Artnet News reports on a solo exhibition at Berry Campbell, New York, dedicated to overlooked American painter Louisa Chase (1951–2016). Titled "Louisa Chase: The Eighties," the show is the largest and most comprehensive survey of her work in 25 years and the first since the gallery began representing her estate. It features a curated selection of works on paper from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s, highlighting Chase's unique synthesis of abstraction and representation that positioned her between Neo-Expressionism and the New Image movement. Chase, who studied under Philip Guston at Yale, had major early success including solo shows at Robert Miller Gallery, appearances at the Whitney Biennial (1981, 1983), and inclusion in the American Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (1984), with works held by MoMA, the Met, the National Gallery of Art, and the Walker Art Center.
This exhibition matters because it participates in the art world's ongoing reassessment of the canon, specifically focusing on women artists who were overlooked despite significant achievements. Chase's career trajectory—rising to prominence in the 1980s only to see interest wane—mirrors that of many female artists of her generation. By reasserting her place in contemporary painting history, the show challenges historical biases and underscores the value of rediscovering marginalized figures. Gallery co-founder Christine Berry notes that while attention has been paid to overlooked women of Abstract Expressionism, those from subsequent decades have suffered similar neglect, making Chase's comeback a timely corrective.