California stood for a long time on the fringes of the artistic events and appreciation that agitated the New York scene. Against all odds, and with the support of one Los Angeles gallery and some brave collectors, Californian artists would finally find recognition and put Los Angeles on the art world map. Ed Moses was one of those artists. During his long art career, he traversed rough terrains before becoming a recognised and celebrated West Coast artist that along with the members of the Cool School electrified the late 1950s Los Angeles art scene.
Moses referred to himself as a "mutator", a painter who rather continued to experiment, embracing transformation and change than to yield to the tenets of any singular art movement or style. Ed Moses has been honing a distinct visual vocabulary for over 60 years, absorbing the possibilities in painterly abstraction until his death in 2018. In the form of a new exhibition Whiplines, Waterfalls and Worms, occurring both inside the realm of the Internet and in a gallery space in London's Mayfair, JD Malat Gallery celebrates the last two decades of Moses' artistic career and showcases three distinct series of energetic and boldly colourful paintings. From different spots in Europe, we talked with the founder and director of the gallery, Jean-David Malat about the ongoing show as well as tapping into opportunities to support artists in entrepreneurial ways amid the pandemic.
