Nabil Nahas: Sapphire, 2013, acrylic on canvas, diptych, 84 by 120 inches overall. Courtesy Sperone Westwater, New York.
This exhibition might be a transitional one for Lebanese-born New York painter Nabil Nahas, but it is nonetheless compelling. On view are some large-scale examples from his series of heavily encrusted, abstract acrylic works that resemble shadowy coral reefs or starfish-covered sea floors. Sapphire (2013), a mural-size example here, in deep purple and indigo, might be one of the best of his career. At the same time, he introduces a new style and format that might seem on first glance to be a rather glitzy take on Australian aboriginal painting, as in 24 Carats (2013), with its networks of colorful lines set against a shiny gold background.