Karen Kilimnik - The Kingdom of the Renaissance - New York

Part of Master Drawings New York, The Kingdom of the Renaissance is an exhibition of works by Karen Kilimnik and her old master predecessors, curated by Mireille Mosler.

Karen Kilimnik
the happy weeds + insects in the field on a summer day, 2008
Water soluble oil color on canvas
60.5 × 46 × 4 cm
23 7/8 × 18 × 1 1/2 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
the happy weeds + insects in the field on a summer day, 2008
Water soluble oil color on canvas
60.5 × 46 × 4 cm
23 7/8 × 18 × 1 1/2 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
the happy weeds + insects in the field on a summer day, 2008
Water soluble oil color on canvas
60.5 × 46 × 4 cm
23 7/8 × 18 × 1 1/2 inches

Karen Kilimnik
the happy weeds + insects in the field on a summer day, 2008 (detail)

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Karen Kilimnik
the happy weeds + insects in the field on a summer day, 2008 (detail)

Karen Kilimnik
the happy weeds + insects in the field on a summer day, 2008 (scale image)

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Karen Kilimnik
the happy weeds + insects in the field on a summer day, 2008 (scale image)

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Nicolaas Struyk
Butterflies and moths, ca. 1719
Gouache and watercolor on paper
44.7 × 28.3 cm
17 5/8 × 11 1/8 inches

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Nicolaas Struyk
Butterflies and moths, ca. 1719
Gouache and watercolor on paper
44.7 × 28.3 cm
17 5/8 × 11 1/8 inches

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Inspired by a variety of sources, from old masters to present day, Kilimnik conjoins components while constructing her own universe. From depictions of royal menageries of the Renaissance through public figures' pooches, the artist filters her inner imaginary world through source material procured from books and museum exhibitions. Early works on paper from the 1980s and more recent paintings are paired with Renaissance sculptures, paintings and drawings from the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries.

Henriëtte Ronner-Knip
An odd-eyed cat, 1894
Oil on panel
33.7 × 28.6 × 3.2 cm (framed)
13 1/4 × 11 1/4 × 1 1/4 inches (framed)

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Henriëtte Ronner-Knip
An odd-eyed cat, 1894
Oil on panel
33.7 × 28.6 × 3.2 cm (framed)
13 1/4 × 11 1/4 × 1 1/4 inches (framed)

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Karen Kilimnik
cats playing in the snow, Siberia, 2020
Water soluble oil color on canvas
20.5 × 25.4 cm
8 × 10 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
cats playing in the snow, Siberia, 2020
Water soluble oil color on canvas
20.5 × 25.4 cm
8 × 10 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
cats playing in the snow, Siberia, 2020
Water soluble oil color on canvas
20.5 × 25.4 cm
8 × 10 inches

Karen Kilimnik
cats playing in the snow, Siberia, 2020 (detail)

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Karen Kilimnik
cats playing in the snow, Siberia, 2020 (detail)

Karen Kilimnik
cats playing in the snow, Siberia, 2020 (scale image)

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Karen Kilimnik
cats playing in the snow, Siberia, 2020 (scale image)

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Animals in Kilimnik’s world are actors in their own universe, substituting princesses and movie stars. Sometimes appropriating old master paintings, Kilimnik’s titles, however, add another layer to this magical world rather than paying abject homage to her precursors.

Jan Baptist Weenix
A Boar Hound with a Joint of Meat Near an Enraged Cat, ca. 1650–55
Oil on canvas
149.2 × 164.5 × 10.5 cm (framed)
58 3/4 × 64 3/4 × 4 1/8 inches (framed)

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Jan Baptist Weenix
A Boar Hound with a Joint of Meat Near an Enraged Cat, ca. 1650–55
Oil on canvas
149.2 × 164.5 × 10.5 cm (framed)
58 3/4 × 64 3/4 × 4 1/8 inches (framed)

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Karen Kilimnik
dinner in the alley, 2010
Water soluble oil color on canvas
35.6 × 45.7 × 1.9 cm
14 × 18 × 3/4 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
dinner in the alley, 2010
Water soluble oil color on canvas
35.6 × 45.7 × 1.9 cm
14 × 18 × 3/4 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
dinner in the alley, 2010
Water soluble oil color on canvas
35.6 × 45.7 × 1.9 cm
14 × 18 × 3/4 inches

Karen Kilimnik
dinner in the alley, 2010 (detail)

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Karen Kilimnik
dinner in the alley, 2010 (detail)

Karen Kilimnik
dinner in the alley, 2010 (scale image)

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Karen Kilimnik
dinner in the alley, 2010 (scale image)

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Kilimnik’s dinner in the alley, a small canvas from 2010, shows a dog guarding his meal from a vigilant cat, while following Jan Baptist Weenix’s (1621–60) much larger composition. Other paintings, such as friends in the woods and the witche's familiars in the woods (both 2010) reveal Kilimnik’s inspiration and witty interaction with an oil sketch by Jan Fyt (1611–61).

Karen Kilimnik
friends in the woods, 2010
Water soluble oil color on canvas
35.6 × 45.7 cm
14 × 18 inches

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Jan Fyt
A horse, an ox, dogs, a boar, stags, a goat and foxes, 1640s
Oil on canvas
49.5 × 66.7 × 4.4 cm (framed) 19 1/2 × 26 1/4 × 1 3/4 inches (framed)

Karen Kilimnik
the witche's familiars in the woods, 2010
Water soluble oil color on canvas
35.6 × 45.7 × 1.9 cm
14 × 18 × 3/4 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
friends in the woods, 2010
Water soluble oil color on canvas
35.6 × 45.7 cm
14 × 18 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
friends in the woods, 2010
Water soluble oil color on canvas
35.6 × 45.7 cm
14 × 18 inches

Karen Kilimnik
friends in the woods, 2010 (detail)

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Karen Kilimnik
friends in the woods, 2010 (detail)

Karen Kilimnik
friends in the woods, 2010 (scale image)

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Karen Kilimnik
friends in the woods, 2010 (scale image)

Jan Fyt
A horse, an ox, dogs, a boar, stags, a goat and foxes, 1640s
Oil on canvas
49.5 × 66.7 × 4.4 cm (framed) 19 1/2 × 26 1/4 × 1 3/4 inches (framed)

Karen Kilimnik
the witche's familiars in the woods, 2010
Water soluble oil color on canvas
35.6 × 45.7 × 1.9 cm
14 × 18 × 3/4 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
the witche's familiars in the woods, 2010
Water soluble oil color on canvas
35.6 × 45.7 × 1.9 cm
14 × 18 × 3/4 inches

Details

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There is no contiguity in Kilimnik’s encounters with old masters: it is her fictitious fantasy that jumps the narrative and makes us believe you can be in any existence of your own choosing.

Karen Kilimnik
the waterbirds in the watermarshes, 2009
Water soluble oil color on canvas
45.7 × 35.6 × 1.9 cm
18 × 14 × 3/4 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
the floral Kingdom of the Renaissance, 2016
Water soluble oil color and glitter on canvas
61 × 50.8 × 2.2 cm
24 × 20 × 7/8 inches

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Jacques de Claeuw
Flower Still Life, 1651
Oil on panel
87.6 × 69.2 × 5.4 cm (framed)
34 1/2 × 27 1/4 × 2 1/8 inches (framed)

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Karen Kilimnik
the waterbirds in the watermarshes, 2009
Water soluble oil color on canvas
45.7 × 35.6 × 1.9 cm
18 × 14 × 3/4 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
the waterbirds in the watermarshes, 2009
Water soluble oil color on canvas
45.7 × 35.6 × 1.9 cm
18 × 14 × 3/4 inches

Karen Kilimnik
the waterbirds in the watermarshes, 2009 (detail)

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Karen Kilimnik
the waterbirds in the watermarshes, 2009 (detail)

Karen Kilimnik
the waterbirds in the watermarshes, 2009 (scale image)

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Karen Kilimnik
the waterbirds in the watermarshes, 2009 (scale image)

Karen Kilimnik
the floral Kingdom of the Renaissance, 2016
Water soluble oil color and glitter on canvas
61 × 50.8 × 2.2 cm
24 × 20 × 7/8 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
the floral Kingdom of the Renaissance, 2016
Water soluble oil color and glitter on canvas
61 × 50.8 × 2.2 cm
24 × 20 × 7/8 inches

Karen Kilimnik
The Floral Kingdom of the Renaissance, 2016 (detail)

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Karen Kilimnik
The Floral Kingdom of the Renaissance, 2016 (detail)

Karen Kilimnik
The Floral Kingdom of the Renaissance, 2016 (scale image)

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Karen Kilimnik
The Floral Kingdom of the Renaissance, 2016 (scale image)

Jacques de Claeuw
Flower Still Life, 1651
Oil on panel
87.6 × 69.2 × 5.4 cm (framed)
34 1/2 × 27 1/4 × 2 1/8 inches (framed)

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Karen Kilimnik
Barbados, 1999
Water soluble oil color and glitter on canvas
50.8 × 61 × 1.9 cm
20 × 24 × 3/4 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
Barbados, 1999
Water soluble oil color and glitter on canvas
50.8 × 61 × 1.9 cm
20 × 24 × 3/4 inches

Inquire

Karen Kilimnik
Barbados, 1999
Water soluble oil color and glitter on canvas
50.8 × 61 × 1.9 cm
20 × 24 × 3/4 inches

Karen Kilimnik
Barbados, 1999 (scale image)

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Karen Kilimnik
Barbados, 1999 (scale image)

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Workshop of Severo da Ravenna
Inkwell in the form of a sea monster
Bronze
27 cm width
10 5/8 inches width

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Workshop of Severo da Ravenna
Inkwell in the form of a sea monster
Bronze
27 cm width
10 5/8 inches width

Details

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Napoleon + favorite camel, Hector at the pyramids of Giza, Egypt, a pastel from 1987, is shown alongside a cavalryman by French academician Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier (1815–91) providing us a construed narrative as we enter Kilimnik’s kingdom.

Karen Kilimnik
beautiful horses and costumes of Battles – elegance of war, 1987
Pastel on paper
27.9 × 35.6 cm
11 × 14 inches

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Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier
A Cavalryman, 1876
Oil on canvas
46.4 × 46.4 × 5.7 cm (framed)
18 1/4 × 18 1/4 × 2 1/4 inches (framed)

Karen Kilimnik
Chantilly Snowflake, 1986
Pastel on paper
22.9 × 30.2 cm
9 × 11 7/8 inches

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Philips Wouwerman
The Riding School
Oil on canvas
57.8 × 74.9 × 5.7 cm (framed)
22 3/4 × 29 1/2 × 2 1/4 inches (framed)

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Karen Kilimnik
beautiful horses and costumes of Battles – elegance of war, 1987
Pastel on paper
27.9 × 35.6 cm
11 × 14 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
beautiful horses and costumes of Battles – elegance of war, 1987
Pastel on paper
27.9 × 35.6 cm
11 × 14 inches

Karen Kilimnik
beautiful horses and costumes of Battles – elegance of war, 1987 (detail)

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Karen Kilimnik
beautiful horses and costumes of Battles – elegance of war, 1987 (detail)

Karen Kilimnik
beautiful horses and costumes of Battles – elegance of war, 1987 (scale image)

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Karen Kilimnik
beautiful horses and costumes of Battles – elegance of war, 1987 (scale image)

Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier
A Cavalryman, 1876
Oil on canvas
46.4 × 46.4 × 5.7 cm (framed)
18 1/4 × 18 1/4 × 2 1/4 inches (framed)

Karen Kilimnik
Chantilly Snowflake, 1986
Pastel on paper
22.9 × 30.2 cm
9 × 11 7/8 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
Chantilly Snowflake, 1986
Pastel on paper
22.9 × 30.2 cm
9 × 11 7/8 inches

Philips Wouwerman
The Riding School
Oil on canvas
57.8 × 74.9 × 5.7 cm (framed)
22 3/4 × 29 1/2 × 2 1/4 inches (framed)

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All installation views by Genevieve Hanson

Thomas Rowlandson
A gaming table at Devonshire House, London: Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, Harriet, Lady Duncannon, the Prince of Wales and others gambling, 1787
Pen, black and grey ink and watercolor over traces of pencil on paper
57.8 × 64.8 × 7 cm (framed)
22 3/4 × 25 1/2 × 2 3/4 inches (framed)

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Karen Kilimnik
Card games – Neptune's grotto ancient Greece and 1745, 1985
Pastel on paper
43.2 × 58.4 cm
17 × 23 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
Card games – Neptune's grotto ancient Greece and 1745, 1985
Pastel on paper
43.2 × 58.4 cm
17 × 23 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
Card games – Neptune's grotto ancient Greece and 1745, 1985
Pastel on paper
43.2 × 58.4 cm
17 × 23 inches

Karen Kilimnik
Card games – Neptune's grotto ancient Greece and 1745, 1985 (detail)

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Karen Kilimnik
Card games – Neptune's grotto ancient Greece and 1745, 1985 (detail)

Karen Kilimnik
Card games – Neptune's grotto ancient Greece and 1745, 1985 (scale image)

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Karen Kilimnik
Card games – Neptune's grotto ancient Greece and 1745, 1985 (scale image)

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Karen Kilimnik
a gaming table and chairs, Ireland, 1985
Crayon and pastel on paper
44.5 × 58.4 cm
17 1/2 × 23 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
a gaming table and chairs, Ireland, 1985
Crayon and pastel on paper
44.5 × 58.4 cm
17 1/2 × 23 inches

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Karen Kilimnik
a gaming table and chairs, Ireland, 1985
Crayon and pastel on paper
44.5 × 58.4 cm
17 1/2 × 23 inches

Karen Kilimnik
a gaming table and chairs, Ireland, 1985 (scale image)

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Karen Kilimnik
a gaming table and chairs, Ireland, 1985 (scale image)

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Thomas Rowlandson
Countrymen and Sharpers, 1787
Watercolor and pencil on paper
55.9 × 66 × 1.9 cm (framed)
22 × 26 × 3/4 inches (framed)

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Thomas Rowlandson
Countrymen and Sharpers, 1787
Watercolor and pencil on paper
55.9 × 66 × 1.9 cm (framed)
22 × 26 × 3/4 inches (framed)

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Press

What to See in N.Y.C. Galleries in March–Karen Kilimnik
The New York Times, review by Max Lakin, Jillian Steinhauer, Travis Diehl and John Vincler, March 2, 2023