Madeline Peckenpaugh (b. 1991, Milwaukee, Wisconsin) renders depth through iterations of adding and subtracting paint, creating a semblance of deep and flat space simultaneously. Peckenpaugh shifts the scale of everyday elements, interlaces components, and depicts forms in both single tones and fluctuating textures. The resulting optical illusions often resemble imagined, otherworldly landscapes.
Peckenpaugh received an MFA in Painting from Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI and a BFA from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA. Peckenpaugh’s work has been exhibited at Alexander Berggruen, New York, NY; Unit London, UK; 1969 Gallery, New York, NY; the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, Providence, RI; Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Boston, MA; and Avery Galleries, Bryn Mawr, PA, among others. Her work is included in the public collections of the Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA; Ghent House, Columbia County, NY; Brown University, Providence, RI; and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA. The artist will hold a forthcoming solo exhibition at Alexander Berggruen, New York, NY in 2023. Peckenpaugh lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
Madeline Peckenpaugh in the studio, Brooklyn, NY. Photo: Philipp Hoffmann
MADELINE PECKENPAUGH: FARSIGHT
April 12-May 17, 2023
THE NATURAL WORLD: PART II
March 9-April 13, 2022
In an interview with Emily Watlington, Madeline Peckenpaugh stated: “Lately I’ve been starting with the background, then working my way to the surface of my paintings. I like making the background look like it was the last thing that happened, even though it was first. I’m often building up thick paint, then wiping it away, and the wipes leave marks. But I change the process up from painting to painting—I always want to stay surprised and spontaneous.”
Three contemporary artists whose work probe depictions of time and space are on view in a group show at Alexander Berggruen on Madison Avenue. Each artist’s approach to depicting environments appear to be inspired by Surrealism, with distorted landscapes and tilted perspectives that challenge the viewer.
On the occasion of our exhibition Sholto Blissett, Emma Fineman, Madeline Peckenpaugh (December 10, 2021-January 22, 2022), we spoke with each of the artists about their work.
Madeline Peckenpaugh: Detours is a book of select photographs taken by Madeline Peckenpaugh between 2014-2022. This book was published on the occasion of the gallery’s exhibition, Madeline Peckenpaugh: Farsight (April 12-May 17, 2023) and features an essay by Gallery Associate Kirsten Cave.
This catalogue was published on the occasion of the gallery’s two-part exhibition, The Natural World: Part I (February 2-March 2, 2022) and The Natural World: Part II (March 9-April 13, 2022). Included within are images and details of the artworks featured in the exhibition, by artists including David Hockney, George Condo, Emma Webster, Madeline Peckenpaugh, Sholto Blissett, Brittney Leeanne Williams, Scott Kahn, and Nicasio Fernandez, to name a few.
This publication also features two new essays, which draw connections between the works in both exhibitions and discuss the emergent themes, by Gallery Associate and writer Kirsten Cave, and curator and art historian Jayne Cole.
