COURTESY THE ARTIST AND P.P.O.W.
The painter Joe Houston will now be represented by the New York gallery P.P.O.W. He will join a roster that includes Charlie Ahearn, Carolee Schneemann, Betty Tompkins, Martha Wilson, and the estates of David Wojnarowicz and Martin Wong.
Houston is known for his stark figurative paintings of such subjects as folded-up American flags, hands clutching birds, and rubber gloves. He has also painted distinctly American landscapes in a style that recalls vernacular imagery.
Though he first became recognized for these works in the early 1980s, when he exhibited with P.P.O.W., Houston’s work has since fallen out of public view. (During the mid-’90s, Houston focused his energies on teaching and curating instead of producing new work.) But now, he has returned to painting, and some of his new work will be on view at the gallery in spring 2019. P.P.O.W. has also planned a presentation of his work at the Armory Show next month.