The Allure of Tom Wesselmann’s Iconic Smoker Series

Friday, March 17

4PM – 4.30PM CET

Stand 423, MECC Maastricht

Tom Wesselmann’s work is an iconic part of 20th century art history—prototypical of Pop Art and determinedly formalist. Considered one of the founders of Pop Art, Wesselmann resisted this label, considering his work to be rooted in the Modernist tradition—his goal was to redesign figurative painting. While Wesselmann was deeply affected by Abstract Expressionism, he felt that he had nothing further to add to movement and opted to focus on traditional subject matter, such as still lifes, landscapes, and nudes, and explore color, form, and composition. Best known for his series on the nude female form, his investigation into the figure lead to Wesselman’s isolation of features and to focus on them as subjects on their own. He began executing his “Smoker Series” in the late 1960’s, exploring elements such as mouths, lips, hands, cigarettes, and smoke. Wesselmann’s ability to focus on details such as the density of smoke, the glare of lipstick and textures in the air proved to create canvases soaked in craftsmanship and allure.

TEFAF Meet the Experts programs celebrate the expertise of our world-renowned exhibitors, spotlighting exceptional objects and the stories they tell across categories and 7,000 years of history.

TEFAF Meet the Experts programs are hosted at exhibitors’ stands at TEFAF Maastricht. Please note that TEFAF Programming is free with a valid ticket to TEFAF Maastricht and seating is limited.

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Cover image Tom Wesselmann, Smoker #10, 1973