Artist Bio highlights. 1960s art was a time when second generation Abstract Expressionism was healthy and Pop Art and Minimalism had achieved center stage. For Renee Radell, the loud clashes of American Superpower status, social unrest manifested in race riots in Detroit, and Vietnam War protests collectively provided ample material for a new form of social commentary painting.
Unlike early forms of American Social Realism during the American Industrial Age, Radell’s social commentary was primarily political. Remarkably, this keen observer of societal tides, a young mother from rural Michigan, attracted the attention of mainstream New York gallerists and critical acclaim from an international audience. Critics compared her to Ben Shahn and Jack Levine, and she was often mistaken for a male artist.
(scroll down for Renee Radell 1960s Art timeline)
1960
Expands exhibition record to New York City through participation in group exhibition at ACA Gallery in Manhattan.
1961
Has first one-person exhibition of oil paintings at Garelick Gallery in Detroit, Michigan. Receives critical acclaim both in the local press and abroad in La Revue Moderne , Paris, France. Selects student war protests as early common theme in her 1960s art.
1962
1964
Has first one person show outside of Michigan, at Kaufman's Gallery Vendome, Pittsburgh, PA.
1965
1966
1967
One-person exhibition at Robert Shuster Gallery in Manhattan. Extensive press coverage and critical acclaim in mainstream New York and Paris press. The Tide, future winner of two international first prizes for painting, positions Radell's 1960s art as noteworthy for curatorial and scholarly examination.
1968
1969
Has third one-person exhibition at Robert Shuster Gallery. Experiments with hard-edge and spray painting technique.
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