A Rare Look Inside Tom Wesselmann’s Studio Marks a Highlight of Armory Week
- Asri Jasman
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Visitors will have an unprecedented opportunity to explore Tom Wesselmann’s New York studio as it debuts to the public alongside a thoughtfully curated dual exhibition with acclaimed contemporary artist Tomokazu Matsuyama.
Tom Wesselmann's enduring New York studio will open its doors to the public for the first time since the artist's passing. During this Armory Week, admirers of the American pop artist will have the opportunity to explore the Cooper Square venue, where numerous pieces were produced in his concluding period, spanning from 1994 to 2004. Wesselmann, recognized for his “Great American Nude” collection and oversized commercial still lifes, regarded his work as an endeavor to achieve “super reality,” aiming to enhance commonplace items through grand scale and vivid colors.
To commemorate the inauguration, Almine Rech will present Wesselmann x Matsuyama, a unique dual exhibition featuring the works of the pop innovator alongside Tomokazu Matsuyama, a Japanese-American artist known for transforming mundane experiences into visually bizarre and captivating artworks. “If Wesselmann redefined the visual lexicon of postwar America from within its own cultural context,” a press release states, “then Matsuyama operates within a visual realm where cultural demarcations are already fluid.” Matsuyama's vibrant works draw inspiration from commonplace visuals, simultaneously contemplating the cultural and historical intricacies that characterize his time.
A notable highlight juxtaposes Wesselmann’s “Still Life #35” (1963), an expansive four-canvas grocery collection, with Matsuyama’s “We The People” (2025). In this work, the Japanese-American artist reinterprets Jacques-Louis David’s “The Death of Socrates” inside a supermarket context. Boxes of Lucky Charms and orderly piles of Advil merge with art historical allusions and intricate designs, creating compositions that, akin to Wesselmann, reevaluate consumerism's place in art. The upcoming exhibition expands upon the pair's initial collaboration at Pop Forever, Wesselmann’s 2024 retrospective at Fondation Louis Vuitton, enhancing the intergenerational artistic discourse between two creators that prompts contemplation on the potential of painting.
The exhibition titled Wesselmann x Matsuyama, organized by the Tom Wesselmann Estate and Almine Rech, is scheduled from September 19 to 27. Pre-registration is mandatory for the restricted public access to the Cooper Square studio, with scheduled visits occurring over three days throughout the exhibition period.
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