Frieze Masters 2022 - Behind the Line

For Frieze Masters 2022, ARCHEUS/POST-MODERN took a look at the development of an artist's signature line over time illustrating how, and explaining why, this changes. Taking Bridget Riley, for example, we were able to exhibit unique works from 1977 and 1979, the beginning of a period of great development for the artist charting a transition from the twisted curve to the simple stripe. A similar tale of progression was illustrated in the work of artists Keith Haring and A.R Penck, both proponents of a primitive but vastly different linear practice. Haring's journey from the street to the slick commercialism of the Pop Shop makes a fascinating visual travelogue. Penck braved censorship, suppression and forced emigration from East Germany to develop his repertoire of now-familiar neo-primitivist imagery, influencing many younger artists searching for a simplified and more accessible visual language.