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The Arts Intel Report

Spencer Sweeney: Smalls

Dec 3, 2019 – May 25, 2020

Spencer Sweeney, a downtown New York rock-and-roll figure, is also a painter. He carefully positions bodies in the silhouette of the classic reclining nude, but he clothes the shape in raucous, joyful color. He’s none too exacting about anatomy, either, creating bodies out of zigzags and legs out of S shapes. Sweeney’s work is both forceful and fun. —E.C.

Spencer Sweeney, “Self-Portrait Drinking with Snail,” 2019 © Spencer Sweeney. Photo: Rob McKeever, courtesy Gagosian.