Joyce Pensato

The exhibition traces the evolution of Joyce Pensato’s work—from the early still lifes and Batman drawings of the 1970s, which were still strongly influenced by her training at the New York Studio School and the Abstract Expressionism prevalent there, to the large-format black-and-white enamel paintings of the 1990s, in which she combined drawing and painting for the first time. This phase marks a decisive turning point in her artistic practice: the switch from oil to enamel also opened up new freedoms for her in terms of gesture, material, and abstraction.

The New York artist (1941–2019) transformed popular figures such as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Felix the Cat, and characters from “The Simpsons” and “South Park” by overpainting, sanding down, and breaking down layers of imagery into expressive, often somber icons that thereby gained emotional depth and power. In her later years, she expanded her body of work to include installations and collages that incorporated painted objects from her studio as well as images from film and pop culture.

For the exhibitions in Hamburg and at the FRAC des Pays de la Loire (starting in spring 2027), approximately 20 works on loan from the Miami exhibition will be included and supplemented by a larger selection of works from European collections. Pensato’s subversive appropriation of comic and cartoon characters, which questions the visual language and mechanisms of popular culture, resonates in a special way with the Falckenberg Collection’s focus on counterculture. Accordingly, the Hamburg exhibition will be complemented by an accompanying presentation of works from the collection.

The show is the first institutional solo exhibition in Europe since Joyce Pensato’s death. Thanks to this international collaboration, it is now possible for the first time to present her work comprehensively to a broader European audience.

The exhibition is organized in collaboration with ICA Miami and the FRAC des Pays de la Loire and was originally curated by Alex Gartenfeld, Irma and Norman Braman Artistic Director; Gean Moreno, Director, Art + Research Center; and Stephanie Seidel, Monica and Blake Grossman Curator, ICA Miami.

With the kind support of the Joyce Pensato Foundation.