William Tarr: Alchemy and Artifice marks the first solo presentation of the artist’s work in decades, bringing together sculptures, drawings, and paintings focused mainly on the 1950s and 60s. Working in New York during a period shaped by Abstract Expressionism and the rise of Minimalism, Tarr developed a distinctly independent practice grounded in material, construction, and physical effort. From his studio at 102 Greene Street in SoHo, which he built out himself, Tarr approached sculpture not as a discrete object but as part of a broader logic of making—one rooted in labor, structure, and lived experience. His early inclusion in the Whitney Museum’s 1962 Annual situates him within the postwar moment, yet his work resists easy alignment with its dominant movements.
