Press Release

NEW ORLEANS - Heriard-Cimino Gallery presents Epigrams, new paintings by New York artist Michel Alexis. This exhibition will be on view from March 7 through April 1, 2009. A reception to meet the artist will be held on Saturday, March 7th from 6 until 8 p.m. The public is invited. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 until 5, or by appointment.

The word Epigram is derived from the Greek language meaning inscribed or carved surfaces. Traditionally Epigrams were poems engraved on votive offerings at sanctuaries. Alexis’ paintings on canvas can be interpreted as lyrical offerings, canvases with applied layers of gesso, oil paint and wet sheets of paper, burlap and other textured materials. His sweeping lines and automatic gestures incise these built-up layers to create not only a personal and unique calligraphy, but also a kind of musical topography throughout the canvas. There are passages within each painting that are bold and specific which perfectly counter his more delicately applied markings and fluid gestures. All of these elements combine to create a kind of calligraphic message for the viewer.
The artist states, “In my recent series, I tend to break down the melodic line of the painting into a polyphony of markings; I am more involved in building complex chords that restitute the experience of painting in an urban environment like Brooklyn; I wish to record different moments of the day: moods, hesitations, pentimenti, with bold or intimate gestures, loud or mute colors."

Michel Alexis, born and educated in Paris, has resided in New York for the past twenty-five years. Alexis was awarded the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Award in 1994, and has had numerous solo exhibitions across the United States and in Europe. His paintings can be found in the permanent collections of the Denver Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum, Long Beach Museum of Art and the Dortmunder Kunstverein in Germany.