New York, NY
In Amy Cohen Banker’s new work, an unexpected tranquility of gesture replaces the heavily marked surfaces of her earlier work. A New York based artist, Banker explores the interplay of painting and poetry. Her canvasses, inscribed by traces of their making as well as by the erasure of marks, show the process of painting as a double of writing. Banker has exhibited extensively in NYC and internationally.
Amy Cohen Banker work in a variety of mediums: acrylic, oil, pastels, aquarelle, oil sticks, varnishes, glazes, and is extremely prolific. Her work changes and evolves dramatically from year to year. She explores the basic issues of opacity, color, form. She cannot help but be influenced by philosophy, poetry, literature, psychological symbolism, fairy tales, music, myths, conceits, and metaphors, especially of strong feminist models: women’s conflicting roles in a changing time throughout the centuries.
Her major themes are inner restoration and survival, always challenging reality vs. myth. Due to their woven strata, Amy Cohen Banker’s paintings elicit viewers to see and contemplate them up close. Inviting us to experience their tactility, Banker reminds us that color is always substance.
Banker’s canvases are not about the constitution of meaning, but about the construction of webs of reminiscences-they only imply, and never directly signify, the literary allusions of their titles.
Amy Cohen Banker's Curriculum Vitae...SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
- 2008 Recent Paintings, JWS, Great Barrington , Solo Exhibition from Aug. – Sept., 2008
- "Private Roads, Prophetic Turns", small works exhibition, Le Petit Musee, Housatonic , MA
- Private Solo exhibition (Jan 08 – ongoing), Gale Group, NYC Copacetic
- 2007 Monterey Pop inspired portraits (Kevin Kushel, Ovoworks curators) Billy Name and Warhol Factory, L'Univerre Gallery, 20 rue des Coutures Saint Gervais Paris, France .
- Janos Gat Gallery, Amy Banker Now, Inspirations from Poetry of Harrison, Mandelstam, Shakespeare, Dante, Stevens, Jeffers. Feb 6 - Mar 3. - The Metaphor from Poetry to Paint.
- Great Barrington Berkshire Coop, May - June, 2007, Years Around Here
- Gallery Gora, Quebec , Montreal, Amy Banker Now, Inspirations from Poetry of Harrison, Mandelstam, Shakespeare, Dante, Stevens, Jeffers. The Metaphor from Poetry to Paint. June 19 to July 7, 2007 .
- 2006 Spring Joy, CVB Space, NYC; D'Ars Foundation, Milan , Italy ; Recent Drawings and Watercolors, National Association of Women Artists Gallery, NYC
- 2005 The Relicts Multi-Media Project, CVB Space, NYC; The Lady Who Felt the Earth, Eickholt Gallery, NYC; Dag Hammarskjold Lobby Gallery, NYC; Recent Paintings, CVB Space, NYC
- 2004 D'Ars Foundation, Milan , Italy ; Ezaire Gallery, NYC; Cadena Studios, NYC
- 2003 Ezaire Gallery, NYC; La Vuelta, Long Island City , NY ; Metropolitan Opera House Art Gallery , NYC
- 2002 J. Mavec & Company, NYC; Ezaire Gallery, NYC; Howland Art Center, Beacon, NY; La Vuelta, Long Island City, NY
- 2001 Juicy Art Gallery , Beacon, NY; Broome Street Art Gallery , NYC
- 2000 Kuwait Art Museum, Kuwait; So Hyun Gallery; NYC; Roslyn Grant Gallery, NYC;
- Francis Goodwin Gallery, NYC; Loren Ellis Gallery, NYC; Kaminsky Gallery, Berlin, Germany
- 1999 Plaza Exchange, NYC; National Arts Club. NYC
- 1998 Janos Gat Gallery, NYC; Loren Ellis Gallery , NYC
- 1997 Trustees Hall, Cornell University , Ithaca , NY
- 1995 Gubala Fine Art Gallery . NYC; Stephen Gang Gallery, NYC; Cadena Studios, NYC
- 1993 Gubala Fine Art Gallery , NYC
- 1975 Residential College for the Arts, Cornell University , Ithaca , NY
- 1974 Residential College for the Arts, Cornell University , Ithaca , NY
- 1973 Residential College for the Arts, Cornell University , Ithaca , NY
- 1972 Residential College for the Arts, Cornell University , Ithaca , NY
- 1971 Rockland County Historical Society, New City, NY; Finkelstein Memorial Library, Spring Valley, NY
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2008
- "EVA'S SECRET", March 8 - March 31st, 2008 , Primo Piano Livingallery, Arte Contemporanea, Lecce , ITALY Contemporary Art Center , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Small Works Show, Vienna , Austria
- Red Bank, New Jersey , Asher Neiman gallery group show, March 2008.
- Gallery RFD, Classicism, Modernism and Beyond Lasting Traditions and Current Trends in Painting, Swainsboro, GA
- Urban identity - Video Art & Architecture event, Monkeytown, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
- Massive Media - Video Art & Architecture, Winter Music Conference, Area 57 Studios, Miami, Florida
- Americas Museum , "Woman in the Arts". Exhibition by women artists celebrating the International Women Month, Miami , Fl.
- International exhibition, CRISOLART GALLERIES, Barcelona, Spain.
- ARTsMODERNE Gallery, Housatonic , MA
- Group Exhibition, Evelyn Luppi Gallery , Rhode Island
- Group Show Theatre For The New City Group, NYC
- Show NOHO Art Walk, NYC
- Temple Emanu - El Art Fair, NJ
- Indiana New Media & Video Exhibition, Indiana University Kokomo Art Gallery , Indiana
2007 Kasia Kay Art, Chicago, IL; HPGRP Gallery, NYC; Barcelona Museum, Film Festival, Barcelona, Spain; The London Jewish Museum of Art, London, UK; Tenth Annual New Marlborough Artists Show, Thee Meeting House/New Marlborough Village Association, Marlborough, MA; Adelphi University, Long Island, "Personal Totems - About, By, For and Of Woman Of Color". Faith Ringgold, National Association of Woman Artists, Joan Greenfield curator; In The Wake of Warhol - CVB Space - Group Exhibition including Billy Name, Kevin Kushel, Amy Cohen Banker and Cynthia von Buhler as curators; University of Pennsylvania, Pa, International Video and Multimedia Group Exhibition; Biennale Firenza; Blue Hill Gallery, Pearl River; Factory Craze Gershwin Hotel, NYC, NY.
2006 The London Jewish Museum of Art, London, UK; Ninth Annual New Marlborough Artists Show, Thee Meeting House/New Marlborough Village Association, Marlborough, MA; Bridges Over Cultures; The Masks Show, Reflections of the Skin, Venezuelan Consulate Gallery, NYC; The Circus, CVB Space, NYC; The Stilled Life, Islip Art Museum, East Islip, NY; Women and Spirituality, The Interchurch Center, NYC; Small Works, The Karpeles Library Museum, Newburgh, NY; Small Works, Port of Call Gallery, Warwick, NY; Large Works, Made in U.S.A, Blue Hill Gallery, Pearl River; Annual Oakes Park Art Exhibition, Old Tappan, NJ; Ryan Chelsea Clinton Medical Center, NYC; Tribes Gallery, NYC; Temporary Cities, Cultural Communications Center, Art Expo, Klaipeda, Lithuania; The Big Arts & Music Festival, Jersey City, NJ.
2005 AAF Contemporary Art Fair, AWOL Gallery, NYC; Square Foot Show, Art Gotham, NYC; Small Works, Robert Miller Gallery, NYC; Random Moments, Eickholt Gallery, NYC; The Spirit of the Moment, U Gallery, NYC; Spring Preview, CVB Space, NYC
2004 The Sky's the Limit, The Blue Sky Emerging Arts, NY; Ben Uri's International Competition, The London Jewish Museum of Art, London, UK; Washington County Museum, of Fine Arts, Hagerstown, MD; The Holocaust museum, Washington, DC; Theatre for the New City, NYC; The Ultra Violet Multi Art Project, NJCU, Jersey City, NJ; N.Y.C. Artists Inc. Traveling Exhibitions, Bern, Switzerland; MGCVB Space, NYC; Berkshire Art Center, Pittsfield, MA; Noho Community Art Walk, NYC
2003 Night of 1,000 Drawings, Artist's Space, NYC, Exit Art, NYC; N.Y.C. Artists Inc. Traveling Exhibition, Geneva, Switzerland; Monique Goldstrom Gallery, NYC; MGCVB Space, New York; The Sonic Self, Chelsea Art Museum, NYC; Geometric Show and Works on Paper, William Whipple Art Gallery, University of Southern Minnesota, Marshall, MN; Noho Community Art Walk, NYC
2002 Simple Pleasures, Dingle, Ireland; Re: Duchamp, Venice, Italy; Metropolitan Opera House Gallery, NYC; Photo District Gallery, NYC; The Global Response 9/11, Exit Art, NYC; Monique Goldstrom Gallery, New York; Salander O'Reilly, NYC; Small Works, United Nations Art Gallery, NYC, The Madison Avenue Art Walk, NYC
2001 White Box Gallery, NYC; Cedar Bar, NYC; Empty Set, Pittsfield, MA; New Marlboro Art Center, Southfield, MA; National Association of Woman Artists, NYC
2000 Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, MD; Centrum Art Center, Port Townsend, Washington; National Association of Woman Artists, NYC
1999 30 Artist Alumni-Best for 30 years, Art Student's League, NYC; National Association of Woman Artists, NYC
1998 Waltech Gallery, JCC, Palisades, NJ; Old Church Cultural Center School of Art, Morristown, NJ; National Association of Woman Artists, NYC
1997 Arthur Ross Gallery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Gallery Alexis, Budapest, Hungary; Richard Anderson Gallery; New Marlboro Art Center, Southfield, MA
1996 Staff Exhibition, Museum of Modern Art, NYC; Cork Gallery, Lincoln Center, NYC; Andrus Gallery, Carnegie Hall, NYC; Tibetan Art Museum of Staten Island. NY; Chuck Levitan Gallery, NYC
1995 Isabel O'Neill School & Foundation, Sotheby's, NYC; Small Works, NYU Galleries, NYC; West Beth Gallery, NYC; IMAJ, NYC; White Columns, NYC; Lobby Gallery, Deutsche Bank Building, NYC; National Arts Club Roundtable Exhibitions, NYC; Ceres Art Gallery for Women, NYC; Berkshire Art Center, Pittsfield, MA
1994 Isabel O'Neill School & Foundation, Sotheby's, NYC; Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC; National Academy of Design, NYC; West Side Art Coalition, NYC
1993 Lever House Lobby Gallery, NYC; White Columns, NYC
1992 Cork Gallery, Lincoln Center, NYC; Brooke Alexander Gallery, NYC; Dieu Donne, NYC; Staff Exhibition, Museum of Modern Art, NYC; Milton Weil Gallery, 92nd Street Y, NYC; Denise Bibro Gallery, NYC
Collections
- Ben Uri, The London Jewish Museum of Art , London , UK
- University of Southern Minnesota, Marshall, MN
- Queensborough Community College, Queens, NY
- University of Indiana, Sculpture Park, Bloomington, IN
- Roosevelt Hospital, Oncology Department, NYC
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
- Urban Group Marketing, NYC
- Warner Brothers, NYC
- Fox Studios, NYC
- Cooper Industries, TX
- Creative Exchange Agency, NYC
- Stone Age Murals, Jersey City, NJ
- Yeshiva of Great Neck, Long Island, NY
- H and M Corporation, NYC
- Sciame Corporation, NYC
- Israel Humanitarian Foundation for the Holocaust Museum, NY
- Membership College Art Association, NYC
- Women's Art Archives Research Council
- Copacetic Pictures
- Hard Working Movies
- Aperture
- CORO
- Urban Groove
Awards and honors
- Mozart Small Works Show, Vienna , Austria Goya Small Works Show, Barcelona, Spain
- Member, New York Academy of Science
- Cornell Women's Leadership Council
- International Fulbright Scholarship Committee
- Member, Board of Directors, The Educational Alliance, Arts & Humanities
- National Arts Club
- National Association of Women Artists
- Women In The Arts
- College Women of Japan
- Who's Who in Executives and Businesses, Artists and Designers International
- Gold Record of Achievement Award, International Biographical Institute.
- College Art Association Member