Irving Kriesberg’s first solo-show was a bittersweet occasion. The exhibition, which ran from April 26 to May 14, 1955, was at the one of New York City’s most prestigious galleries owned by the esteemed German-Jewish art dealer Curt Valentin. Valentin, directed his eponymous gallery on 32 east 57th street, and was renowned for presenting seminal avant-garde modern artists to New York’s burgeoning fine art scene. He organized exhibitions featuring artworks by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Pablo Picasso, Alexander Calder, Max Beckmann, Henry Moore, Marino Marini, and Jacques Lipchitz.
Lipchitz, a Cubist sculptor, took a liking to Kriesberg’s work and introduced him to Valentin, who signed Kriesberg to his roster of artists. Kriesberg’s first show at the Curt Valentin Gallery was in 1953. It was a group exhibition featuring contemporary works by Kriesberg, Reg Butler, Bruno Cassina, Jan Cox, and Alton Pickens. Valentin set the stage for Kriesberg’s first solo show, but he passed away the year before and his gallery, which was ran posthumously for a year, eventually closed towards the end of 1955.
The introductory text for Kriesberg’s exhibition catalogue is a personal letter that Lipchitz addressed to Kriesberg. In the letter, Lipchitz expressed an empathetic and uplifting tone in light of the fact that Valentin was unable to see the show to fruition. The content of the message affirms how highly Irving’s work was held in Valentin and Lipchitz’s minds. You can read this letter and view the entire exhibition catalogue below.