Lehmann Maupin now represents Loriel Beltrán, an artist known for his layered and labor-intensive abstract canvases. The gallery will debut new works by the artist at its Frieze LA booth this week; on March 30, Beltrán will open his first solo show with Lehmann Maupin at its New York space.
Beltrán was born in Caracas and moved to Miami when he was 15 years old. Using custom molds, he pours various shades of paint into them and then lets them dry for long periods of time. He repeats this process several times over, and after several months, or even years later, he will go into the canvas and begin slicing it open, revealing layers of intense color that wave and vibrate together, coalescing into something else altogether.
In an email to ARTnews, gallery cofounder Rachel Lehmann said Beltrán’s work was indebted to that of the “important legacy of Latin American modernism, canonized by figures such as Gego and Hélio Oiticica, and particular movements such as Op Art and Neo-Concretism.” In taking on Beltrán, Lehmann said the gallery hopes to support an artist who is “at the forefront of a new artistic style and generation” through “his mastery of industrial materials and innovative process.”
She added, “Through his experimentations with color, materiality, and accumulation, Loriel invites an exploration of language and time, with a likeness to Shirazeh Houshiary or Liu Wei. I know his work will resonate and I look forward to connecting it with new audiences.”
Zachary Balber
Beltrán, who will maintain his representation with Miami’s Central Fine gallery, was most recently the subject of a solo show at the Museum of Art and Design, Miami that closed in May 2022. His work has also been exhibited at the Pérez Art Museum Miami, the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, the Museo de Arte Acarigua-Araure in Venezuela, and the Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia. Additionally, he is a cofounder of the Miami-based, artist-run space Noguchi Breton (formerly GUCCIVUITTON).
In an email, Beltrán said, “I am thrilled to join Lehmann Maupin, as I have long admired so many of the artists in the program, such as McArthur Binion, Cecilia Vicuña, Heidi Bucher, and Erwin Wurm, among many others; and I look forward to sharing my work with new audiences, both nationally and internationally.”