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Robert Weingarten: Palettes

From September 26, 2025 to January 5, 2026

Location: Spotlight Gallery (Floor 1M)

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Robert Weingarten’s photographs take us inside the mind of the artist. By photographing extreme close-ups of palettes and work surfaces, Weingarten probes the perception of light and color. The resulting images range from raw materials (such as Ed Ruscha’s cotton ball with pigment), drippings on a sink (in Ed Moses’ studio), to artists’ actual palettes and paintings (as in the case of Jasper Johns, Chuck Close and Fernando Botero). Displayed as large-scale photographs, Weingarten’s Palettes reveals the intimate moments with these behind-the-scenes objects, inviting us to widen our collective lens by zooming in to our everyday surroundings. 

Robert Weingarten: Palettes gallery

Robert Weingarten, Dale Chihuly #1, 2008. Courtesy of the artist.

Robert Weingarten: Palettes gallery

Robert Weingarten: Palettes gallery

Robert Weingarten, Laura Owens #1, 2004. Courtesy of the artist.

Rather than photographing the artists themselves, Weingarten reimagines the genre of portraiture, focusing on the tools, remnants, and environments that surround creative practice. The result is a body of work that reveals the essence of the artist through what is often left behind.

Through extreme close-ups of studio surfaces and materials, Weingarten explores how color, light, and texture converge in the making of art. The exhibition features 44 large-scale close-up photographs by Robert Weingarten of color palettes and studio artifacts belonging to artists such as Chuck Close, Jim Dine, Eric Fischl, Jasper Johns, Laura Owens, and Ed Ruscha.

Unique to this presentation of Robert Weingarten: Palettes, The Rockwell introduces Community Palettes, a special collaboration with local artists from New York’s Southern Tier. This complementary display showcases the real paint palettes and work surfaces of five regional artists—ranging from meticulously organized to beautifully chaotic—offering a rare glimpse into the creative process behind the artwork. Featured artists include Bridget Bossart van Otterloo, Candy Sankey, Victoria Hamilton, David Higgins, and Gina Pfleegor.

Robert Weingarten: Palettes is toured by Curatorial Exhibitions, Pasadena, California.

Robert Weingarten, Fernando Botero #1, 2004. Courtesy of the artist.

Color! Lecture Series | Looking Closely at Robert Weingarten’s Photography of Painters’ Palettes with Shannon Perich

Thursday, October 30
6 – 7 p.m.

Shannon Perich, curator, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, has worked with Weingarten for almost two decades creating the largest museum collection of his work. Her lecture will situate Weingarten’s Palette series within the artist’s larger body of work and the history of photography.

Lecture followed by a members-only reception.

Learn More & Register

Color! Lecture Series | Looking Closely at Robert Weingarten’s Photography of Painters’ Palettes with Shannon Perich

Thursday, October 30
6 – 7 p.m.

Shannon Perich, curator, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, has worked with Weingarten for almost two decades creating the largest museum collection of his work. Her lecture will situate Weingarten’s Palette series within the artist’s larger body of work and the history of photography.

Lecture followed by a members-only reception.

Robert Weingarten, Fernando Botero #1, 2004. Courtesy of the artist.
Learn More & Register

THANK YOU

2025 exhibitions are made possible by Mary Spurrier