For this exhibition, fourteen contemporary artists created newly commissioned paintings based on descriptions of artworks found in historical and contemporary novels by authors such as Marcel Proust, Samuel Beckett, Sylvia Plath, and Milan Kundera. By examining the ways these artists look at storytelling, literature, and writing as expressions of individual thought, Painting Between The Lines looks at the state of contemporary painting today, presenting some of its most innovative practitioners such as Laylah Ali (American, b. 1968), Marcel Dzama (b. Winnipeg, Canada, 1974), and Fred Tomaselli (American, b. 1956).
This exhibition has been organized by the CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco. Lead sponsorship of Painting Between the Lines is generously provided by the Fiorucci Art Trust. Additional support has been provided by Laura & Joe Sweeney, the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in San Francisco, and the Netherlands Cultural Services.