Wayne Thiebaud: American Still Life will showcase the ways in which Thiebaud recast the genre of still life for the modern age and created powerful images of American consumer culture in the years of postwar expansion and optimism. It will chart the moment when Thiebaud found his artistic voice, creating a highly original way of painting and drawing in order to express his vision of modern American consumer culture, which he considered to be a vital subject for contemporary painting. Thiebaud saw his work as continuing the radical legacy of earlier still-life paintings by Chardin, Manet, Cezanne and others. He believed in the importance of commonplace objects that might otherwise be overlooked or considered kitsch. His work turns hot dogs, lemon meringue pies and glossy cream cakes into the stuff of profound modern painting.
