View of Jay DeFeo's retrospective at the Whitney. Photo Sheldan C. Collins.
While not exactly unknown, Jay DeFeo has, in the 25 years since her death, become increasingly obscure. Most associate her with The Rose, a 2,300-pound painting which the artist labored over for eight years, only to see it disappear behind a wall at the San Francisco Art Institute. The Whitney now owns this work, and has installed it in a dramatically lit, chapel-like space somewhat set aside from the rest of DeFeo’s retrospective. The show includes an extraordinary range of work, from early jewelry pieces to large-scale “carved” paintings to experimental photography.