Abstract
Boston has, for centuries, been a training ground and way station for extraordinary artistic talent that often migrates elsewhere. In the visual arts, artists ranging from John Singleton Copley to Frank Stella to Nan Goldin spent formative years in the city, only to end up elsewhere when it came time to develop their careers. With dozens of world-class educational institutions in Boston, maybe it is not surprising that the city’s psyche, tinged by the sense of inevitable transition, is slightly unstable. In 1982, this ethos generated the seminal hardcore punk compilation: This Is Boston, Not L.A. The album’s release was a landmark moment for the hardcore punk movement and Boston’s music scene. This exhibition draws its title and spirit from that album.
Most of the artists featured in This Is Boston, Not L.A. call the Boston-area their home. Those that are not currently based there have strong ties to the city. Painting has always been the dominant medium in the city’s visual culture, and, while some artists in the exhibition would define their practice more broadly, the show is, for all intents and purposes, a painting show. Featured artists range from local legend Gerry Bergstein, who has taught countless young painters in his thirty plus year tenure as a faculty member at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, to mid-career artists such as Jeff Perrott and Sheila Gallagher to emerging artists such as Josh Jefferson and Jesse Littlefield, both of whom are currently garnering widespread attention for their innovative approaches to painting.
Sonia Almeida, Gerry Bergstein, Sheila Gallagher, Josh Jefferson, David X. Levine, Jesse Littlefield, Steve Locke, Alex Lukas, Jeff Perrott, Matt Rich, Cristi Rinklin, Joe Wardwell, Brian Zink