The
Renaissance
Society

The Black Paintings is a comprehensive selection of twenty-five paintings by American artist Nancy Spero. The paintings were executed between 1961 and 1965 while the artist was living in Paris. This exhibition marks the first time such a large number of these early works have been exhibited as a group. The paintings are expressionistic in nature and deeply evocative. They depict figures, most often couples, which are sketched within a black atmosphere from which they emerge. The paintings elicit intriguing comparisons to the "new" figurative expressionism of today, as well as to Spero's subsequent work.