Judy Rifka

Judy Rifka, an American artist, first emerged in the 1970s as a painter and video artist, and is most associated with Colab, Tribeca, the Lower East Side arts scene of that period, and such artists as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard, John Ahearn, Richard Mock, Ron Gorchov, Becky Howland, Keith Haring, Matthew Geller, Joseph Nechvatal, Bruce Nauman, Elizabeth Murray and Ruth Root.

Rifka took part in the 1980 Times Square Show, two Whitney Museum Biennials (1975, 1983), Documenta 7, Just Another Asshole (1981) and received the cover of Art in America in 1984 for her series, "Architecture". Rifka returned to the use of three-dimensional stretchers later in the 1980s.

In a 1985 episode of "Miami Vice", Bianca Jagger played a character attacked in front of Rifka's three-dimensional nude still-life, "Bacchanaal", portrayed at the Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale.

Art & Context

Judy Rifka's pop figuration is noted for its nervous line and frenetic pace. Joseph Masheck described Rifka in his 1993 book, "Modernities" (see excerpt below).

:“Rifka’s wit, which luckily keeps up with her anxious agitation, entails putting high care into a ‘careless’ look. And in a world charged with contending impersonal forces, this is like advertising in reverse, ‘pushing’ the individual consciousness in all its brave fragility.”

In the January 1998 issue of Art in America, Vincent Carducci echoed Masheck, “Rifka reworks the neo-classical and the pop, setting all sources in quotation for today’s art-world cognoscenti.” Rifka, along with artists like David Wojnarowicz, helped to take Pop sensibility into a milieu that incorporated politics and high art into Postmodernism; Robert Pincus-Witten stated in his 1988 essay, "Corinthian Crackerjacks & Passing Go":

:“Rifka’s commitment to process and discovery, doctrine with Abstract Expressionist practice, is of paramount concern though there is nothing dogmatic or pious about Rifka’s use of method. Playful rapidity and delight in discovery is everywhere evident in her painting.”

Solo Exhibitions

*2007: Chocolate Factory, New York City
*2001: Gallery X, New York City
*1997: Alley Culture Gallery, Detroit, Michigan
*1994: "Judy Rifka", Information Gallery, New York City
*1991: "Judy Rifka", Real Art, New York City
*1991: "Judy Rifka Drawings 1980-1990", Brooke Alexander, New York City
*1991: "Judy Rifka: Paintings and Works on Paper", Ratner Gallery (Chicago), Galerie Tobias Hirshmann (Frankfurt, Germany), Ann Jaffee Gallery (Bay Harbor Islands, Florida)
*1988: Danny Meyer's Union Square Cafe, New York City
*1988: Brooke Alexander, New York City
*1988: Galerie Tobias Hischmann, Frankfurt, Germany
*1988: Galerie Ninety-Nine, Miami
*1987: Saxon-Lee Gallery, Los Angeles
*1987: Brooke Alexander, New York City
*1986: Anna Friebe Galerie, Cologne
*1986: "Judy Rifka Paintings", Cleveland Museum of Art
*1986: Stephen Wirtz Gallery, San Francisco, California
*1986: Gallery Ninety-Nine, Miami, Florida
*1985: Brooke Alexander, New York City
*1985: Anna Friebe Galerie, New York City
*1985: Gracie Mansion Gallery, New York City
*1984: "Judy Rifka: Major Works 1981-84" (Charlotte, North Carolina and the Anderson Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, Galerie de France (Paris), Brooke Alexander (NYC), 51x Gallery, (NYC), Carl Solway Gallery (Cincinnati, Ohio)
*1983: Nicola Jacobs Gallery, London
*1983: Brooke Alexander (NYC), Daniel Weinberg Gallery, San Francisco, California
*1982: Brooke Alexander, New York City
*1981: Museum (Sub) Kulture, Berlin and Hamburg, Germany
*1980: Printed Matter, New York City
*1978: Jean Paul Najar, Paris
*1978: Name Gallery, Chicago
*1977: Franklin Furnace, New York
*1976: Susan Caldwell, New York
*1975: Daniel Weinberg Gallery (San Francisco); Artists Space (NYC)
*1974: John Doyle Gallery, Chicago

Group Exhibitions

*2006: "The Downtown Show", Grey Art Gallery, New York City
*2005: "The Continuous Mark", New York Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture, New York City
*2003: "Drawings", Alley Culture, Detroit
*1998: Herb and Dorothy Vogel Exhibition, Washington, D.C.
*1997: Exit Art, Poster Exhibition, New York City
*1995: Mint Museum, Charlotte, North Carolina
*1994: "Beyond the Pale", Irish Museum of Modern Art, Dublin
*1994: "Inaugural Exhibition", Kansas City Art Institute
*1993: "Nature Morte", Studio School of Drawing, Painting and Sculpture
*1991: "Art for Your Collection" Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design
*1989: "The Gleaning Eye: The Sandy Seawright Collection", Rowe Gallery, UNC-Charlotte
*1989: "Skowhegan Retrospective, 1975-1985", Portland Museum of Art
*1989: Museum of Art, Colby College, Waterville, Maine
*1989: "Making their Mark: Women Artists Move in the Mainstream 1970-85", Cincinnati Art Museum; New Orleans; Denver Art Museum; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
*1989: "The Future Now", Bass Museum of Art, Miami
*1986: "Between Painting and Sculpture", Palo Alto Cultural Center
*1986: "Painting and Sculpture Today: 1986", Indianapolis Museum of Art
*1986: "An American Renaissance: Painting and Sculpture since 1940", Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale
*1985: "Correspondences: New York Art Now", Laforet Museum, Harajuku, Tokyo; Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts, Utsunomiya and Tagaki Hall Espace Media
*1985: "Large Drawings" Independent Curators, Inc., New York City
*1985: "Points of View: Four Painters", Independent Curators, Inc., New York City
*1985: "Kunst Mit Eigen-Sinn", Museum Moderner Kunst, Vienna, Austria
*1984: "The Human Condition", San Francisco Museum of Modern Art's Biennial III
*1984: "American Neo-Expressionists", The Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Ridgefield, Connecticut
*1984: "Painting and Sculpture Today: 1984", Indianapolis Museum of Art
*1983: "Back to the Usa," Kunstmuseum, Luzern; Rheinisches Landsmuseum, Bonn; Worttembergisher Kunstverin, Stuttgart
*1983:"1983 Biennial Exhibition", Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City
*1983: "New York Painting Today", Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
*1982: "The Image Scavengers", Philadelphia's Institute of Contemporary Art
*1982: "Urban Kisses", London's Institute of Contemporary Art, London
*1982: "Documenta 7", Kassel; "New York Now" Kestner-Gesellschaft, Hannover
*1981: "Stay Tuned", The New Museum, New York City
*1980: "Times Square Show", New York City
*1979: Collaborative Projects curated by Jenny Holzer: "Manifesto Show", "Income and Wealth Show" at 5 Bleecker Street, Manhattan
*1979: "The Doctor and Dentists Show", "The Dog Show" at 591 Broadway, Manhattan
*1978: Opening Exhibition, Institute for Art & Urban Resources at P.S.1, Long Island City, Queens, New York
*1975: "1975 Biennial Exhibition", Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City

Further reading

*Smith, Roberta. "Painting in The Heady Days", New York Times (2/16/2007)
*McDaris, Glynnis. Cat-holic, Evil Twin Publications, New York, 2005
*Finch, Charlie. "Grace Versus Grunge", artnet.com Magazine/Features, 2004
*Frankel, David. "The Rite Stuff", Art Forum (January) 2003
*Carducci, Vincent. "Judy Rifka at Alley Culture", Art In America (January 1998)
*Tysh, George. "Judy Rifka: Alley Culture", Cover (Volume 11, #3), 1997
*"Self-Portrait," "The New Yorker" (January 1994)
*Masheck, Joseph. Modernities, Pennsylvania University Press, Philadelphia, 1993
*Stroud, Marion Boulton. An Industrious Art, Norton, New York City, 1991
*Pederson, Victoria. "Judy Rifka at Brooke Alexander", Paper Magazine (January) 1991
*Edners, Alexandra. "Judy Rifka", Art & Antiques (December) 1990
*Glueck, Grace. "Art School, Still Needy, Is Thanking Its Champion", The New York Times (9/24/1990)
*Mercuri, Bernardo. "Judy Rifka", Teme Celeste (August-September, 1989)
*Sturman, John. "Judy Rifka", Art News (January 1989)
*Mifflin, Margot. "Art in a Whirl", ELLE (October 1988)
*Wright, Jeff. "Filling the Space with Holes", Cover (October 1988)
*Galligan, Gregory. "Judy Rifka", Arts (January 1986)
*Kuspit, Donald. "Judy Rifka", Artforum (January 1986)
*Morch, Al. "Painting in Three Dimensions", San Francisco Examiner (2/17/1986)
*Moore, Alan and Miller, Marc, ed. ABC No Rio Dinero, ABC No Rio with Collaborative Projects, New York, 1985
*Making their Mark, Women Artists Move into the Mainstream 1970-1985, Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati, 1985
*Berenson, Michael. "Judy Rifka", New York Times (1/25/1985)
*Grimes, Nancy. "Judy Rifka", Art News (1/16/1985)
*Levin, Kim. "Judy Rifka", Village Voice (1/16/1985)
*Plagens, Peter. "Nine Biennial Notes", Art in America (July 1985)
*Raynor, Vivien. "Joseph Nechvatal-Judy Rifka", New York Times' (10/18/1985)
*Choen, Ronnie. "Judy Rifka", Artforum (September 1984)
*Levin, Kim. "Judy Rifka", Village Voice (1/31/1984)br />
*Masheck, Joseph. "Judy Rifka and Post-modernism in Architecture", Art in America (December 1984)
*Cameron, Daniel. "Biennial Cycle", Arts (June 1983)
*Honnef, Klaus. "Acht Monografien: Judy Rifka", Kunstforum (No. 61-May) 1983
*Kent, Sarah. "Judy Rifka", Time Out (London, 10/20/1983)
*Larson, Kay. "Art, Monuments & Meanings", New York Magazine (10/14/1983)
*Moynehan, Barbara. "Judy Rifka at Brooke Alexander", Flash Art (May 1983)
*Smith, Roberta. "The Whitney Biennial: Taking Consensus", Village Voice (10/26/1983)
*McCormick, Carlo. "Color My World: An Interview with Judy Rifka", East Village Eye
*Rene Ricard. The Greatest Show on Earth, 1982
*Linker, Kate. "Judy Rifka", Artforum (Summer) 1982
*Moynehan, Barbara. "Judy Rifka," Flash Art (Summer) 1982
*Skoggard, Ross. "Judy Rifka at Brooke Alexander", Art in America (October 1982)
*Smith, Roberta. "Intermural Painting", Village Voice (2/23/1982)
*Ricard, Rene. "The Radiant Child", Artforum (December 1981)
*Casademont, Joan. "Judy Rifka, Braathen-Gallozzi Contemporary Art", Artforum (November 1981)
*Ingrid Sischy,"Project", Artforum (February 1980)
*Bleckner, Ross. "Transcentdent Anti-Fetishism", Artforum (March 1979)
*Ratcliff, Carter. "Up against the Art Establishment", New York Magazine (11/27/1978)
*Gilbert-Rolfe, Jeremy. "Judy Rifka", Artforum (April 1974)

External links

* [http://www.askart.com/AskART/artists/biography.aspx?searchtype=BIO&artist=30225 Askart bio]
* [http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-20148143.html Biodata]
* [http://www.nyu.edu/greyart/exhibits/downtown/sublime7.html NYU exhibits]
* [http://www.chocolatefactorytheater.org/ Chocolate Factory]
* [http://www.tandempress.wisc.edu/tandem/gallery/rifka/rifka.htm Tandem Press]
* [http://wwar.com/masters/r/rifka-judy.html Bio]
* [http://www.thekitchen.org/MovieCatalog/Directors/Rifka.html The Kitchen/Movie Catalog]
* [http://www.nyss.org/40/artists/part1/rifka.htm NYSS.org]
* [http://www.artnet.com/artist/642203/judy-rifka.html Artnet bio]
* [http://www.absolutearts.com/masters/r/rifka-judy.html Absolute Arts]
* [http://www.soloimpression.com/Books/Rifkatext.htm Solo Impression]
* [http://judyrifka.com/ Judy Rifka Official Website]