Rear View at LGDR

Did someone say booty, booty rockin’ everywhere? The new show at LGDR's landmark Beaux-Arts-style townhouse Rear View presents a selection of sixty bodacious works on the subjects behind, as exquisitely put, and the human form.

The exhibition features rare twentieth-century masterworks by some of the most celebrated artists of the era, including Francis Bacon, Egon Schiele, and René Magritte, amongst others; as well as seminal pieces by living artists like Jordan Casteel, Cecily Brown, and Mickalene Thomas. Together in dialogue, the combination of classic and contemporary works highlights the enduring relevance of the Rückenfigur trope, a technique popularized by painter Caspar David Friedrich in the 19th century, depicting his subjects from behind rather than the traditional front view.

Viewers are met with mystique with nude subjects seen with their backs turned, and in many cases, the center of attention one cannot avoid is le cul. Spanning two floors, works from intimate portraits, to large-scale installations, sculptures, and photographs, the provocative nature of these depictions encourages viewers to construct new meanings and interpretations around the human form.