In ‘Seeking an Exit,’ Gretchen Scherer Escapes to Grand Homes and Galleries of the Past
“Lanhydrock, Morning Room” (2024), oil and acrylic on panel, 18 x 24 inches. All images courtesy of Gretchen Scherer and Monya Rowe Gallery, shared with permission
In ‘Seeking an Exit,’ Gretchen Scherer Escapes to Grand Homes and Galleries of the Past
October 17, 2024
Art
Kate Mothes
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Many of what are now public museums were once the private homes and collections of the wealthy and titled. From the Palace of Aranjuez—still a royal residence in Spain—to the baroque art and gardens of Isola Bella in Italy, Gretchen Scherer captures stunning salon-style galleries and historical interiors in vibrant, intricately detailed paintings (previously).
In her solo exhibition, Seeking an Exit at Monya Rowe Gallery, Scherer continues to explore art historical destinations around the world. Calling on memory, escapism, and the romance of grand buildings, she transforms ornate halls, drawing rooms, and wunderkammers into inviting, enlivened spaces.
“Trubetskoy Palace, Dining Room, 1914” (2024), oil and acrylic on panel, 24 x 30 inches
Scherer references photographs of museums, sometimes re-imagining historical, black-and-white imagery into colorful compositions, such as the 1914 dining room at Trubetskoy Palace, Moscow.
The works lining the hall comprise the holdings of Sergei Skchukin, a Russian businessman, whose art collection was nationalized after the 1917 Bolshevik uprising. Today, these pieces are distributed among state museums.
Scherer’s paintings welcome us to remarkable places around the globe, many of which we may no longer be able to visit. Through intimate details, like a napkin draped over the edge of a table or a chair pulled out as if someone has just left, the artist draws foremost upon each location’s identity as a lived-in place.
Seeking an Exit opens today and continues through November 23. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.
“Palace of Aranjuez, Porcelain Room” (2024), oil and acrylic on panel, 18 x 24 inches
“Palazzo Borromeo, Isola Bella, Berthier Gallery” (2024), oil and acrylic on panel, 18 x 24 inches
“Sir John Soane’s Museum, Drawing Office” (2024), oil and acrylic on panel, 24 x 30 inches
“Sanssouci Palace, Library and Picture Gallery” (2024), oil and acrylic on panel, 18 x 24 inches
“Dom Quartier Cathedral Museum, Art and Wonder Chamber” (2024), oil and acrylic on panel, 14 x 18 inches
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