440 Gallery is pleased to present “Nocturns” by Brooklyn-based artist Fred Bendheim. This is Bendheim’s first exhibition centered on the theme of nocturns and his third solo show at the gallery. “Shapings,” the artist’s trademark work of paintings on wood and PVC board, painted relief sculptures and recent work from the past two years will be included in this exhibition. The title “Nocturns” is derived from the artist’s fascination with the night, the unconscious and the dark colors associated with it—colors that are expressive of Bendheim’s feeling of the current world in which he finds himself. Elements of bright color become interesting contrasts in the work as well. Visual ideas of tension and unity are explored by the artist’s process that includes extensive drawings and maquettes. The art works themselves are finely-crafted objects formed from shaped and painted PVC board.

“I like using the open-ended format of shaped, non-rectangular works,” says Bendheim. “The gallery wall becomes an integral element of the work and is part of the conversation in space with the shapes and colors I have chosen. I am interested in the purposeful confusion of identity in the colors and shapes, as if notions of separate egos, races and religions are half-truths, similar to ideas supported by science and some religious traditions.”

Fred Bendheim was born in Phoenix, Arizona in 1956 and has lived and worked in Brooklyn, NY since 1984. As a teenager, he apprenticed with pioneer surrealist painter Philip Curtis. Fred has had numerous one-person shows and his works are in collections world-wide including: The Museum of Arts & Design, NY; The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; The Montclair Art Museum, The National Gallery of Costa Rica; The Instituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, Venice, Italy; The Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, The Plotkin Museum, The Brooklyn Public Library, NY; Denise Bibro Fine Art, NY; Jason McCoy Gallery, Bradley International Airport, Los Angeles, CA; The Mayo Center for Humanities, Scottsdale, AZ. Commissions include fountain/sculpture for Frank Lloyd Wright’s San-Marcos-In-The-Desert and Pottery House, Neiman-Marcus, and pieces created for the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Ritz-Carlton Hotel and The Mandarin Hotel. He has written articles about art for the British journal The Lancet, and he is on the faculty at the Art Students League and The College of Mt. Saint Vincent in New York City. “Nocturns” is one of three exhibitions of Bendheim’s work that is currently on display in New York City.

"Nocturns" will be in the Gallery from March 16 - April 16. The opening reception is Thursday, March 16, from 6 - 8 PM.

In the Project Space: New Work by Vicki Behm and Karen Gibbons

Karen Gibbons presents recent work in the 440 Gallery Project Space. Her work is a whimsical blend of collage, painting and drawing. The references, color, texture and line all collaborate to create heart-felt "near-narratives" that allude to the sacred and profane; harmony and paradox; strength and vulnerability.

“Pantry” is the theme of Vicki Behm’s three pieces in the Project Space. Behm combines actual labels with ink drawings.