Press Contact: Maja Orsic, maja@robertkleingallery.com

High-resolution digital images available upon request

To view a PDF version of this press release, click HERE

JANUARY 8, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- BOSTON

Paulette Tavormina Returns to Boston with Black & Bloom at

Robert Klein Gallery and Ars Libri

PAULETTE TAVORMINA, Botanical VI (Juliet Roses), 2013

In her New York studio apartment, high above the city's bustling streets, PAULETTE TAVORMINA works around the clock to produce photographs that look like paintings. Surrounded by overripe figs and newly bloomed morning glories, she is in a garden of her own making. Following successful exhibitions in London, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, New York, and Chicago, Tavormina returns to Boston next month, where she was first shown by ROBERT KLEIN GALLERY in 2009. Black & Bloom opens at ARS LIBRI on Friday, February 7, and at Robert Klein Gallery on Saturday, February 8; the two-part show runs through March 29.

Black & Bloom will showcase the artist's past and present. Natura Morta, an ongoing series Tavormina began in 2008, draws inspiration from seventeenth century Old Master still lifes. Tavormina's deft assemblages of flora, fauna and filigree - she previously worked as a prop and food stylist in Hollywood - are modern explorations of timeless themes. Selections from Natura Morta, including several recent photographs that have never been shown in Boston, will be on display at Robert Klein Gallery (38 Newbury St, Boston, MA, 02116).

Botanicals, Tavormina's newest series, takes a traditional genre and flips it on its head. Popular in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, botanical illustrations aided in the differentiation of species before a codified set of terms had been established. At first glance, Tavormina's images appear to be deconstructed still lifes. Her ideal floral specimens favor whimsy - a wandering caterpillar, a lone petal - over perfection. Where she once directed the viewer's eye, she is now dispersing with a central focus and playfully pulling our attention to the edges of the image.

"These are all my favorite flowers, in all stages of life," says Tavormina. "They represent my childhood, my memories." In her quiet, beautiful way, Tavormina reminds us that winter's root vegetables and summer's roses can flourish side-by-side, that the seasons have given way to age and time. Botanicals will be exhibited publicly for the first time at Ars Libri (500 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA, 02118).

The artist will be present for February's First Friday at Ars Libri on Friday, February 7, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. An opening reception with the artist will also be held at Robert Klein Gallery on Saturday, February 8, from 2 to 5 PM. The events are free and open to the public; light refreshments will be served.

A regular visitor to New York City's flower and farmers markets, Tavormina looks for "perfectly imperfect" plants to set the scene. But she does not limit herself to items on sale; she has found butterflies on the sidewalk and picked lilies of the valley through wrought iron fences. Florence Fabricant of THE NEW YORK TIMES called Tavormina's still lifes "arresting." Vince Aletti of THE NEW YORKER writes, "[f]ruits, vegetables, and flowers spill from their containers in an almost obscene display of abundance. Everything seems poised between voluptuousness and rot, at once gorgeous and doomed."

Tavormina's work has been featured by The Boston Globe, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Bon Appétit, Saveur magazine, L'Express, Martha Stewart Living, Interiors magazine, Art e Dossier, and Vogue Italy. Her work is in museum, corporate, and private collections, and is currently exhibited at the Alimentarium Museum in Vevey, Switzerland.

PAULETTE TAVORMINA, Crabs and Lemon, after P.C., 2009

To view a PDF version of this press release, click HERE

To view additional works by Tavormina, including six new images from Botanicals, click HERE

In June 2012, Robert Klein Gallery began a long-term collaboration with Ars Libri, the rare and out-of-print bookdealer, to host satellite installations in the South End bookstore. Exhibits at Ars Libri supplement and complement Robert Klein Gallery shows with additional works and printed material.

ROBERT KLEIN GALLERY was established in 1980 and ranks among the world's most prestigious showrooms of fine art photography.

Robert Klein opened his Newbury Street space with early exhibitions of Diane Arbus, Annie Leibovitz, Sally Mann, and Hiroshi Sugimoto. From 1995 through 2008, Robert served as President of the Board of Directors of the Association of International Photography Dealers (AIPAD). During his tenure, Robert engineered the 2006 expansion of The AIPAD Photography Show New York to the Park Avenue Armory. The AIPAD Photography Show's move firmly established it as one of the leading photographic fairs in the world.

Robert Klein Gallery maintains an extensive and ever-changing inventory of 19th century, 20th century, and contemporary photographs. Participating in international art fairs such as Paris Photo, The Armory Show - Modern, and The AIPAD Photography Show New York, Robert Klein Gallery provides its contemporary artists with international exposure while exhibiting works by recognized masters such as Ansel Adams, Helen Levitt, and Irving Penn. With over 40 combined years of experience and a profound knowledge base, the gallery staff is committed to serving as a resource for both novice and seasoned collectors.

38 Newbury St, Boston, MA, 02116

Tuesday - Friday, 10AM - 5:30PM

Saturday, 11AM - 5PM

closed Sunday & Monday

p 617.267.7997 e inquiry@robertkleingallery.com

ARS LIBRI, the internationally renowned rare bookdealer in the field of art, architecture, and photography, continues to show changing selections from its stock in its gallery at 500 Harrison Avenue. These include rare illustrated books, photographs, posters, and documents of Dada, Surrealism, Expressionism, Pop, Fluxus, and other modern art movements, as well as Renaissance and Baroque architectural treatises, Islamic manuscripts, 19th century photographs, and classic livres d'artiste by Picasso and Matisse.

500 Harrison Ave, Boston, MA, 02118
Monday - Friday, 9AM - 6PM

Saturday, 11AM - 5PM

closed Sunday

p 617.357.5212 e orders@arslibri.com

To view a PDF version of this press release, click HERE

Please contact Maja at the Robert Klein Gallery with any inquiries at

maja@robertkleingallery.com

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ROBERT KLEIN GALLERY

38 Newbury St

Boston, MA 02116

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