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Online Viewing Room

Paul Graham

The Seasons

Mar 12 – Apr 11, 2020

Inspired by Pieter Bruegel's eponymous suite of paintings, the photographs that comprise Paul Graham's The Seasons exchange peasant life in 16th century Flanders for the financial world of 21st century New York.

Paul Graham, EARLY SPRING (The Gloomy Day), Charles Schwab, 300 Park Avenue, 2018, pigment print mounted to Dibond, image, paper and mount, 57-3/4" × 77-1/8" (146.7 cm × 195.9 cm) frame, 73-1/4" × 92-1/8" × 4" (186.1 cm × 234 cm × 10.2 cm)
Paul Graham, SPRING (Missing), J.P. Morgan Chase, 270 Park Avenue, 2018, pigment print mounted to Dibond, image, paper and mount, 57-3/4" × 77-1/8" (146.7 cm × 195.9 cm) frame, 73-1/4" × 92-1/8" × 4" (186.1 cm × 234 cm × 10.2 cm)
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The Seasons—six large format photographs made in homage to Pieter Bruegel’s iconic works after which the series is titled. Commissioned in 1565 and depicting rural life in Northern Europe, Bruegel’s series consisted of a suite of six paintings spread across the year. At that time the seasons were divided into paired months, thus having six. Bruegel’s works, including Hunters in the Snow, The Harvesters, and The Gloomy Day, are some of the best-known paintings in the world.

Inspired by the financial crisis, Graham began photographing the major US bank headquarters on Park Avenue. After a year, he began to sense a connection between his images, with their panoply of activity spread across sidewalks and courtyards, to Bruegel’s iconic images. This inspired him to create his own Seasons, exchanging peasant life in 16th century Flanders for the finance world of 21st century New York.

Paul Graham, EARLY SUMMER (Haymaking), Wells Fargo, 280 Park Avenue, 2018, pigment print mounted to Dibond, image, paper and mount, 57-3/4" × 77-1/8" (146.7 cm × 195.9 cm) frame, 73-1/4" × 92-1/8" × 4" (186.1 cm × 234 cm × 10.2 cm)
Paul Graham, SUMMER (The Harvesters), J.P. Morgan Chase Securities, 277 Park Avenue, 2018, pigment print mounted to Dibond, image, paper and mount, 57-3/4" × 77-1/8" (146.7 cm × 195.9 cm) frame, 73-1/4" × 92-1/8" × 4" (186.1 cm × 234 cm × 10.2 cm)

Inspired by the financial crisis, Graham began photographing the major US bank headquarters on Park Avenue. After a year, he began to sense a connection between his images, with their panoply of activity spread across sidewalks and courtyards, to Bruegel’s iconic images. This inspired him to create his own Seasons, exchanging peasant life in 16th century Flanders for the finance world of 21st century New York.

Like all of Graham’s work, these photographs are direct from life—they are not staged or Photoshop composites. Each image in The Seasons examines the briefest fractions of time, just 1/1000th of a second, where humanity is revealed mid-step, walking, eating, talking, laughing, and gesturing. The photographs are large, and though made using the simplest of technique—a single exposure with a handheld camera—they are mesmerizing in their detail and color.

Paul Graham, AUTUMN (Return of the Herd), Bank of America, 345 Park Avenue, 2017, pigment print mounted to Dibond, image, paper and mount, 57-3/4" × 77-1/8" (146.7 cm × 195.9 cm) frame, 73-1/4" × 92-1/8" × 4" (186.1 cm × 234 cm × 10.2 cm)
Paul Graham, WINTER (Hunters in the Snow), Citibank, 399 Park Avenue, 2018, pigment print mounted to Dibond, image, paper and mount, 57-3/4" × 77-1/8" (146.7 cm × 195.9 cm) frame, 73-1/4" × 92-1/8" × 4" (186.1 cm × 234 cm × 10.2 cm)

To inquire about any of the works featured in this exhibition, please email inquiries@pacegallery.com.

  • Past, Paul Graham, The Seasons, Mar 12, 2020