JOAN BROWN: The Golden Age

Joan Brown's late paintings and sculptures from 1982–88, alive with vibrant color and collaged imagery of unlikely animal companions in harmony.

Why go

Brown's final decade of work channels Henri Rousseau's graphic directness and mythic vision—peacocks coexist with snakes, lions with lambs—collaging disparate cultures and moments into an idyllic, utopian visual language she called the Golden Age.

What to expect

Twelve paintings and sculptures in oil, enamel, acrylic, copper, and mixed media, ranging from intimate mixed-media works on wood and Plexiglas to large-scale canvases (120+ inches) depicting animals, self-portraits, and reimagined biblical scenes.

Things to know

• Brown died in 1990 at age 52; this show focuses on her final decade of work.
• Her paintings appeared in the 1964 Carnegie International and the 1972 and 1977 Whitney Biennials.
• SFMOMA organized the most substantial exhibition of her work since her death in 2022, which traveled to Carnegie Museum and Orange County Mu
• Brown lived her entire life in the San Francisco Bay Area.
• Key works include *The Golden Age: The Deer and the Wolf* (1985), featuring a double-faced symbol of duality, and *A New Age: The Bolti Fish
• The exhibition title draws from Brown's 1985 vision of a peaceful time when all creatures would live in perfect harmony.

Plan your visit

Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM. Gallery located at 523 West 24th Street, New York. For information, call 212-243-0200 or email inquiries@matthewmarks.com.