Jack Solomon’s Grand Exhibition at TSL in Hudson
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My friend Jack at the opening of his exhibition “POTPOURRI – SEVEN DECADES OF PAINTING”
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On March 14, 2026 I attended Jack’s wonderful exhibition at TSL (Time and Space, Limited) in Hudson showing his life’s work. Up to now, though. Even though he has turned 95, his drive to create is undiminished, something you find out when you talk to him.
It is no exaggeration to call this opening a historical event of the town, even of the nation, for the large community of contemporary arts lovers. The crowd was huuge.
At times it was difficult to make your way to the painting you were attracted to, either because you were being stopped by friends or because of the sheer difficulty of meandering around inspired gesticulating groups of people. My ability to do small talk was tested by many people whose names were no longer in my upper vestibule.
TSL, at one point calling him an “elder statesman of art,” announced the event in the following way:
“Time and Space Limited in Hudson NY is honored to present D Jack Solomon – Potpourri- Seven Decades of Painting. This is an extraordinary opportunity to view select pieces from the oeuvre of this elder statesman of art in visual conversation with each other. Solomon’s work is characterized by whimsical and often humorous content, featuring appropriated images from popular culture and fine art sources, bolstered by a strong compositional gestalt. Examples from his intense period of minimalist color grids done during the mid 60’s -70’s make an appearance as well, having stayed as a stylistic feature in the paintings throughout his long career.
“His process has been founded in collage since the mid 1990’s, through joining and juxtaposing areas of decorative pattern and architectonic material, and in contrasting modulated color fields to floating comic book figures. A resulting composite is either a mash up of cultural symbols or is suggestive of stream of consciousness narrative. Recurring elements include the circular motif or mandala, the minimalist grid, constructivist planar organization, bold shape contrast, and pattern.”
What is TSL? Following the “History” tab on the organization’s website, we find the following information:
“Time & Space Limited Theatre Company: Since its inception in 1973, Time & Space Limited has broken the boundaries of conventional theater, transcending the confines of narrative and integrating dance, visual art, technology, language and sound. The TSL ensemble performed in both traditional and alternative spaces in NYC such as La Mama E.T.C., Merce Cunningham Studio, the Museum of Contemporary Art and Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt Design Museum.”
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Thanks for sharing this 👍
Thank you Joachim!! Beautifully written
So sorry I missed that one, but happy his grandson, Jack and I were able to make it to the Chelsie show.
I worked on a small drawing for a while with Jack Solomon—a man I admire not only as a painter but as a human being… and whose work I always find fascinating—crammed edge to edge with visual delight. The result of that collaboration was fairly respectable, a cool little piece, produced by two honest men with abundant experience and a full appreciation for each other’s decision making.
So, when that piece was complete, Mr. Solomon offered it to me, and I rejected it.
I tried to explain of course—most importantly, that I had enjoyed working with him, and that I was genuinely pleased with the results, but I wouldn’t know what to do with the thing.
Only later did my wife inform me that my response was a slap in the face to the man; a gentleman I truly respect. Me, being me, I quite honestly, quite naively, quite stupidly, quite thoughtlessly, hadn’t realized that it could be taken that way.
Anyway, I meant no disrespect, I was merely employing what I’ve
been taught repeatedly over the years—to remain unattached to the product of my work. That dictum has worked out well for me
because I’m lazy and not really built for groveling or the humiliation that comes with it. I neither want nor need failure clinging to me, stifling my work and disrupting my life with doubt, and choking everybody around me like the fumes of a cheap cigar. I’m sure you’d say this sounds like I’m trying to convince myself and, admittedly, I am. The other side of that is this: every time I’ve drifted too far from that admonition, events have reinstated it swiftly and, just to make sure I return to my allotted position, with remarkable force. All that being said, I now, own that piece and spend some time looking at it and giving thanks that I know Mr. Solomon as a friend…