York Studio School

“Twilight: 21 Works by James Howell features paintings in which [Howell] exclusively used multiple tones of grays that he carefully prepared in a mathematical sequence. In the canvases, he drew lines he later filled with brushstrokes corresponding to different hues of a certain gray. Each piece is a unique gradation of the color and each is composed of either a single canvas or a sequence of them. Howell’s discipline and focus to a single artistic goal produced also subverts expectations by skipping tones, adding a humorous touch to the sequence of canvases. Howell’s compulsion for gray is as enigmatic as his artistic process. Beneath the seemingly simple surface of his paintings lies a complex methodology. His process is similar to weaving, not only pictorially but also in terms of the technique: fine lines on the canvas serve as the warp, while the brush loaded with gray acts as the weft, creating a tapestry of tones. A tapestry that confronts us with a true idea of infinity.”
— Silvia Benedetti, Exhibtion Curator
 

exhibition CHECKLIST

 

Twilight: 21 Works By James Howell Floorplan

 
 

PANEL DISCUSSION

A conversation with  
Laura Bardier, Executive Director, James Howell Foundation
Silvia Benedetti, Independent Curator
Alistair Rider, Professor, St. Andrews University

 

Laura Bardier is a New York-based curator, writer, and executive. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the James Howell Foundation and is the Founding Director of the ESTE ARTE Cultural Summit & Art Fair. Since 2018, Bardier has led the James Howell Foundation, overseeing its incorporation and implementing a strategic plan that has successfully expanded access, awareness, and engagement with James Howell’s artistic practice. In February 2014, Bardier established ESTE ARTE, a platform that has significantly reshaped the art landscape of South America. She has written extensively about contemporary art in various publications and has curated several exhibitions. Bardier is actively involved in several professional organizations, serving as the Chair of Governance at ArtTable and as a board member for ICI - Independent Curators International and Creative Capital. She holds an MA in Curatorial Studies from Donau Universität in Austria and an undergraduate degree from Università degli Studi di Firenze in Italy.

Silvia Benedetti is a Venezuelan New York-based independent art historian, curator, and writer. She is a recipient of the 2023 Andy Warhol Foundation and Creative Capital Arts Writers Grant. Benedetti's research focuses on critically reassessing and contextualizing the work of peripheral creators within a global context, as well as exploring the intersection of artistic and social practices. In 2023, she curated the exhibition Dadas las circunstancias at the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural Center in the Lower East Side and co-curated Ways of Seeing with Lindsay Aveilhé at The Gardiner Gallery of Art at Oklahoma State University. She has held curatorial and research positions at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, and Dia Art Foundation. Her writings have appeared in publications such as Hyperallergic, Artforum, and post: notes on art in a global context. Benedetti holds an MA in Art History and an Advanced Certificate in Curatorial Studies from Hunter College, and an undergraduate degree in Communications – Journalism from Universidad Monteávila in Caracas.

Alistair Rider is an Art History professor at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, where he has been leading the undergraduate core course in the theory and methods of art interpretation for several years. His research primarily focuses on late modern art, with a particular emphasis on sculpture, abstraction, and environmental themes. Rider is the author of the first monograph on James Howell, published by Circa Press in 2021. This summer, he has been revising a long essay on ecocritical and environmental approaches in art history, while also writing an article on the sculptures of the German-Flemish artist Bernd Lohaus. Rider's next book, titled Ongoing: Notes on Long Term Art Projects, aims to compare different strategies that artists have adopted for structuring their careers and is expected to be completed in the coming years.

Twilight: 21 Works By James Howell is curated by Silvia Benedetti and is supported by the James Howell Foundation.

James howell foundation advisory board

D. Joy Howell, President
Deborah Berke
Robert Rosen
Jason Mesiarik
Susan Kempin
Sandorf Kempin
Victoria Sanbunaris
Lilly Wei

James howell foundation team

Laura Bardier, Executive Director
Asia Szczepanowska, Office Manager
Lisette Morris, Curatorial Assistant