Katherine Bernhardt St. Louis, Missouri, b. 1975
Missoni girl, 2006
Acrylic on canvas
50.5 x 40.5 x 2 cm
19 7/8 x 16 x 3/4 in
19 7/8 x 16 x 3/4 in
© 2006 Katherine Bernhardt / Courtesy Fundación AMMA
Photo: Alejandro Paez
Further images
Katherine Bernhardt’s work does not seek to portray a woman passively; instead, it places her before us with an almost electric presence. The figure appears wearing a colorful blouse, her left hand resting against her chin, as if suspended somewhere between gesture, pose, and attitude. The black background intensifies the scene, making the subject’s colors feel even more immediate and direct.
In Missoni Girl, Bernhardt applies paint fluidly and directly, allowing the medium to drip and layer without concealing the canvas itself, thereby positioning the work in a direct dialogue between the legacy of interwar Expressionism and contemporary Pop art.
In Missoni Girl, Bernhardt applies paint fluidly and directly, allowing the medium to drip and layer without concealing the canvas itself, thereby positioning the work in a direct dialogue between the legacy of interwar Expressionism and contemporary Pop art.