Back to Exhibitions

Maira Kalman: Still Life with Remorse

Mary Ryan Gallery is pleased to announce Still Life with Remorse, an exhibition by Maira Kalman. This is Kalman’s second solo exhibition at the gallery, accompanying her book of the same name. Meditating on the emotional weight of physical objects, Kalman presents beautiful, tender paintings with a hint of darkness. In this exhibition, the human presence is rarely seen but rather suggested through Kalman’s interiors and still lifes, all done with her signature sense of humor and exuberant use of color.

Room with Woman in Grey, 2024
Gouache
26 13/16 x 24 7/16 inches (68.1 x 62.1 cm)
$15,000
Inquire

Tolstoy Eating Breakfast, 2023
Gouache
20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
$8,000
Inquire

Maira Kalman Dining Room, 2023 Gouache Image Dimensions: 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches (24.1 x 19.1 cm) Paper Dimensions: 15 1/8 x 11 1/2 inches (38.4 x 29.2 cm) Framed Dimensions: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm) $8,000

Dining Room, 2023
Gouache
20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
$8,000
Inquire

On a recent trip to Paris, she was inspired by seeing the still lifes of Jean Siméon Chardin — these works also center on domestic, everyday scenes and convey a strong sense of mood. Kalman’s focus on the still life genre in this exhibition allows for a study of the ways in which objects can hold emotion and tell stories, even if they are ordinary items arranged together. Exploring the solace and/or pain found in objects left behind by those who have passed, Kalman hopes that the viewer experiences varied, mixed emotions all at once, from poignance to nostalgia. She writes, “Vast skies full of remorse. Oceans of remorse. But enough. There should be merriment. And good cheer. Good tidings. Well wishing.”

Maira Kalman Cézanne's Studio, 2023 Gouache Image Dimensions: 8 3/4 x 11 inches (22.2 x 27.9 cm) Paper Dimensions: 11 x 15 inches (27.9 x 38.1 cm) Framed Dimensions: 16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm) $10,000

Cézanne's Studio, 2023
Gouache
16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
$10,000
Inquire

Chardin's Plums, 2023
Gouache
20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
$10,000
Inquire

Table with Cyclamen, 2023
Gouache
20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
$8,000
Inquire

Maira Kalman Morandi's Studio, 2023 Gouache Image Dimensions: 8 1/2 x 11 1/4 inches (21.6 x 28.6 cm) Paper Dimensions: 11 x 15 1/4 inches (27.9 x 38.7 cm) Framed Dimensions: 16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm) $10,000

Morandi's Studio, 2023
Gouache
16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
$10,000
Inquire

As the artist interrogates her family history, she tells the stories of her grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles as they immigrated from Belarus to Palestine and the United States. Grappling with stories of love and regret, Kalman gives us richly-colored gouache paintings of objects including flowers, tabletops, fruit, and chairs. Kalman’s eye for detail focuses on small, charming details such as tassels, an elaborate hat, doilies or candlesticks. She is interested in extreme opposites, often injecting a touch of melancholy into otherwise bright and cheerful scenes. Kalman explains, “I’m pleased to create something beautiful and then I’m pleased to put something sad into it.”

White Vessels in New York, 2023
Gouache
20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
$10,000
Inquire

Blue Vase with Pink Flowers, 2023
Gouache
20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
$8,000
Inquire

Sofa in Vanessa Bell's House, 2023
Gouache
20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
$8,000
Inquire

Maira Kalman Flowers and Fruit in France, 2023 Gouache Image Dimensions: 10 x 8 inches (25.4 x 20.3 cm) Paper Dimensions: 15 x 11 1/2 inches (38.1 x 29.2 cm) Framed Dimensions: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm) $10,000

Flowers and Fruit in France, 2023
Gouache
20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
$10,000
Inquire

Paintings in this exhibit pay homage to other artists and intellectuals that Kalman admires, from Henri Matisse and Paul Cézanne to Virginia Woolf and Leo Tolstoy. Portrayals of their homes and studios tie the theme of remorse into a sense of appreciation for the legacies of figures that Kalman feels connected to, even if she didn’t know them personally. Her passion for the work of other great artists shines through in these paintings.

Maira Kalman Tolstoy's Family, 2023 Gouache Image Dimensions: 7 3/4 x 12 1/4 inches (19.7 x 31.1 cm) Paper Dimensions: 11 1/2 x 15 1/8 inches (29.2 x 38.4 cm) Framed Dimensions: 16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm)

Tolstoy's Family, 2023
Gouache
16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
$12,000
Inquire

Image Dimensions: 8 3/4 x 11 1/4 inches (22.2 x 28.6 cm) Paper Dimensions: 11 1/4 x 15 inches (28.6 x 38.1 cm) Framed Dimensions: 16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm)

Tolstoy in Bed in Yasna Polyana, 2023
Gouache
16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
$10,000
Inquire

Maira Kalman Chekhov Dead Too Young, 2021 Gouache Image Dimensions: 8 1/8 x 11 5/16 inches (20.6 x 28.7 cm) Paper Dimensions: 11 x 15 1/4 inches (27.9 x 38.7 cm) $10,000

Chekhov Dead Too Young, 2021
Gouache
16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
$10,000
Inquire

Tolstoy Dead, 2021
Gouache
16 x 20 inches (40.6 x 50.8 cm)
$10,000
Inquire

Maira Kalman Brahms Dead in Bed, 2023 Gouache Image Dimensions: 11 1/4 x 8 3/4 inches (28.6 x 22.2 cm) Paper Dimensions: 15 x 11 1/2 inches (38.1 x 29.2 cm) Framed Dimensions: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm) $10,000

Brahms Dead in Bed, 2023
Gouache
20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
$10,000
Inquire

Maira Kalman Cleopatra's Bedroom, 2023 Gouache Image Dimensions: 11 1/8 x 8 1/4 inches (28.3 x 21 cm) Paper Dimensions: 15 1/8 x 11 5/8 inches (38.4 x 29.5 cm) Framed Dimensions: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm) $10,000

Cleopatra's Bedroom, 2023
Gouache
20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
$10,000
Inquire

Maira Kalman Ravel Dead with Lillies, 2021 Gouache Image Dimensions: 8 3/4 x 8 10/16 inches (22.2 x 21.9 cm) Paper Dimensions: 13 3/16 x 11 1/8 inches (33.5 x 28.3 cm) $8,500

Ravel Dead with Lillies, 2021
Gouache
20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
$8,500
Inquire

Purple Anemones, 2023
Gouache
20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
$10,000
Inquire

Maira Kalman Mantel of Sorrow, 2023 Gouache Image Dimensions: 11 1/2 x 8 5/8 inches (29.2 x 21.9 cm) Paper Dimensions: 15 x 11 5/8 inches (38.1 x 29.5 cm) Framed Dimensions: 20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm) $10,000

Mantel of Sorrow, 2023
Gouache
20 x 16 inches (50.8 x 40.6 cm)
$10,000
Inquire

Room with Maud in White, 2024 Gouache NEED FRAMED DIMS $15,000 Inquire

Room with Maud in White, 2024
Gouache
26 13/16 x 24 7/16 inches (68.1 x 62.1 cm)
$15,000
Inquire

Kalman’s book Still Life with Remorse will be published by HarperCollins in October 2024.

Please note, all dimensions are framed. For any purchase inquiries, please contact the gallery at (212) 397-0669 or info@maryryangallery.com. Price and availability are subject to change without notice.