Singing In Unison, Part 12: Painting In Space
Curated by Michael David
Presented by M. David & Co. at Art Cake
October 18 - December 7, 2025
Opening reception: October 18, 2025, 6-9 PM
Friday / Saturday, 1-6 PM and by appointment
M. David & Co. is pleased to present Singing In Unison, Part 12: Painting In Space, curated by Michael David in cooperation with the Brooklyn Rail's ongoing series, Singing in Unison. This group exhibition features works by Al Held, Elizabeth Murray, Judy Pfaff, and Frank Stella.
Singing In Unison: Painting In Space
Three years ago, after a few glasses of wine at dinner, a conversation with Judy Pfaff turned to her close friend and early champion, Al Held. From there, it drifted to another dear friend, Elizabeth Murray, and then to her admiration for Frank Stella.
These four—some closer to each other than the rest —were not “singing in unison” at that particular moment in time. Yet they all shared a profound respect for one another’s work, and deep, if sometimes unacknowledged, influences.
What united them was the language of geometry, made personal. Their rigor of formal concerns was always present, but each bent geometry to their own ends, carving out space for themselves. Elizabeth, Frank, and Judy literally challenged the rectangle, how far a painting could come off the wall, what it could be made of (a language that Stella had pioneered earlier) and the very definition of what a painting could be. Al, through his unprecedented use of scale, celebrated the intensity of the object and created deep pictorial space, echoing the grandeur of the Italian Renaissance while flirting with a kind of sci-fi vision -- imagery that, in retrospect, seems to anticipate contemporary technologies like AI, yet always remaining rooted in the human touch, through endless sanding and reworking of his works.
Almost half a century later, all these four artists' innovations, which have inspired generations of artists, still feel as revolutionary as the day they were created.
When Phong Bui invited me to curate Painting in Space as part of The Brooklyn Rail’s Singing in Unison series, with Cal McKeever’s tireless support, along with Cordy and Ethan Ryman generously providing their Kunsthalle-like space at Art Cake, this dream of mine that began with a glass of wine years ago has finally become reality.
As this exhibition was inspired by my conversation with Judy about all of these artists a few years back, it seems fitting to close with a special quote of hers from the memorial for Al Held, which was published in The Brooklyn Rail twenty years ago almost to the day. Her words speak not just to Al, but to all the artists in this exhibition, and importantly, to all who seek to create space for themselves - not only pictorial, but beyond - inspiring each of us with the gift of possibility.
“Space for Al was the only frontier; it offered infinite possibilities and wonder. His paintings are difficult, demanding, protean, and incredibly beautiful. I think in the last few years his paintings became optimistic, gathering in both the expanding language of painting and science. The last few years he was spending more time in Italy, in his home in Camarata. There he was free, alone in the studio, surrounded by art history and warm light, and the world of ideas. Al Held is a great artist. I miss him. I am still his student.” —Judy Pfaff
So, for the first time, Al, Elizabeth, Frank, and Judy are exhibiting together, honoring this moment when the language of painting is redefined once more. They are now truly Singing in Unison.
Michael David
Painter, Curator