Christina Quarles’ paintings will be up at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago until the end of August. My first thought when I saw her work online was: Gladys Nilssen!
Gladys Nilssen’s work first appeared in Chicago galleries in the mid 60’s. Large watercolors showed human-ish figures, gawky, spaghetti limbed and bulbous in odd places. Her goofiness remains …smart. Smart, as in witty.
Christina Quarles’s debt to Gladys Nilssen is apparent at first sight. But nothing I’ve read about the younger artist mentions Gladys Nilssen.
When I get to Chicago later this summer (hope, hope!) I’ll linger in the Quarles show and ask viewers if they’re seeing the connection to Gladys Nilssen. Better yet, I’ll ask the curators of the show if they see the connection. I’ll report back.
In the meantime, contrast and compare. Here are the links to consult as you do your homework:
https://www.garthgreenan.com/exhibitions/gladys-nilsson-the-1980s
https://www.halesgallery.com/artists/89-gladys-nilsson/overview/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladys_Nilsson
https://www.christinaquarles.com/About
https://www.christinaquarles.com/Paintings
https://www.culturetype.com/2020/04/05/on-view-christina-quarles-at-mca-chicago/
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-christina-quarles-review-20190415-story.html
Gladys Nilssen, b 1940
“Vested Interest,” 1987, watercolor on paper, 40” x 60”
Christina Quarles, b. 1985
“Casually Cruel,” 2018, Acrylic on canvas, 77” x 96”
All contents copyright (C) 2010 Katherine Hilden. All rights reserved.
artamaze by Katherine Hilden 
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