'No ideas but in things.'
That line from the early 20th-century poem by William Carlos Williams, so stubbornly American, hovers over the art of Robert Therrien at The Broad, the contemporary art museum in Los Angeles. Milk pitchers, oil cans, dishes, beds, hair bows, plates, mirrors, even coffins; things were the essence of and the inspiration for his art. ‘This is a Story’, as the exhibition is titled, includes 120 sculptures, paintings and works on paper, all variations on his common themes.
These things might be enlarged or reduced from their original size but each was rendered by the artist with particular care for enticing surfaces, whether velvety or shiny, that invite a longing to touch. Though until 2024 the artist was represented by Gagosian galler,y and the subject of many retrospectives, Therrien’s reputation has faded since his death at age 71 in 2019. This show, with works never before seen publicly, should change that.