Alex Olson
1978 Born in Boston, Massachusetts
Lives and works in Los Angeles, California
EDUCATION
2008 MFA California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California
2001 BA Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
AWARDS/PRIZES/SCHOLARSHIPS
2011 Steep Rock Arts Residency
2010 Nancy Graves Foundation Grant
SOLO AND TWO-PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2013
Interior Address: Paintings by Alex Olson (Notes by M. Malliaris), Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago
Bravo Zebra, Laura Bartlett Gallery, London
2012
Palmist and Editor, Lisa Cooley, New York
Selected Coats, Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago
2010
As a Verb, As a Noun, In Peach and Silver, Lisa Cooley, New York
2009
Alex Olson and Lisa Williamson, Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago
The Mandrake, Los Angeles
2008
Exteriors, &, Apartment 2, Los Angeles As, Approximately, MFA thesis show, D300 Gallery at CalArts, Valencia, California
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2014
Reductive Minimalism: Two Generations of Women Artists in Dialogue 1960-2014, curated by Erica Barrish, University of Michigan Museum of Art
Variations: Conversations in and around Abstract Painting, LACMA, Los Angeles
2013
Ten Years, Wallspace Gallery, New York
You Should’ve Heard Just What I Seen, Part II, Selections from the Collection of Martin and Rebecca Eisenberg, curated by Kelly Texter, Review School, East Sandwich
The Stand In, (or a Glass of Milk), curated by Alexandra Gaty & Lauren Mackler, The Museum of Public Fiction, Los Angeles
Murmurs: Recent Contemporary Acquisitions, curated by Rita Gonzalez, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles
Painter Painter, cur. by Eric Crosby and Bartholomew Ryan,Walker Art Center, Minneapolis
2012
Made in L.A. 2012, Hammer Museum in collaboration with LAXART
Verena Dengler, Ellen Gronemeyer, Helena Hunecke, Alex Olson, Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago
Today, Lisa Cooley, New York
Jessica Dickinson, Liam Everett, Alex Olson, Josh Smith, Garth Weiser, Altman Siegel Gallery, San Francisco
2011
Alex Olson, Tania Perez Cordova, Florian Schmidt, Laura Bartlett Gallery, London
No Swan So Fine, cur. by Joanna Fiduccia, Michael Benevento, Los Angeles
Emerge Selections 2011, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Illinois
2010
Drawing, Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago
No Barrier Fun, Lisa Cooley, New York
Group Show, Rental Gallery, New York
Contemporary Topics in Painting, Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles
2009
Ooga Booga Reading Room, Swiss Institute, New York
Don’t Perish, Leo Koenig Projekte, New York
To the Left of the Rising Sun, Small A Projects, Greenwich, New York
Joe Bradley, Mario Correa, Allison Miller, Alex Olson, Redling Fine Art, Los Angeles
Thunk, Khastoo Gallery, Los Angeles
Extra, Extra! China Art Objects, Los Angeles
Boofthle Booth – Booth : Deux / The Hollywood Biennale, Pauline, Los Angeles
2008
Mr. Reverse Psychology, Norma Desmond Projects, Los Angeles
We Need A New Object, CalArts Graduation Show, Acuna Hansen Gallery, Los Angeles
New Insight, Art Chicago, Chicago
As if This Land Were Yours, Eveningside Drive, Val Verde, California
MFA Mid-Residency Show, Galleries at CalArts, Valencia, California
2007
The Juice Is Loose, 507 Rose Gallery, Venice, California
Exquisite Acts and Everyday Rebellions, CalArts, Valencia, California
PRESS
2014
Suzanne Hudson, Openings, Alex Olson, Artforum, October 2014: pp. 268-269
Andrew Berardini, The Empty Handed Painter from your Streets is Drawing Crazy on your Sheets, Lisa Williamson | Alex Olson | Laura Owens, Mousse, Issue 43, April-May 2014, p.204-212
Lea Weingarten, Creative License: Lea Weingarten, Luxe Magazine, pp. 268 – 269
2013
Christina Travaglini and Eric Crosby, Painter Painter’ interview by Cristina Travaglini. Kaleidoscope. Issue 17, Winter 2012/13, p. 128-135.
Mary Abbe, Painters return to Walker in a new show, Star Tribune, February
Sam Cornish, Minimalism Redux, Abstract Critical.com, April 18
Michelle Grabner, Surface Exchange, Alex Olson, Publication by Laura Bartlett Gallery
Jonathan Thomas, Painter Painter, Frieze no. 156
West Branch. Number 72, Lewisburgh, Pennsylvania: Bucknell University, Winter, Cover
2012
Kristen M. Jones, Alex Olson, Frieze. Issue 151, November, 172.
Eric Crosby, Remarks on Surface: An Interview with Alex Olson, Walker Art Center Blog, October 5.
Tyler Coburn, Made in L.A., ArtReview.Issue 61, September, 137.
Lesley Moon, Alex Olson, Made in L.A. 2012. Exhibition catalogue.Los Angeles: Hammer Museum in collaboration with LAXART.
Jonathan Griffin, Alex Olson, Frieze Art Fair Yearbook 2011-2012. ed. Sam Phillips. London: Frieze.
2011
Joanna Fiduccia, Holte, Michael Ned, in conversation, These Memories Can’t Wait, Kaleidoscope, Issue 09, Winter 2010-11: 50-55.
Charlie Schultz, Meme: Abstract Los Angeles,Modern Painters, May.
Jo-ey Tang, The Potential of Twist Ties Remains Elusive, PaperMonument.com, January.
Flash Art International, Top 100 Artists, Vol. 44, No 281, Nov-Dec
2010
Alex Olson, Portfolio. ANPQuarterly, Volume 2, Issue 5: 68-75.
Eric Sutphin, The Grammar of the Grid,www.artcritical.com, 30 September.
———. New York: Alex Olson at Lisa Cooley, www.moussemagazine.it, 23 September.
Arty Nelson, Abstract L.A., Slake, Issue 1: 115, August 3.
Andrew Russeth, In New York: The Avalanche of Gallery Openings This Week, ARTINFO.com, 8 Sept.
Alex Gartenfeld, Surface Tension, Interview Magazine, August: 47.
Alex Olson, Coco, Matisse, Issue 1. Edited by Carter Mull and Jesse Willenbring: 1-2, 4, 6-7, 9.
Dushko Petrovich, Early Autumn Orchard: Alex Olson, PaperMonument.com, September
Roberta Smith, Varieties in Abstraction,The New York Times, August 6: C21.
2009
Dan Gunn, Artists in Analog, Artslant. 16 November
David Pagel, ’Thunk’ Delivers Some Artful Funk, Los Angeles Times, July 3: D10-D11.
Michael Ned Holte, Boofthle Booth – Booth : Deux / The Hollywood Biennale, Artforum, April.
Lauren Weinberg, Alex Olson and Lisa Williamson, TimeOut Chicago, December 31.
2008
Andrew Berardini, Notes From the Underground, LA CityBeat, September 18.
New Insight, Art Chicago catalogue.
PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, California
Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Illinois
Hammer Museum Collection, Los Angeles
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis